Phone call Wayne should make to rival club; big strength that could decide the premiership — Alex McKinnon

Finals rugby league is in full swing and it has me thinking.

In my role at Newcastle as Pathways Recruitment Analyst, I work in a space where this time of the year I’m watching plenty of junior grand finals from Under 13s up.

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The sun starts to come out, everyone gets excited and start to think about how they can get there next year.

One of the real attributes that I’ve seen a lot of lately, and I think it really does translate to the NRL final series, is your ability as a half to run the football.

It sounds simple right?

But there is a lot more to it, and a lot more to why it is only more important this time of the year.

Let me explain.

Part of being a half is managing the team.

Kicking well, passing the ball to your best players and generally taking opportunities when they present themselves.

But in the pressure cooker that is finals football things come at you a lost faster.

That is when having the ability to run the ball is key.

Your forwards are under so much pressure in defence because of the faster pace. The outside backs are carrying it out of their own end but they’re also going strong on the kick chase. Everyone on both sides of the ball is really maxing out.

There are opportunities, and I’ve already seen in the week one of the finals, where your half has an ability to run the ball against a tired.

It can really create opportunities and break things up. That’s a massive strength in the finals.

You need your halves running. Sure, they need to be distributing the ball but when players are tired and the moment presents itself, they need to run it as well.

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Take someone like Nicho Hynes. He’s at his best for Cronulla when playing fast and direct. There were a couple of opportunities on the weekend where he started to run the ball and looked better because of it.

What about Daly Cherry-Evans and Hugo Savala?

They got their game style on. I thought they played pretty well.

But I think they could probably run the ball a little bit more and not always just be looking for James Tedesco out the back.

They need to earn the right and start running the ball first before they start distributing.

Fletcher Sharpe is one of the best ball-running halves in the competition at the moment, and I think he is primed to explode at Eden Park on Sunday.

Think about the big moments in the past 10 years.

Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Hughes running the ball in the semi-finals. Nathan Cleary coming off his left foot and running the ball in the grand final against the Broncos. Ezra Mam in that same game when he took the Panthers on and scored three tries.

It’s finals football. Fatigue will set in. Opportunities will present themselves. You need to take them. You can’t just distribute the ball or pass sideways.

THE DIFFERENCE IN WARRIORS UPSET … AND WHY I’M A FAN REGARDLESS

One of the bigger surprises from the weekend was the Warriors’ loss to the Dolphins.

I feel like they are just missing that superstar player with that killer instinct.

Taine Tuaupiki played outstanding. As for their halves, I think they probably weren’t getting their kicks quite deep enough which allowed the Dolphins to win the field position battle and with the brilliance the Dolphins have, that was always going to be the problem.

They have those genuine game-breakers that the Warriors don’t in Jack Bostock, Herbie Farnworth, Selwyn Cobbo and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.

That was the difference in my opinion.

There has been some talk this week about whether Chanel Harris-Tavita and Te Maire Martin have the creativity to beat the best teams in the finals, but honestly I can’t question them or this team as a whole.

Through all the injuries and the changes all year in the position groups, they have always played hard.

Tanah Boyd was playing out of his skin at the start of the year.

Meanwhile, if you have Luke Metcalf fit, there’s your difference.

But at the moment they’re making do with what they’ve got, and I think they’re doing a great job.

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THE CALL WAYNE SHOULD MAKE AFTER BUNNIES’ EXIT

Moving on to the teams that were eliminated last week, the Rabbitohs are an interesting team to watch in the off-season.

As much as they have a first-class pack, especially with Payne Haas on the way, they just have no one to steer them around — and that has a flow-on effect.

Look at someone like Brandon Smith.

He plays with a lot of intensity and has some great qualities. But without a managing half, he struggles to steer his team around.

Even with someone like Matt Duffy at fullback, I don’t think they have enough quality in the key positions.

It’s something they have to look at moving forward, whether it’s a young half that they develop or an established veteran on the market.

Sure, they have Jamie Humphreys but I don’t know if he’s the man to steer the group around. Ashton Ward is young too, and there is no harm in bringing in reinforcements.

Now, if Cody Walker sticks around for another year as is reported there may not be quite the level of urgency to act right away.

Instead, it could be more of a 2028 play which would also open up more opportunities given there are limited options on the market right now for next year.

In fact, the two best options — Walker and Humphreys — are on South Sydney’s roster right now.

But this is a team that is in the premiership window, and they need a half that matches that. Whether that is a Tom Dearden if the rumours coming out of North Queensland are true or a Mitchell Moses should he grow impatient at Parramatta.

If I was them though, I would be knocking on the door of Canberra.

Ethan Strange is locked into the halves but it sounds like there could be a genuine shootout between Ethan Sanders and Coby Black for the other spot.

And for the one that misses out?

Surely, they are good enough to be playing consistent first grade footy.

Neither may be in their premiership window per se, but surrounded by the amount of talent that South Sydney has — particularly in the forward pack — they could be the answer both in the short and long-term.

MY BIG QUESTION MARK FOR THE COWBOYS

As for the Cowboys, I also have concerns in the halves.

Specifically, I think Jake Clifford is a solid NRL player but I don’t know if he is somebody I’d be putting my premiership hopes on.

As your five-eighth, he’s just too inconsistent.

I already like what they have done to prioritise Jaxon Purdue as a key part of their future by moving him to fullback to get him more ball.

The other big task is settling the future of Tom Dearden, although he insists there is nothing to settle there.

Either way, next up is finding the best halves partner for him.

As for why the Cowboys were so wildly inconsistent this year, like everyone I’m lost for answers there.

Their finals exit quickly turned attention towards Todd Payten and the extension the Cowboys gave him mid-season.

They’ve obviously seen something in him to make that decision, and perhaps what this playing group needed is a bit of stability there too.

I still feel like this is a team that, on their day, could beat anybody.

For some reason, they haven’t been consistent enough.

One thing people forget is how much of a loss Reece Robson was. Sure, they got Reed Mahoney in as a replacement but they’ve obviously been missing Robson.

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