Revealed: Where the 2022 NRL Semi Final Teams Are Likely To Score Their Tries

The second week of the 2022 NRL Finals is here and it's do-or-die for the four teams running out there this weekend.

One swing to the left or a missed tackle down the right could end up the difference, so we've looked into the Try Scoring Analysis numbers to see where the two games might be won and lost. 

We kick the weekend action off with Eels vs Raiders, before a massive Sharks vs Raiders clash rounds out the semi-finals.

RELATED: Where NRL Teams Score Their Tries in 2022

Eels v Raiders

Like most teams in the NRL, both the Parramatta Eels and Canberra Raiders lean left in attack.

Parramatta search through Dylan Brown, Shaun Lane and Maika Sivo. At their best, Brown is attacking the line early in the game, using his left foot step to test the A defender and trailing markers. 

From there, Lane is able to be isolated onto the opposition half. He's a big unit and has thrown a career-high 30 offloads in 2022, handing out 12 try assists along the way. W

ith the defence crowded around Lane given his ball running and offload ability, space opens up for Sivo out wide. The barnstorming Fijian has made an impressive return from injury to score 12 tries in 13 games this season.

Meanwhile, the Raiders take a similar approach. A lot of their best work comes through Jack Wighton and his running game. When he's getting downhill and testing the defence, opportunities open up for those around him. Hudson Young and Sebastian Kris have been the beneficiaries of late.

Kris, after starting the season on the wing, has made a home for himself in the centre position to score 14 tries in 19 games and become one of the Raiders' most consistent and potent weapons in attack.

There is little doubt over which side of the field both teams will target on Saturday night. It's all going to come down to who prepares best defensively.

The concern for the Eels is the leaky right edge.

It has improved throughout the season. While the Panthers scored 27 points in Week 1 of the Finals and put a target on Waqa Blake in the air, the right side defended fairly well on the ground. The Panthers have caused havoc by running Viliame Kikau out the back of shape while using Izack Tago as a lead runner. The Eels came prepared though and did well to shut the Panthers left edge down for the most part.

Blake jammed in well off his wing at times while Will Penisini and Isaiah Papali'i worked well as a unit to slide inside him. 

MORE: NRL 2022 Premiership Probabilities

The Raiders play straighter on the edge than the Panthers. Still, the Eels will need to prepare the same way this week if they're to keep a lid on this Raiders left edge that has become a consistent source of points across the back end of the NRL Season.

The Raiders are split relatively even in defence. Neither the left nor right stands out as significantly better or worse, but the 23% of tries conceded through the middle is a concern. 

While the Eels have only scored 16 tries through the middle this season, there is potential for more. Reagan Campbell-Gillard is active in good ball and has run a few nice slip lines this season. We've not seen it enough in 2022, but Reed Mahoney and Junior Paulo have a history of linking up on the line. Tom Starling is likely to be a target in the line, too.

MORE: Eels vs Raiders is at CommBank Stadium on Friday, September 16 at 7:50pm AEST.

Sharks v Rabbitohs

Part of what has made the Sharks so good this year is their ability to score across the whole field. Left and right, they attack the holes. 

Matt Moylan has turned his career around to play out a superb season parked out on the left edge. His 12 try assists is the most he's managed in a season since his first year at the Sharks in 2018. 

Meanwhile, Nicho Hynes has exceeded expectations as a halfback. On the ball for 61.8 touches per game, Hynes plays both sides. He sets up the attack before positioning himself to throw the crucial pass on a shift. 

Hynes' 28 line break assists are the most in the NRL while only Cody Walker (21), Luke Keary (22) and Mitchell Moses (22) have handed out more try assists than his 20 this season.

In a surprise to nobody, the Rabbitohs lean to the left. Alex Johnston just became the first player in NRL history to score 30 tries in a season twice. He's achieved the feat in back-to-back years as the Rabbitohs ask questions of right-side defences that rarely have the answers.

Cody Walker took some time to get going this season but the return of Latrell Mitchell changed things. The gravity of the fullback and his quick hands add another dimension to the left-edge attack. 

Only the Panthers (56 tries) have scored more tries down the left edge than the Rabbitohs' 54 in 2022. With their season on the line this week, we can expect the Rabbitohs to stick with what works and target the Sharks' right edge.

That isn't to say the Rabbitohs don't have weapons to use on the right side. The Keaon Koloamatangi / Campbell Graham combination is one that has stacks of potential if Lachlan Ilias can do his job to set them up. The halfback has played out an inconsistent season but when he plays straight and digs into the line, the Rabbitohs look likely on the right side.

The Sharks left edge is alongside the Panthers as the best defensive area in the competition. No team anywhere on the field has conceded fewer than the 16 tries the Sharks have done through their left edge. 

The right edge being a target this week is a worry, though. While the Sharks are one of the better defensive teams in the competition overall, their right edge isn't quite so convincing. Regular changes to the right wing hasn't helped with cohesion and it's unlikely to be solved entirely this week. It's a make-or-break part of the field for the Sharks on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Rabbitohs match up well against a Shark attack through their left side. Jai Arrow is one of the most under-appreciated players in the NRL at the moment with his defensive work alongside Isaiah Tass and Alex Johnston on the left edge going relatively unnoticed. 

The right side, on the other hand, is a different story. Campbell Graham is a strong defender and has missed time which blows the number out slightly. However, Taane Milne is a weakness on the right wing. 

The Roosters found regular success by working to the left tramline before hitting the short side and forcing Milne into quick decisions last week. He consistently jammed in late for Daniel Tupou to run into space. Expect the Sharks to take a similar approach in this one.

MORE: Sharks vs Rabbitohs is at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, September 10 at 8:00pm AEST.