10 things we learnt from prelim finals

South Sydney backrower Sam Burgess is salivating at the prospect of claiming his first NRL premiership and the Rabbitohs' first in more than four decades.
James Graham had plenty to clap about against the Panthers. Pic: Mark Evans Source: News Corp Australia
THE grand final has a very British look to it and the Rabbitohs need to take their chance now cause they may not get another one this good.
That’s just two of a long list of lessons to come out of preliminary final weekend.
Here’s 10 things we learnt from the grand final qualifiers.
GRAHAM v BURGESS A BATTLE FOR THE AGES
BRITS DOMINATING FINALS James Graham has been arguably the player of the finals so far. Pic: Mark Evans Source:
News Corp Australia
The grand final will be billed as the battle of the Brits, and rightly so, with the Rabbitohs’ forward pack built on the back of the Burgess family, and James Graham arguably the player of the finals so far. There has never been such a presence of dominant Brits in an NRL decider before and it may never happen again.
CAN’T REPLACE A SPECIALIST
There’s very few completely specialist positions in rugby league these days, with second rowers often capable of seamlessly filling in at prop, five-eighth, centre, and sometimes even on a wing. That makes the hooker a very rare breed, as the Bulldogs discovered on Saturday night.
JUDICIARY TO DECIDE LUKE’S GRAND FINAL FATE
ENNIS TO MISS DECIDER WITH FOOT INJURY
With Mick Ennis sitting on the sideline with an injured foot for the second half, the Bulldogs completely lost their structure, turning over possession with countless silly errors, including several forward passes from dummy half. The Ennis injury was a huge game changer, and easily could have changed the result. It will be fascinating to see how the Bulldogs and potentially the Rabbitohs cope without their first choice hookers in the grand final.
South Sydney hooker Isaac Luke is in doubt for the NRL grand final after being hit with a grade one lifting charge resulting from a challenge on Sonny Bill Williams.
T-REX FINALLY GETS IT
One of the most talented and most frustrating forwards in the competition finally seems to get it. Big T-Rex has had an excellent finals series, not only through an increased workrate, but also with the decisiveness of his running game. All fans want to see is the massive, quick, strong edge forward to pin back his ears and run every time he gets the ball. That message finally seems to have clicked with him and he shapes as a big factor on grand final day.
NO POWER, NO CHANCE
Canterbury will meet South Sydney in the 2014 NRL grand final after the Bulldogs edged the Panthers 18-12 in their preliminary final bout.
It’s no coincidence that the four most powerful forward packs in the competition — Rabbitohs, Bulldogs, Roosters, Cowboys, in no particular order — were all in the mix for the premiership this season. Now two of them will go head-to-head in the decider, in a match likely to be decided by who controls the middle of the field. Rugby league’s a game of ever-changing trends but right now if your team’s without a massive and powerful presence in the middle, chances are it won’t be competitive.
WALLACE INJURY FINALLY BITES
Jamie Soward has been so good for the last couple of months that the injury to Peter Wallace didn’t seem to matter. That was until they played the Bulldogs, and the lack of structure caused by the absence of a genuine halfback finally cost them. For whatever reason, Soward was unable to replicate his match winning form of recent weeks, with his running game all but deserting him as he tried to pass the ball around the Dogs’ defensive line. It didn’t work and Penrith’s attack often looked devoid of ideas and creativity without a structured framework to play within.
BUNNIES’ BEST CHANCE The exit of Sam Burgess at the end of the season makes 2014 the Rabbitohs’ best chance. Pic: Mark Evans Source:


News Corp Australia
Two of the Rabbitohs’ best players in their awesome preliminary final display against the Roosters won’t be there next season, hammering home how urgent it is for the Bunnies to do the job in Sunday’s grand final against the Bulldogs. There’s no doubt Souths will field a weaker side next season without Sam Burgess and Ben Te’o, even with Glenn Stewart and Tim Grant arriving at Redfern. Miss their chance and they might long live to regret it.
NRL GETS ITS BLOCKBUSTER
No matter who won the two preliminary finals the NRL was going to be served up with a battle of the city versus the west but there’s no doubt they got the two results that will deliver the best bang for buck. As far as Sydney clubs go, the Rabbitohs’ fan base is only rivalled by the Dragons, and the Bulldogs aren’t too far behind. A sellout and massive TV ratings are guaranteed, to finish the season on a high note for Dave Smith and his cohorts.
MAGUIRE GOT IT RIGHT Luke Keary has given the Rabbitohs x-factor. Pic: Gregg Porteous Source:
News Corp Australia
After Souths fell short of expectations for a second straight year in 2013 with their second straight preliminary final exit, coach Michael Maguire decided it was time to make a big change. The halves pairing of John Sutton and Adam Reynolds couldn’t deliver in the biggest games, and Maguire decided it was time to bring young gun Luke Keary in as five-eighth.
NODDY: EVEN DES CAN’T PLAN FOR X-FACTOR
But after Keary got injured in the Auckland Nines, Maguire was forced to revert back to his old combination, and it took until the eve of the finals to get all the pieces of the puzzle back in place. Keary and Reynolds have had a superb finals series, vindicating Maguire’s instincts despite some criticism along the way.
SHOCKER CATCHES UP WITH CHOOKS Sonny Bill Williams couldn’t finish his second stint in the NRL with a premiership. Pic: Mark Evans Source:
News Corp Australia
Still the biggest shock of this finals series was the Roosters’ week one loss to the Panthers, and in the end that loss caught up with the Chooks. While the Rabbitohs had their feet up last weekend, the Roosters were engaged in an epic and physical struggle with the Cowboys. That told in the second half of Friday night’s preliminary final as the Bunnies rolled over the top of a weary premier.
HEALTHY ROSTER IS A MUST
It happens almost every year, and once again the two preliminary final winners got through to the big dance on the back of healthy rosters. Other than the foot injury suffered by Mick Ennis on Saturday night, the Bulldogs have a full complement to choose from. The Rabbitohs too have their best team available, potentially minus Issac Luke who faces the judiciary on Tuesday night. On the other hand top-four sides Manly and Penrith both suffered injuries at the back end of the season, and in the end that cost them a shot at the premiership.
Originally published as 10 things we learnt from prelim finals
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