By Nathanael Scott and Dan Walsh
Adam Reynolds, Cody Walker and Nathan Cleary.
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Seven-figure salaries. Pressure. Praise. Hype and hysteria – all that and more is often your lot in life as an NRL playmaker.
Not least this weekend, when seasons go on the line in the first week of the finals. Or, in the case of South Sydney, when a campaign that fell off a cliff is analysed from every possible angle.
So take a walk in the shoes of Nathan Cleary, step into Adam Reynolds’ No.7 jumper, and try your hand at Cody Walker’s ball-playing caper. See if you can predict which option they take in these plays.
The little master
Adam Reynolds, who is getting quicker between the ears every year even as his little legs trend in the opposite direction, had plenty of time to work his magic with this midfield play against the Warriors. So, what option does he take?
Then against the Dragons in good-ball territory, the veteran half is pushing Brisbane’s attack right and towards the 20-metre line. The Broncos have emphasised players in motion all year, giving Reynolds several teammates to work with. What’s the play?
The young gun under the pump
Like most of his South Sydney teammates, emerging half Lachlan Ilias was under the microscope during the back half of the season, to the point Reynolds has questioned whether Souths’ game plan suits his successor. Earlier in the year though, in significantly happier times, he was pressing a sliding Broncos edge defence with space, time and options aplenty. What does the youngster do next?
The magic touch
At his best, no one does this better than Cody Walker. A Storm defence that surges, slides and then shuffles back is all the Rabbitohs veteran needs to cause havoc – how does he do it?
Panthers precision
For Nathan Cleary and that mesmerising, metronomic Panthers system, a set-piece to start. And one of the NRL’s better rule changes of recent years (there have been but a few) is the ability to shift a scrum to multiple points on the field.
Against Canberra earlier this year, Penrith set up one such restart 10 metres out from the Raiders line, just to the right of the uprights. Brian To’o feeds the scrum (who says wingers just hang around footballers?), Tyrone Peachey collects the ball off the deck at lock, and Cleary swings into action. What happens next?
Pulling the Chooks to pieces
Now to the NSW, Australia and Panthers No.7 in an almost identical position against the Roosters. Cleary is taking the ball at first receiver again, this time from a play-the-ball, 20 metres out from the Roosters line. Notice champion fullback James Tedesco on red alert at the back, with good reason. What happens next?
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