NRL Round 3: Club Debutants on the Verge of Breakout

NRL Round 3: Club Debutants on the Verge of Breakout

Oscar Pannifex

Around this time last year, I zeroed in on a few players who were relishing a change of scenery at their new clubs.

Reece Walsh, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, J’maine Hopgood and Jackson Hastings all kicked on from there to enjoy career seasons in 2023 so I’m on the lookout for this year’s crop of club debutants who could be on the verge of a breakout 2024 campaign.

Kyle Flanagan

Excellent in Round 1 and restricted in Round 2, recent formlines suggest that the Kyle Flanagan experience looks set to continue at St George-Illawarra this season.

I’m not so sure though.

His performance in Round 1 (albeit against a poor Gold Coast side) highlighted Flanagan’s development as an on-the-ball half.

Playing first receiver on both sides of the ruck, Flanagan complemented his modest running game with subtle tempo changes as he crabbed across-field and picked up different options along the Dragons backline.

He’ll never be a top-tier running threat but Flanagan can play this conductor role nicely while Ben Hunt and Tyrell Sloan create on the edges.

Playing behind a thoroughly beaten forward pack in Round 2 though, the Dragons spine weren’t afforded opportunities to get over the advantage line and fall into their shapes.

Flanagan is a nice fit for his current role in St George’s attack but if his forwards aren’t winning the ruck, we’re going to hear more of the same Kyle Flanagan rhetoric sooner than later.

There’s a winning blueprint here for this Dragons attack but as always, it all starts in the middle of the field.

Luke Brooks

Life on the Northern Beaches could not have started any better for Manly’s new five-eighth.

Luke Brooks’ natural strengths as a ball runner perfectly complemented this Sea Eagles squad on paper and that has quickly translated into two wins from Manly’s opening two games.

It’s a perfect storm for Brooks in this Sea Eagles attack.

OR

Daly Cherry-Evans and Lachlan Croker steer the side around the park, Tom Trbojevic demands attention from the defence wherever he goes and Haumole Olakau’atu’s combination with his halfback is one of the more ominous in the competition.

All the while, Jake Trbojevic is consistently passing Brooks into positive involvements on the other edge.

It used to be a case of stacking defenders wherever ‘Tommy Turbo’ positioned himself on the field but this Manly attack now has multiple genuine avenues to the try line.

If defending teams double up on Cherry-Evans, Olakau’atu or Tom, Brooks and Toluatu Koula will pick them apart with the extra space down the left edge.

After two games played the Sea Eagles attack ranks third in the NRL and they’re every chance of climbing higher with some injury luck.

Given how they’re stretching the defence across the field before firing a shot, Koula ($3.60) and Olakau’atu ($3.75) are appealing try scorer picks for Manly again this week.

Lachlan Galvin

He played in a losing side and finished up with two errors and three penalties against his name, but I could not have been more impressed with young Lachlan Galvin in his NRL debut.

Forget all the other numbers on Galvin’s stats sheet and focus in on just this one: 50 receipts

Despite having far more experienced playmakers around him, Galvin didn’t stop looking for work and seemed ultra comfortable in an on-the-ball role.

He’s a big rangy unit for an 18-year-old which suggests Galvin’s running game will only improve as he grows into his frame, but it was his playmaking and composure under pressure that should have Wests fans so excited.

Instead of looking for miracle plays or highlight reel moments, Galvin’s best actions were repeatable ones that the Tigers can build their attack around, moving forward.

We need to be patient with young halves like Galvin; historically speaking he’s still 10 years away from his peak as an NRL playmaker.

That being said, his combination with Jahream Bula in particular has the potential to keep Wests off the bottom of the ladder for a third year running.

Ethan Strange

Of all the rookie halves finding their feet in first-grade this year, I’m most keen on Ethan Strange.

Just as with Lachlan Galvin above, it’s Strange’s repeatable attacking actions that are most pleasing as Canberra enjoy a 2-and-0 start to the regular season.

His solo effort in NRL Round 2 will get all the attention, but it’s Strange’s ability to create overlaps with his footwork that can feature every week in the highlight reels:

Strange’s speed off the mark is a problem for edge defenders. He’s also obviously got the vision to identify chances down the short side and the soft hands to ice the play.

The Canberra Raiders have played with one of the more unorthodox offences in recent years but Strange is providing them with a repeatable and reliable avenue to points to kickoff season 2024.

From a betting perspective, these actions make Strange’s centre (Albert Hopoate, $3.60) and winger (Xavier Savage, $2.60) appealing try scorer options moving forward.

Tom Flegler

He’s the odd man out this week in a list of playmakers, but I can’t deny the involvements of Tom Flegler for The Dolphins over the opening fortnight.

The big unit has added a pass to his game over the summer and is popping up in some different areas in this Dolphins attack.

He’ll always primarily be a yardage merchant but Flegler can introduce some variety to an otherwise fairly one-dimensional forward pack.

Slotting in at first receiver, distributing from pivot, running decoy block shapes on the edges – we’ve seen a few different looks from Flegler in Rounds 1 & 2 and I’m curious to see how his role develops throughout the regular season.

There’s upside to his combination with Jeremy Marshall-King around the ruck in good-ball too, either as a crash target or a decoy given Flegler’s gravity as a ball carrier.

Are there any new players or attacking actions that have impressed you over the opening rounds of the NRL regular season? Let us know in the comments.

 

Written by Oscar Pannifex | rugbyleaguewriters.com