NRL

The month of July has seen three teams go 4-0 in the NRL – Penrith, Brisbane and … *checks notes* Newcastle?! After some progress in June where they lost three games by a combined fourteen points, including margins of four to second placed Brisbane and eight to the first place Panthers, Newcastle has strung together four wins on the trot during the past month. The most impressive was Round 21’s 26-18 victory over Melbourne where they chased down a 12-0 lead after eight minutes. They won that game with their defense, something you’d not often say about Newcastle, as they...

The last few seasons has produced a lot of talk about how the Sharks are flat track bullies, or have had a soft draw, or can’t win against quality competition when it matters. The results tend to agree with this, and the only way for the club to shed this sort of moniker is to deliver finals victories. It was an issue back as a far as 2020 when former coach John Morris had to field questions about the fact his team hadn’t beaten a top eight side all season. There was plenty of talk last season about their soft...

There were a lot of impressive takeaways from South Sydney’s 28-6 win over the Warriors in Auckland on Friday evening. Their defense was excellent and they played an expansive game despite the treacherous conditions. And there was one part of their victory that impressed me the most, although we’ll get to that a bit later. But first with June complete, we’re going to do another monthly efficiency update. As usual we’re comparing the site’s expected points measure (ETXP) with actual on field scoring to gauge how efficient teams are with the ball or how porous their defence is. If you...

Just when you thought things had bottomed out for the Dragons, they seem to find a way to dig even deeper. And I’m not just talking about the drama surrounding Ben Hunt. How dire have the Dragons been this season? They’re below the Bulldogs, and I’d give the Dogs an incomplete grade given their injury issues and how young their average squad is. The Dragons don’t get the benefit of either excuse. They’re last on the ladder and have almost conceded the most points per game this season. Their match on Friday against the Warriors was another example of their...

It’s been a quiet weekend in the NRL. No Origin build up, no star halfbacks asking for their release, no long standing try droughts broken. Just five games in a shortened round due to representative games. Nothing to see here. That makes it a perfect time for a quick dive into penalty and set restart counts for the 2023 season up to Round 16. If you feel that your team is unfairly targeted, or that your teams’ hated rival gets all the 50/50 calls, you might find enough evidence here to support whatever point of view you have. Keep in...