Nathan Cleary was once again instrumental in Penrith’s preliminary final win and there’s a belief that he’s on track to be “one of the rarest” halfbacks the game has seen.
Eels playmaker Mitchell Moses may have kicked out on the full twice in a row against the Cowboys, but champion half Cooper Cronk believes the way he recovered shows his new-found “maturity.”
The Cowboys bowed out of the premiership race and while their rise from 15th to a preliminary final in a year is something to celebrate, there’s question marks over a key call in the game that could have changed everything.
Read on for the biggest talking points from the NRL preliminary finals.
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GUTHERSON ANSWERS CRITICS TO LEAD EELS TO PROMISED LAND
Eels skipper Clint Gutherson answered the constant criticism around his ability to lead his side to the grand final, with a starring display in the 24-20 win over the Cowboys.
Gutherson finished with 140 run metres, five tackle busts and a linebreak, but it was his try-saving ability that ensured his Eels denied the Cowboys some near certain tries.
Michael Ennis believes Gutherson has put to bed the criticism of his leadership style from the Eels’ late season struggles in recent years.
“You go back this time last year and people were questioning Gutherson’s leadership,” Ennis said.
“Parramatta fell off a cliff at the back end of the season, before they rallied in the final series.
“But there was question marks around Clint Gutherson and the coach.
“But what he has been able to do. He had a quiet night against Penrith in the first final, but he has been impressive the last fortnight.
“I feel like his last two performances have been real captain’s knocks.”
Gorden Tallis was in awe of Gutherson’s ability to lead by his actions and consistently turn up for his teammates to show them the way and lead from the front.
“Chad Townsend’s kicking game was on song and Gutherson came up with some really big plays to get them on the front foot,” Tallis said.
“That’s all you can ask. He started sniffing around the ruck again.
“I think when Gutherson is at his best he turns all these half chances into chances. All his teammates are looking for an offload and he is always there.
“The reason why you are a leader is because people follow and they don’t follow words. Very rarely in sport do you follow words because you hear them all the time, but they will follow actions.
“I think with Gutherson being such an action player and being so emotional. The way his body language changes from him doing what he does.
“Gutherson is a high energy guy and tonight he was that and the Parramatta boys responded.”
Cooper Cronk believes Gutherson’s work rate sets the tone for the Eels and when he is on song, the rest of the team busts themselves to follow his lead.
“His work rate for a fullback is up there with the best in the game,” Cronk said.
“In week one against Penrith they used it against him with that kick for Edwards’ try.
“I thought maybe he might be a bit gun shy trying to cover all the bases, but tonight his work rate saved at least three tries.
“Gutherson repeatedly through his work rate got across and made crucial tackles.
“He was always there when he was needed and it is not because he anticipates it, it is just that he works harder than anyone else on the field.”
COWBOYS CAP BRILLIANT SEASON DESPITE MISSED OPPORTUNITY
They may have led 20-12 in the second half and fallen agonisingly short of a grand final, but after finishing second last in 2021, the Cowboys earned back their respect this season.
Todd Payten reinstalled some faith in his side and a hard edge to compete for the top four and premierships for years to come, despite their narrow 24-20 loss in front of their home fans.
Gorden Tallis believes the Cowboys exceeded expectations and while they will rue a missed opportunity, they have a bright future in the next couple of years.
“The Cowboys will be very disappointed, but they were outstanding tonight as well,” Tallis said.
“They had a great season and I know no one had them making the finals and that was part of their motivation, but they were outstanding and so close to a grand final.
“I think internally they might feel it was a failure from where they finished and they probably reassessed their goals.
“They would be very disappointed because they had a great opportunity, but it has been an amazing year from the Cowboys.
“I think Todd Payten could be the coach of the year.”
“He will be hard to beat him and Craig Fitzgibbon,” Cooper Cronk added.
Despite their heroic season, Cronk still feels the Cowboys will rue a missed chance to feature in the grand final after they led with 20 minutes to play.
“Overall the Cowboys had an outstanding season, but as a player when you finish in the top four and don’t make the grand final it is a missed opportunity,” Cronk said.
“Overall it was a huge success for the Cowboys, but as a player in that dressing room with the season they had and the moments that were there.
