Here are the talking points looking ahead to the first week of finals football.
Knockout time
Two big knockout clashes this weekend will send a couple of teams headfirst into their offseason, and both games have clear favourites and outsiders. The Cowboys have hobbled their way into the finals thanks to the Bulldogs knocking off the Saints, and will come up against a Sharks side that while not firing on all cylinders, feels like it is just warming up for the semis. Cronulla have knocked off the Cowboys twice already this year, and should be too strong again down in Sydney. The Sea Eagles gave the Panthers a shellacking last week, and given the dramas in Penrith this week, it is very difficult to see the mountain men turning that result around in six days. Despite Phil Gould’s performance for the media, the talk that Matt Moylan wants out of the club will not go away, and that can’t be helping his team prepare for Saturday. It will be the Sharks and the Eagles progressing to week two of the finals.
The big guns
The other two games are both mouth-watering clashes as the big guns come together. The weekend kicks off with the Roosters hosting the Broncos, and the contrasting injury woes for both sides could tell the story here. The Roosters welcome back Daniel Tupou, Aidan Guerra and Dylan Napa, while the Broncos are missing captain and fullback Darius Boyd, as well as big men Korbin Sims and Tevita Pangai Jnr. The move of Kodi Nikorima from halfback to fullback seems an odd one, given his form in the number 7 as well as the other fullback options in the squad, including Jordan Kahu and Anthony Milford. The move of Kahu to fullback, with David Mead coming onto the wing would be the least disruptive, and it seems crazy to shift your halfback at this time of year. It could all be ducks and drakes, and perhaps we won’t know the final make-up of the side until they run out on Friday night. The more settled Roosters will start favourites, but it would not surprise at all if the Broncos get up, using a siege mentality to spring an upset on the Chooks. Meanwhile, the near unstoppable Storm welcome the Eels to Melbourne in a match that is bound to be closer than people perhaps expect. Parramatta are brimming with confidence, and will not be intimated one bit by the task in front of them. The mind games between the coaches started early in the week, and with some hot headed characters on both teams, it wouldn’t be a shock to see some frustrations boiling over early in the match. Once things settle down, though, Melbourne will be too strong, too calm, and too experienced for the eager Eels. It will be Melbourne and Brisbane, in a very close one, who earn themselves the week off.
The GOAT?
Down in Melbourne, Cameron Smith will go past Darren Lockyer to become the most capped NRL player of all time. Given the resilience of his body and maintenance of form, there is every possibility he will go on to set a benchmark that will never be beaten. More and more over the past few months, the conversation about Smith’s place in history has been ready to acknowledge his claims to the mantle of greatest of all time. Certainly in terms of the modern greats, the narrative has shifted away from Thurston v Johns, and more towards the Melbourne hooker. What is clear is that we haven’t seen a player exert such influence over every game he plays, for such a long period of time, at such a high quality. Forget the talk about his influence over referees, it pales in comparison to his influence over both his own team and the opposition. His Origin 3 performance this year was absolutely astonishing, and it is only the stable of other Melbourne stars that have stopped him scooping more Dally M awards. Leading his Storm team to one more premiership would surely cement his place at the top of the tree, but whatever your view, enjoy what time we have left watching the masterclass he puts on each and every week.
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Enjoy your finals footy!
