Round 12 NRL Notes: Dolphins Attack The Middle & Monitoring The Rabbitohs Left Edge

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With fewer games and those that are played not always offering reliable analysis on a team, I’ve only got a few notes on Round 12 of the NRL season. Instead, I’ll spend my time on State of Origin content to be sent to Premium subscribers on Wednesday.

Raiders v Dolphins

Raiders Pick On The Rookie

With Brian Pouniu named to make his NRL debut, the Canberra Raiders circled him as an early target. It makes sense to test the young fella in the opening exchanges, particularly when he’s lining up next to a five-eighth he won’t be too familiar playing beside.

Brad Schneider isn’t known for express pace and the Raiders used that to put pressure on Pouniu in their first attacking set of the match.

With a lead inside three to hold up Schneider, Daine Laurie asked the 18-year-old to make a difficult defensive decision.

He made the wrong one by turning out onto his opposite man to leave an open passage for Laurie to set up the opening try. It’s not a trend that continued, though. Pouniu found his feet as the match went on to produce a solid NRL debut in the end.

Dolphins Tighten Up The Line

Where the Raiders looked to shift from wider field positions in good ball, the Dolphins did their best work through the middle. They compressed the defensive line to consistently leave four Raiders defenders from the post - often tighter.

Their first try came on the back of a regulation Felise Kaufusi hitup. Another one of those seemingly nothing plays. However, with five Raiders defenders bunched between the posts, Isaiya Katoa gets the look he wants.

The halfback is able to get into the four-man all too easily, and with the lead inside Laurie at three-man, creates the three-v-two out wide for Schneider to nail.

The Dolphins scored one similar later in the match, once again from the middle with five Raiders between the posts. Canberra are even shorter this time, too.

Matt Timoko can feel the overlap building in front of him and tries to shut it down by jamming in on Kulikefu Finefeuiaki. There is an argument for obstruction, but where the Bunker got the decision wrong on the Penrith Panthers in Round 9, this one is correct for mine.¹

Regardless, it further highlights the trend of the tight Raiders line and Dolphins ability to expose them on the edges.

In a season where tries are scored too easily and too often, this footy is worth covering; scripted sets, playing to points and exposing weaknesses. The game hasn’t always been getting into a long enough grind for these scenarios to play out this season.

Cowboys v Rabbitohs

Rabbitohs Left Edge Defence

The South Sydney Rabbitohs left edge defence is on the watchlist. It seems to be a bit of a target for the opposition attack, and the North Queensland Cowboys didn’t waste any time in getting there on Sunday afternoon.

The Cowboys got them again late in the first half when Scott Drinkwater swang behind a lead inside Walker to put Thomas Chester over, too.

There are a few things their defensive struggles can be put down to with the rotation of players we’ve seen down that side of the field. Still, the lateral movement has been on my watchlist - even at full strength - and will remain so in the coming weeks as Latrell Mitchell and David Fifita return.

Limited Minutes Lolo

He’s not playing the big minutes he did in the prime years of his NRL career, but Jason Taumalolo is impressing in those he is out on the field.

His impact is imense. To generate 174 metres in 46 minutes through the middle is one thing, but the momentum he is generating for the Cowboys halves is crucial to their attack all the way up the field.

Taumalolo’s carriers are putting Jake Clifford’s monster kicking game into better positions to end yardage sets, and his quick play-the-balls and destruction to the defensive line are creating opportunities in good ball.

Approaching his 300th game at 32 years old, Taumalolo still has a lot to offer the Cowboys and Todd Payten is using him well to ensure he’s still a contributor through 2027 when his 10-year deal comes to an end.

Content Offloads

Articles & stray links worth consuming.

• Tolu Koula to make Origin debut at stadium where his parents competed in Sydney Olympics

• “You can’t apply it one week and not the next” 🚨 Ricky fumes at officiating | Press Conference - Once a supporter of the rule changes, even Stuart is changing his tune. When these voices in the game start to make noise we can start to expect changes.

• Charting State of Origin, 2026

• How to Watch Rugby - Growing up watching rugby union before seeing the light, I don’t know what I’m watching any more with the 15-man version. The game has changed and I’ve not kept up. This helped and can loosely apply to the superior code.

• Peter V’landys set to be interim NRL chief executive following Andrew Abdo resignation - If I didn’t laugh, I would cry.

• Highlights | Castleford Tigers v St Helens | 2026 Betfred Super League, Round 12 - Not only did Castleford Tigers thump St Helens, Jason Qareqare held a promising audition for Fiji in the upcoming Rugby League World Cup.

1  Timoko instigates the contact in this one. He make a poor defensive decision, and calling it an obstruction would reward him for that. In contrast, Cleary was never allowed to make his decision in the Round 9 example.