Jason Oliver puts his preseason list together before every NRL season. This year starts a little bit early with all 24 things to drop throughout the offseason and delivered straight to the inbox of our Premium Members. Join today using NRL2024 at checkout to trial our content for free until Round 1.
The NRL Trials are underway, so it’s time to dig way too much into what could be nothing and scratch the summer-long footy-free itch.
The typical response to an NRL trial game is either a gross overreaction to a result or to dismiss the game entirely. Fans will take as little or as much out of it as they please.
We can read into a few things, though. They wouldn’t play the games if there wasn’t any value in doing so. With that in mind, I’ve taken five things away from the opener between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm.
Bulldogs Attack
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs averaged only 18.3 points per game for 16th in the NRL last season. There were positive signs early as Matt Burton and Josh Addo-Carr linked up to score a few tries, but in the end, those actions weren’t repeatable.
There was a lot to like in this one, though.
The Bulldogs ranked 17th in the NRL in supports with 42.2 per game last season but appeared to play with more shape. In good ball, at least. They didn’t often throw more than four passes working their way out of yardage. Instead adopting a one-out approach ahead of the Burton kick.
Jaemon Salmon’s involvement through the middle allowed the Bulldogs to play across the field from left to right. They played a little bit too sideline-to-sideline at times but it’s something the Bulldogs can work with. Josh Curran can fill the role, too.
From the middle, Salmon put his halves a little bit wider and allowed them to play with their backrowers around the three-in defenders.
The best example came last in the second half with Liam Knight acting as the ball player through the middle. Getting deep into the line and using a lead runner to engage the four-in defender, Toby Sexton was then able to attack the space either side of the three-man.
Also getting deep into the line and straightening to the inside shoulder of the three-in defender, he creates the overlap on the edge for Joseph O’Neill and Bronson Xerri to ice it. Shoutout to Luke Smith in #25 for his ability to adjust which hole he was running into as Sexton bounced inside.
The Bulldogs threatened down the edges before cutting back inside numerous times throughout the game. With a little more polish and focus on the middle, you can see more of those shifts end in points. Knight and Sexton being able to sit defenders in this try is what made the Xerri action successful where others failed.
Fullback Note: I think we’re going to see a lot of chatter around the fullback spot but I can’t imagine anybody but Stephen Crichton wearing #1 in Round 1. The attack looks well-suited to him as a running fullback, too. Taaffe took the ball deep and wide a lot in this one. Crichton’s threat as a runner only adds more danger to those actions. I can see him barging over in a fashion Latrell Mitchell often does on the end of a long side shift. Blake Taaffe is a handy backup and could yet see time in the 17 most weeks, but I’ll be surprised if Crichton isn’t at the back to at least start the 2024 NRL season.
Papenhuyzen’s Pass
There will hopefully be a real “he’s back” moment when he opens up in the backfield and reaches top speed in the next few weeks. We caught a glimpse of his speed early on in this one, though.
Melbourne circled the three-in defender early on in this one. A Matt Burton hand stopped Jonah Pezet’s pass from producing points shortly before Dean Ieremia scored in the 13th minute.
Again, it was the three-man for the Storm. This time, however, Papenhuyzen’s speed replaced the pass as he got to the outside of Matt Burton, held up the centre ever so slightly, and opened up the space for Ieremia to score in the corner.
A passing game isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Papenhuyzen’s skill set but it doesn’t have to be the flashiest cutout ball when you can throw it at speed like he can.
With a ripper try off a Pezet kick on the stroke of halftime, there were plenty of encouraging signs for Papenhuyzen in this one.
Blake Wilson
Blake Wilson caught my eye playing NSW Cup last year and took his opportunity at NRL level to score six tries along with four try assists and 47 tackle breaks in 11 games while averaging 130 running metres.
He was a little bit older than your typical debutant at 23 years old, which might explain the lack of hype around him. It won’t be far away with tries like this, though…
Wilson is fast and deceptively effective in yardage. He looks reliable and clearly has a few special moments in him as he did on Thursday night.
The Bulldogs struggled for outside backs last season but Wilson can lock down a wing spot if given the chance.
Poasa Faamausili
Every mention of the Bulldogs throughout the preseason has referenced a lack of middles. They’re short at the position compared to other clubs around the NRL, but the form of Poasa Faamausili could go a long way to closing that gap.
I had to check the team list to see who charged at the line with reckless abandon early on. I didn’t recognise him.
He’s exactly what the doctor ordered: Big, strong and runs like a madman.
At 28 years old, Faamausili is in his prime years as a prop. If he spends the season carrying the ball the way he did in this one, the Bulldogs might not be so short through the middle as many expect.
Sexton’s 7
Toby Sexton arrived at the Bulldogs for Round 19 of the 2023 NRL season and showed some promising signs despite few reps with the players around him. In a side that had struggled to engage the middle up until that point of the year, he had an instant impact as the Dogs hung 36 points on the Rabbitohs.
I expect him to be the frontrunner for the #7 jersey ahead of Round 1.
Sexton is a smart footballer. He knows where on the field he wants to get to and why.
Back to the Xerri try: It’s only subtle, but the way he straightens off the left to bounce inside Keagan Russell-Smith scrambles the defence out wide. He knew exactly what he needed to do as soon as he got the ball and it made things easy for his outside backs.
It’s unlikely to play a huge factor in the selection process but being a right-foot kicker compliments Burton’s left foot well. With Salmon, Curran and possibly Knight acting as a ball player through the middle, Sexton can focus on particular players in the defensive line on the edge and construct actions around them.
There is a genuine battle for the #7 jersey with Drew Hutchison, but Sexton looks the better option heading into the season opener.