NRL Round 8: 2024 Movers & Improvers

NRL Round 8: 2024 Movers & Improvers

Oscar Pannifex

Two weeks ago I touched on four ‘big’ clubs sitting outside the Top 8 who we might’ve expected more from at that stage of the season. Brisbane, Easts, Souths and Parramatta were on the outside looking in after five rounds played but we had seen enough – from the Broncos and Roosters at least – to expect them to improve as the season continued.

This week I’m flipping the script to zero in on four different clubs who have perhaps exceeded expectations, heading into NRL Round 8.

Cronulla, Redcliffe, Manly & Canberra have all impressed to kickoff season 2024, but what are they doing right to currently occupy poll positions on the NRL ladder? Let’s take a look at some of the tweaks or changes these clubs have made to enjoy a fast start to the year.

Cronulla Sharks (1st)

  • Record: 5 wins, 1 loss, 1 bye

In the Craig Fitzgibbon / Nicho Hynes era, the Cronulla Sharks have employed one of the more expansive and effective attacking systems in the NRL.

Playing behind a competitive forward pack and within a dynamic backline, Hynes is the ideal playmaker for this Cronulla attack. He’s elite at identifying cues or deficiencies in the defensive line and quickly constructing actions to expose them. When we think of the Sharks at their best, it’s Hynes on the ball on both sides of the ruck, getting over the advantage line himself or shifting the ball through a sweeping backline movement to punish a fatiguing or disrupted defence.

In that sense, not much has changed between last year and this year. Playing with a similar style, Cronulla are scoring almost the exact number of points per game this season (26.6 per game in 2023, 26.5 per game in 2024) as they were this time last year.

What’s changed is who is throwing the last pass before points.

Hynes will always be the lead playmaker in this Cronulla roster but the Sharks are offering a far more balanced attack this year. Hynes’ touches per game are marginally down from last season but it’s what he’s doing with those touches that has changed significantly.

 

The emergence of Braydon Trindall as a genuine creative attacking option (four tries, four assists) and Blayke Brailey’s increasing influence around the ruck is allowing Cronulla to ask more questions of the defence in different areas on the park in 2024. When defending fullbacks might’ve sent an extra number towards Hynes in previous years, they’ve now got to seriously consider where Trindall or Brailey are and what they might do with the ball.

It’s still early days and the sample size is only small, but there is compelling evidence of a far more balanced and efficient Cronulla Sharks attack to kickoff NRL season 2024.

How that affects their recent form against fellow Top Eight teams remains to be seen…

The Dolphins (3rd)

  • Record: 4 wins, 2 losses, 1 bye

Just as they did in their inaugural NRL campaign, The Dolphins have started fast in season 2024. Some Wayne Bennett magic and a friendly opening draw helped introduce Redcliffe into the NRL in 2023 but their form to kickoff this year is far more genuine.

Combinations and cohesion – while difficult to quantify – are undoubtedly a key reason for The Dolphins improvements this time around; there is more familiarity in this roster and the players are more confident and clear about their roles within the squad. Improved roster depth is another factor; the likes of Tesi Niu, Euan Aitken, Kenny Bromwich and Max Plath have given Redcliffe first-grade quality cover in 2024 while some big names are sidelined.

The ominous development of halfback Isaiya Katoa is the other key element in this improving Dolphins outfit.

 

Pulling the strings in a side that refuses to beat themselves (third least missed tackles, third least penalties conceded and least errors made in the NRL), Katoa is consistently finding himself in positions to positively influence the result. With the role players around him doing their jobs, Katoa is taking the right options in good-ball to improve Redcliffe’s attack by an average 6.7 points per game compared to last season.

The Dolphins were an interesting – if not unlikely – watch this time last year. Fast-forward 12 months however and their improvements are making for a genuine prospect in NRL season 2024.

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (5th)

  • Record: 4 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses

Similar to the Cronulla Sharks above, a better balanced roster is one explanation for Manly-Warringah’s improvements this season. The acquisition of Luke Brooks (1 try, 7 linebreak assists) has given the Sea Eagles a genuine creative option to partner Daly Cherry-Evans in the halves and Head Coach Anthony Seibold has constructed a roster that nicely complements his key attacking players.

A big forward pack that likes to crash the middle and generate ruck speed is laying the platform for Manly to shift the ball in yardage as they have done for the last few seasons. The Trbojevic brothers along with Cherry-Evans and Brooks can be seen interchanging between first, second or third receiver as Manly move the ball in exit sets to find cheap metres out wide.

In good-ball, there are dangerous combinations forming across the park in this Sea Eagles attack. The speed of Brooks and Tolutau Koula is causing issues on the left edge while Cherry-Evans’ deception and the gravity of ‘Tommy Turbo’ is the perfect foil for Haumole Olakau’atu’s brute strength on the right.

With lots of bodies in motion around the ball (second most supports per game), Manly are posing a lot of questions to the defence this season. Importantly however, not all of those questions rely on the involvements of Tom Trbojevic.

The talismanic fullback has quietly amassed four tries and six assists from seven games this season while at the same time never looking like the be-all-and-end-all of this Manly attack. That’s not something we have said about the Sea Eagles in recent seasons and it’s a key reason behind their improved form with the ball in NRL season 2024.

Canberra Raiders (7th)

  • Record: 4 wins, 3 losses

I’ve spoken a lot on the Neds NRL Unpopular Opinions Podcast about Canberra’s improvements this season. Most of these improvements are the result of some repeatable attacking actions that have been introduced to what has long been a gritty, effort-based roster under Head Coach Ricky Stuart; namely through Ethan Strange on the left edge and Matt Timoko on the right.

Jamal Fogarty’s latest injury is concerning for this trending Raiders outfit but there is enough evidence to suggest they can still remain competitive while their star halfback is sidelined.

The Raiders currently play with the most possession of any team in the NRL (54.2%). That number is best explained as a by-product of Canberra’s efficiency with the ball (83.7% completions) and their discipline without it (least missed tackles, fourth least penalties conceded) to begin the 2024 regular season. By completing their sets and minimising the leg-ups they give their opposition out of yardage, the Raiders are suffocating teams with pressure before taking their own opportunities in attack.

The kicking game and decision making of Fogarty has been a major component of this new-look Canberra attack and his absence leaves a lot of pressure on some younger names (Strange, Weekes, Stewart) to maintain their improvements with the ball.

If the Raiders as a whole can continue to get the little things right however, we can expect Canberra to remain there or thereabouts in season 2024, regardless of who fills the No.7 jumper moving forward.