BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/05/...eague-tactics-developing-before-our-eyes/amp/
This is an interesting read about how the likes of Broncos & Sharks (& Wigan in SL) are leading a new era of attacking system in rugby league.
It explains some of the recent eras - Speed & Power in late 90s (Broncos), Entertainers in early 00s (Parramatta), the Wrestle (Storm), Peak Cohesion (Storm), Field Position & Pressure (Panthers) and now Off-The-Ball Movement (Broncos & Sharks).
It says one one of the best metrics/stats to measure this is Supports and also Decoy Runs.
To me the article helps explain why the likes of Sharks, Broncos, Roosters are doing well and others aren't; why the smaller more mobile forwards are becoming in vogue (maybe Bulldogs were onto something) & maybe the Tigers are onto something just not executing effectively yet (given our players are quite high in decoys & Benji's focus on super fit forwards).
Excerpt from article:
The sides that put the most interference on plays, that create the most deception are the ones reaping the benefits.
Cronulla, top of the NRL, have prioritised this since Craig Fitzgibbon came in. The Roosters, have scored the most tries in 2024, have made it a hallmark for longer than that, back to when Fitzy was an assistant to Trent Robinson. And the Broncos, with Lee Briers poached from Wigan to run their attack, are just as focussed on it as ever.
The top five for supports in the NRL at the moment are those two, plus the Panthers, Bulldogs and Manly.
Teams that aren’t that bothered about it – notably South Sydney and Parramatta – have both lost their coaches and sit towards the bottom of the table, still fighting the last war.
If the Off-The-Ball Era does begin in 2024, we’ll have new stars to match the new game.
Reece Walsh, put into space by the movement of others, might be one, or Jai Field, for whom the moves the Broncos now run were designed.
ALSO interesting ...
Teams realised that those who got the ball back through what they did off the ball did best, and that GPS suddenly made who was good at that a lot more quantifiable.
Rugby league has always loved this sort of player, the all-action, all-effort workhorse.
It’s no surprise that some of the favoured sons of ‘underrated NRL player’ lists are ranked highly here, with Jake Trbojevic, Cam McInnes, Reuben Cotter and, inevitably, Dylan Edwards among the very best.
This is an interesting read about how the likes of Broncos & Sharks (& Wigan in SL) are leading a new era of attacking system in rugby league.
It explains some of the recent eras - Speed & Power in late 90s (Broncos), Entertainers in early 00s (Parramatta), the Wrestle (Storm), Peak Cohesion (Storm), Field Position & Pressure (Panthers) and now Off-The-Ball Movement (Broncos & Sharks).
It says one one of the best metrics/stats to measure this is Supports and also Decoy Runs.
To me the article helps explain why the likes of Sharks, Broncos, Roosters are doing well and others aren't; why the smaller more mobile forwards are becoming in vogue (maybe Bulldogs were onto something) & maybe the Tigers are onto something just not executing effectively yet (given our players are quite high in decoys & Benji's focus on super fit forwards).
Excerpt from article:
The sides that put the most interference on plays, that create the most deception are the ones reaping the benefits.
Cronulla, top of the NRL, have prioritised this since Craig Fitzgibbon came in. The Roosters, have scored the most tries in 2024, have made it a hallmark for longer than that, back to when Fitzy was an assistant to Trent Robinson. And the Broncos, with Lee Briers poached from Wigan to run their attack, are just as focussed on it as ever.
The top five for supports in the NRL at the moment are those two, plus the Panthers, Bulldogs and Manly.
Teams that aren’t that bothered about it – notably South Sydney and Parramatta – have both lost their coaches and sit towards the bottom of the table, still fighting the last war.
If the Off-The-Ball Era does begin in 2024, we’ll have new stars to match the new game.
Reece Walsh, put into space by the movement of others, might be one, or Jai Field, for whom the moves the Broncos now run were designed.
ALSO interesting ...
Teams realised that those who got the ball back through what they did off the ball did best, and that GPS suddenly made who was good at that a lot more quantifiable.
Rugby league has always loved this sort of player, the all-action, all-effort workhorse.
It’s no surprise that some of the favoured sons of ‘underrated NRL player’ lists are ranked highly here, with Jake Trbojevic, Cam McInnes, Reuben Cotter and, inevitably, Dylan Edwards among the very best.