“20-12 with 20 minutes to go they have missed an opportunity.”
Michael Ennis believes the Cowboys will feel the loss to the Eels for a long time, but given the players they have developed and their improvements overall, 2022 will go down as one hell of a successful season for the club.
“The heartache of tonight won’t leave, it will burn and it will burn hard because it is so hard to get there and get your opportunity in a prelim,” Ennis said.
“But the fact they have unearthed so many players. The season that Robson had. Guys like Cotter, Nanai and Taulagi playing Origin.
“Every time we turned on the TV and watched the Cowboys this year you knew what they stood for and they were willing to fight to the death.
“They lost to the Bulldogs in Round 1 and from that moment every time you watched the Cowboys they were willing to fight and scrap over a bone and they were hard not to love.
“When the dust settles Payten will be super proud of his side.”
CRONK PINPOINTS THE BIGGEST CHANGE IN MOSES
When Mitchell Moses sent two kicks out on the full in the first half against North Queensland, the Parramatta halfback was at risk of falling apart.
At least, that is what Cooper Cronk said. But this is a different Moses, a more mature Moses, ready to lead Parramatta to a breakthrough premiership.
“The old Mitchell Moses after kicking two out on the full would have started blowing up at people, saying it was someone else’s fault and pointed the finger as his game started to unravel,” Cronk said.
“What he did at halftime is he put the gun back in the holster, did some high-percentage plays and allowed someone else to come up with the plays. That’s maturity.
“He wouldn’t have done that a few years back. While he wasn’t significant in the whole outcome, I thought the way he changed his approach and became a more managing and measured halfback allowed other players to come up with it.”
There is little doubting Moses has the talent to be an elite playmaker in the game but in the past it has been the mental battle the 28-year-old has struggled with most.
Fellow halves partner Dylan Brown has always had the temperament to not to let mistakes get to him but it is a different story for Moses.
Questions were raised as to whether he is capable of taking Parramatta all the way but according to Michael Ennis, it was a simple case of giving Moses the time to grow comfortable with the added responsibility.
“Age and experience gives you that perspective,” Ennis said.
“He has been through the ringer at times about can he get it done? He showed great maturity tonight to pull it back in the second half. He knew exactly what his team needed from him.
“He didn’t try to overplay his hand or come up with miraculous passes or chip and chases. “It was more of a measured and mature Moses in the second half and that was enough.”
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‘HE WAS SHAKING HIS HEAD’: COWBOYS’ CALL A MISSED OPPORTUNITY?
The Cowboys had enjoyed the majority of field position in the first half, with 55 per cent of possession and 19 tackles in Parramatta’s 20 compared to just three for their rivals.
So, when North Queensland was awarded a penalty in the 38th minute and was 40 metres out, coach Todd Payten and captain Chad Townsend had a decision to make.
Although they had differing opinions on the best move.
“Chad Townsend, you would have seen it on the Fox League screen,” Andrew Voss said.
“He was shaking his head to the sideline, ‘No, no, we don’t go for goal here’. But they’ve gone obviously with a call from the coach to take the shot.”
Valentine Holmes stepped up and slotted the goal to make it 12-all heading into the break, although former NRL coach Shane Flanagan questioned whether it was the right decision.
“It’s interesting because Chad’s out there and he’s got a feel for the game,” Flanagan said.
“Sometimes experienced players like Chad get a feel that they are just starting to get some momentum, just starting to get the opposition fatigued and they want to keep playing with the football but the coach is worried about the 12-all scoreline.”
Of course, there is no guarantee that the Cowboys score and sometimes it can be difficult to overrule the coach in high-pressure situations.
Flanagan though said Townsend and Payten have a strong enough relationship for the halfback to feel comfortably challenging his coach, while Greg Alexander agreed it may have been smarter to keep the pressure on.
“I think these days [it is fine],” Flanagan said.
“They’ve got a good relationship and you’ve got to trust your captain. He’s out there, he’s in the battle and he understands what is going on at the moment.”
“I can understand Chad Townsend thinking, ‘We’re behind at the moment, we’ve had all this field position. We should be in front’… he wanted to take the tap to score a six-pointer, not a two-pointer,” added Alexander.
