5 Big Things: Everything we learned in NRL Round 2

NRL fans enjoyed another entertaining week of rugby league, with some sides flexing their muscles and others putting themselves under further pressure. Several clashes went right down to the wire, with a variety of stars stepping up to drag their team over the finish-line. Here are 5 Big Things we learned from Round 1.

Clifford making a name for himself in Newcastle

Perhaps the biggest surprise package of the opening two rounds, the Newcastle Knights have enjoyed two big wins to start the season and sit atop the competition ladder. Five-eighth Jake Clifford has put together a pair of big-time performances to climb to equal-first on the Dally M leader board. Clifford kicked well, defended well, steered his side around the park and bagged a try as his Knights thumped the Tigers in front of a bumper Newcastle crowd on Sunday afternoon. There was plenty of scepticism surrounding Newcastle’s halves prior to the season but Clifford, along with halfback Adam Clune, have managed to string together some sharp football and have meshed well in the early goings. Newcastle will face off against the defending premiers Penrith in a top-of-the-table clash in Bathurst on Saturday afternoon in what will be another sizeable task for the flying Knights.

Manly’s top-four problem

In 2021, Manly were unable to record a single victory against any of their top-four counterparts; they were 0-6 against Melbourne, Penrith, and South Sydney. Having started the season with back-to-back losses to the Panthers and Roosters to sit at the bottom of the competition ladder, there is cause for concern surrounding Manly’s premiership aspirations. The Sea Eagles have managed just three tries over their first two games and have conceded 54 points. Their forward pack has been considerably outmuscled in their two games and they are still without an attacking counter when sides manage to stunt the involvement of Tom Trbojevic. There is plenty of football to be played but evidence continues to suggest that, even with Trbojevic in golden touch, Manly are a few gears behind the genuine title contenders.

[adrotate group=”9″]

Brisbane beginning to craft an identity under Walters

Following a season in which they conceded close to 29 points per game, Brisbane head coach Kevvy Walters must be very pleased with his side’s defensive resolve over the first two weeks of the premiership. After holding South Sydney to just four points last week, Brisbane came out as 16-10 winners over Canterbury this week to jump into the top-four. The Broncos are fresh off the two worst seasons in club history; despite having some talent amongst their ranks, they showed little fight, grit, or resolve and looked like a club in turmoil. The opening two weeks of this season, however, could not have gone much better for Walters’ Broncos. It is still very much early days, but with new decision-makers and several high-profile recruits, things are looking up for Brisbane as they transition into a new era.

Titans still working out how to best involve Fifita

There was plenty of debate last season and during the off-season over how the Titans can best utilise star back-rower David Fifita. It still looks as though the Titans’ coaching staff are yet to figure out how themselves. The rampaging Queenslander followed up his 11-run, 122-metre Round 1 outing with a 8-run, 69-metre effort on Saturday against the Warriors. The 22-year-old has broken just seven tackles over his first two hit-outs after averaging over seven per game last season and has touched the ball just 27 times in 2022. There were questions surrounding Fifita’s lack of involvement last season and it seems as though those questions have carried over into this season. If the Titans are to get value out of their big-money investment, Fifita needs to get his hands on the ball more. The onus is on both Fifita and the coaching staff but too often Fifita looks disengaged and content with waiting for work to come his way.

Fans rejoice after another tight week across the board

Following several tight tussles to kick-off the season, fans were optimistic that 2022 would be a return to normalcy after a year of lopsided scoreboards. The trend of tighter contests continued in Round 2 with average margin of less than nine – a stark contrast to the same week last season which exhibited an average margin exceeding 13. Five of the eight games from this weekend were decided by a converted try or less, including a trio of clashes decided by two points or less. Fans will certainly hope that these closer contests are more than just an aberration and instead a taste of what is to come in 2022.