Finals race open: Tedesco

BRISBANE: Everyone is chasing the Melbourne Storm but Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco believes the National Rugby League (NRL) finals race is wide open.
Tedesco joined representatives from the seven other finalists in Brisbane yesterday to launch the finals series.
The Storm will go in as favourites to retain the premiership, with last year’s defeated grand finalists Penrith their nearest rivals.
But Tedesco said Parramatta defeating the Storm twice this season showed their credentials while the free-scoring Manly were also a threat to any team, especially with red-hot Tom Trbojevic on the park.
South Sydney boast the proven premiership-winning experience of veteran coach Wayne Bennett and have a match-winning halves combination in Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker.
The Roosters might be injury-hit but have Tedesco on the park and premiership-winning coach Trent Robinson steering the ship while Newcastle and Gold Coast have X-factor threats in Kalyn Ponga and David Fifita at their disposal.
“Any team on their day can win,” Tedesco said.
“Parra beat Melbourne, and they haven’t been playing great footy but on their day they can.
“Melbourne are probably the benchmark but it’s tough, I think everyone’s a chance to be honest.”
Reynolds, who is approaching the end of his time at Souths before his move to Brisbane from next season, was more definite in his opinion on who a team will need to get past to lift the Provan-Summons Trophy.
“I still think Melbourne,” Reynolds said.
“The quality of players they’ve got throughout their whole squad.
“They’re well experienced and the majority of them have won a premiership before, so they know what it takes.
“They’re probably the prime pick at the moment.” The NRL finals begin on Friday with Melbourne hosting Manly at Sunshine Coast Stadium (7.50pm kick-off).
Tedesco’s Roosters face the Titans (5.40pm) in a Townsville double-header on Saturday before Penrith and Souths clash at Queensland Country Bank Stadium (7.50pm).
The last fixture of the opening weekend of the post-season is an elimination final between Parramatta and Newcastle at Rockhampton’s Browne Park on Sunday (4.05pm). Fixtures: Fri, Sept 10 — Melbourne v Manly (7.50pm kick-off); Sat, Sept 11 — Roosters v Titans (5.40pm), Panthers v Rabbitohs (7.50pm); Sun, Sept 12 — Eels v Knights (4.05pm). – AAP

Trbojevic remains calm ahead of clash with Melbourne

BRISBANE: Tom Trbojevic has produced one of the great seasons for Manly as statistics confirm his influence outweighs any other marquee player in the modern National Rugby League era.
Trbojevic insisted yesterday that the Sea Eagles could continue their free-wheeling style into the finals, adamant they did not need to tighten up on Friday against Melbourne.
The 24-year-old’s 2021 season will long be held in high esteem after scoring 25 tries and setting up 30 in 15 matches.
That level of involvement towers over Jarryd Hayne in 2009 and Ben Barba in 2012, despite playing less games.
Beyond that, Manly’s rebound from their worst-ever opening month in both attack and defence without Trbojevic to finish fourth on the ladder emphasises his importance.
Since Des Hasler’s 2019 arrival, Manly are 20.37 points better off with Trbojevic playing — going from an average losing margin of 7.43 without him to winning by 12.94 with him.
In comparison, Newcastle were 10.6 points better off with rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns throughout his career, while North Queensland were 9.9 points superior with Johnathan Thurston.

Trbojevic’s influence in 2021 extends to 32.5 points with him in the team.
“The Barba, Hayne, and Lockyer’s (in 2006), are amazing seasons,” skipper Daly Cherry-Evans told AAP
“The game’s changed so much but Tom’s season deserves to be in that category and will be talked about for a very long time.
“He’s doing stuff at the moment that I have never seen a teammate do, things not many people in the history of the game could.” – Seven News

Commission to involve fans in NRL rules review

SYDNEY: Fans, players, clubs and officials will be called on to provide feedback about rule changes as part of a “fairly significant” review by the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC).
National Rugby League (NRL) head of football Graham Annesley confirmed yesterday there would be a game-wide evaluation of the new adaptations, including the 10-metre infringement rule, with the ARLC to ultimately decide whether anything needs tweaking in 2022.
Other laws introduced this season have included two-point field goals outside the 40-metre line, play-the-ball restarts after the ball has gone into touch and the Bunker reviewing tries that have been awarded.
“(A review) is in the process of starting,” Annesley said.
“We want to get feedback from all of our clubs, from our players, our officials, coaches, from the general public, so we’ll be conducting some research with fans.
“This is all under the banner of the ARLC and their responsibility to review what’s happened across the course of the season.
“(ARLC chairman) Peter V’landys has gone very public, as has (NRL chief executive) Andrew Abdo, to say that everything will be reviewed at the end of the year, so we’ve put a process in place to do that. It’s not going to be just an internal review — everyone will have the opportunity to have their say that is a stakeholder in the game.
“I think that there is a general view that the game doesn’t need too much many more changes at this point.
“We need to look at the impact the rule changes have had on the game and make an assessment about the benefit or detriment, depending on your point of view, that some of the changes may have made.
“Did they work as they were supposed to work? Generally speaking, I think our game again is in good shape.
“If you have a look at all of our indicators, our television ratings and so forth, they’re in really good shape.
“But that’s not the be-all and end-all, it’s about the stakeholders and what they think.”
Annesley said the “downtown” rule could be one aspect that would benefit from a minor alteration in interpretation next season.
Designed to stop chasers from racing upfield and swarming a kick receiver, a player is deemed to be downtown if they are in front of the play-the-ball area before the ball is booted. Downtown chasers aren’t allowed to get involved in the action again until the next tackle and can’t be run onside by another player. – NRL