THE ‘SCARY’ TRUTH AS CLEARY HAS POTENTIAL TO BE ‘ONE OF THE RAREST’
Nathan Cleary has hit new heights this season — and Corey Parker believes the “scary” thing about that is the fact he’s still only 24-years old.
Cleary missed five weeks of action in the back end of the regular season due to a suspension but hasn’t missed a beat since returning to the field.
He stole the show in Penrith’s qualifying final win over Parramatta and was again instrumental in their preliminary final win over the Rabbitohs, celebrating the result with a grubber for himself to score in the 77th minute.
Rugby league great Parker declared after the game that Cleary “has the ability to be one of the rarest No.7s we will ever come across,” and believes he hasn’t even scratched the surface yet.
“Where he is at this point in time, if he is able to continually get better and better, it is scary to think where Nathan Cleary can end up,” Parker said.
Meanwhile, champion halfback Cooper Cronk conceded that he “wasn’t even in the same postcode (as Cleary) as 24,” and has the Panthers playmaker in the top three players in the game.
“He is 24… right now. That logbook of what he has done over the last few years, it is him and (James) Tedesco, (Cameron) Munster in that conversations,” Cronk said.
“He is top three, elite, and can dominate the big stage, he has got it all.”
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DEMETRIOU’S BIG PANTHERS WARNING FOR EELS
Jason Demetriou declared the Panthers are the “benchmark” of the competition and believes to beat them the opposition has to be “as relentless” as they are.
The Rabbitohs coach cut a dejected figure in his press conference after Penrith knocked his side out of the premiership race on Saturday.
He believes the Rabbitohs simply “ran out of troops” but took nothing away from the reigning premiers, who are now one win away from back-to-back premierships.
“The competitor in me wants to hate Penrith, I really do. But the coach in me is so respectful of what they do,” Demetriou said.
“It is a credit to Ivan (Cleary) and their club and what they have been able to produce for the last few years.
“They are the benchmark and they are going to have to be tough next week.”
After defeating the Rabbitohs 32-12, the Panthers will face the Eels in an all-western Sydney grand final.
And after experiencing the Panthers in all their greatness, Demetriou conceded a harsh “reality” about facing them in the finals.
“To get these guys in a prelim, you need to be fit and healthy and have your best 17 available,” he said.
“It is not an excuse, it is just the reality of how hard they are to beat. We came here with optimism and we were 12-0 up and I was optimistic.
“To beat this team, you’ve got to stay at it for 80 minutes, you’ve got to be disciplined, you’ve got to be as relentless as they are and we fell short in that area.”
Asked if the Eels can beat the Panthers, Demetriou said: “Of course they can… But they’re going to have to be good.”
He also admitted there is “a gap” between the Panthers and rest of the top teams in the competition, but he believes “it’s as much mental is it is physical.”
LUAI’S BIGGEST STRENGTH
Playing alongside one of the game’s best playmakers in Nathan Cleary, it is easy for Jarome Luai to be overshadowed by his halves partner.
One constant criticism of Luai’s game comes when he fails to inject himself into the game.
While Cleary spends majority of the game steering the Panthers around the park, Luai is stalking, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Some may say Luai’s style of play is a negative, but for Fox League’s Cooper Cronk — it could be one of his biggest strengths.
Cronk, who played 372 NRL games and won four premierships, can cleary see Luai waits for the perfect moment to strike.
Against the Rabbitohs in a huge preliminary final, the 25-year-old did just that — waiting for fullback Latrell Mitchell to be stuck on the right side of the field before dribbling a pinpoint grubber behind the defensive line for Izack Tago to score.
“It is a strength of Luai, some halves want to be more involved and overplay their hand,” Cronk said following the Panthers’ preliminary finals win.
“Luai just sits on the left hand side, counts the number in front of him, once he gets that advantage he goes Nathan, Isaah give me the ball.
“I thought he did a good job, both halves set-up a couple of tries and both dictated terms with Latrell out of position.”
This season Luai has recorded 15 try assists in 19 appearances, compared to Cleary’s 20 from only 16 games.
While Cleary may orchestrate more try assists, Luai scores more tries — recording seven, four more than his halves partner.
Luai also has double the line breaks, and 12 more tackle breaks, while also offloading the ball six more times.
