Key Areas 2022 NRL Strugglers Should Focus On Now

There is just one month to go in the 2022 NRL regular season. However, for some clubs, the prospect of playing finals football is long gone, leaving them with little to play for over the last four rounds.

Warriors coach Stacey Jones has talked about wanting to win games now rather than look forward to 2023, but most fans of the bottom five teams will be watching all remaining NRL games with an eye on next season – regardless of the result.

So, with four games to make some improvements and finish the 2022 season well, let's look at the area each of the NRL's bottom five teams needs to focus on the most.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are a different team from the one that sat at the bottom of the NRL ladder after Round 10. Now up to 12th and playing expansive, entertaining and competitive football, the key for the Bulldogs is to keep it going through to Round 25 and become a consistent football side.

They face a tough run home.

The Warriors in New Zealand have proven a difficult team to handle, the Eels are on the up, the Sharks are fighting for a spot in the top two, while the Sea Eagles may yet be in the hunt for the top eight in the final round of the season. 

Averaging 25.4 points per game over the last seven rounds, the Bulldogs have become one of the highest-scoring teams in the competition. They're playing fearless football and looking to shift left and right all the way up the field. However, when presented with a top-tier defence in the Cowboys in Round 21, the Bulldogs struggled. Top defences will slide and scramble on those early shifts. They're prepared for the link between Matt Burton and Josh Addo-Carr better than the likes of the Knights, Titans and Tigers, who the Bulldogs piled points on recently.

The Bulldogs' point-scoring output is a huge improvement and positive to take into 2023 already. Scoring those points by breaking down the defence across a full set and through repeatable actions will help set the Bulldogs up to start next season well, though.

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Newcastle Knights

The Newcastle Knights rank 16th in attack in 2022, scoring only 14.9 points per game while their 14th-ranked defence concedes 26.6 points per game. 

The Knights attack is diabolical. Kalyn Ponga can only do so much with the ball and the lack of consistency in who wears the No.7 jersey hasn't helped with developing combinations. 

With Ponga possibly out for the rest of the season, it's unlikely Newcastle will make any lasting improvements to its attack over the final four rounds. The Knights can, however, start to clean up their defence.

Coach Adam O'Brien backs his defensive game plan but the Knights have allowed more points every year across the last three seasons. After cracking the top eight by conceding only 18.7 points per game in 2020, the Knights snuck into seventh place conceding 23.7 points per game in 2021. Another year later and only the Warriors and Titans conceded more than the Knights' 26.6 points per game.

Ponga's injury – among others – is a consideration when measuring the success of Newcastle's season. However, injuries don't begin to explain the downturn in defence. It's the area of the game that is most likely to translate into 2023 if they can start to get it right over the next four weeks.

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New Zealand Warriors

The New Zealand Warriors are dead last in yardage in 2022, averaging only 1,349 running metres per game. It's been an area they have struggled all season and it hasn't improved under a new coach.

Addin Fonua-Blake averaged 160+ running metres per game in each of the three seasons prior to this one. In 2022, however, the 26-year-old has dropped down to 153 metres per game. Fonua-Blake is still doing enough to lead the team in yardage, but of most concern is the fact he is the only Warriors player inside the Top 50 in running metres. 

Fonua-Blake is capable of tipping the ball onto a fellow forward, while Jazz Tevaga has the sort of ball skills that have seen him spend time at hooker. Tohu Harris is one of the most skilled big men in the NRL and is capable of being recognised as a top-tier lock if put in the right situation. However, the Warriors are last in supports. They don't have players pushing up with the skilful big bodies in the middle which allows the defence to compress and get three in the tackle. As a result, the Warriors often lose the ruck and spend the majority of the match playing on the back foot.

The Warriors need to improve the way they get up the field. They can do that by working in pairs and throwing some doubt into the defensive line when working out of yardage.

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Wests Tigers

The Wests Tigers have taken a few steps forward in recent weeks. However, Jackson Hastings was at the forefront of those steps. Without him, the Tigers fell to a hapless Knights side at home in Round 21 and blew a prime opportunity to win it with the last play of the game. 

The rumours of Hastings not being at the club next year won't go away. As the leakiest front office of all 16 clubs, the rumour can't be dismissed. Regardless, the Tigers need to find ways to produce in attack without him.

They average only 15.1 points per game to be 15th in the NRL but averaged 23.5 points per game in the month leading up to Hastings' injury. You could see the steady improvement in the side despite the lack of results.

Jock Madden played well alongside Hastings in Round 20 but fell short as an organising halfback without him in Round 21. Luke Brooks has proven time and time again that he isn't a halfback that will take control of a side. Adam Doueihi, arguably Wests Tigers best player, is at his most effective out wider where he is a greater threat as a ball-runner which, in turn, opens up opportunities for his passing game. 

Api Koroisau is an excellent addition to the side for 2023. He will take on a lot of the organising duties whether Hastings remains or not. Still, the Tigers will put themselves in a better position for next season if they can iron out the kinks in attack without Hastings to finish this one.

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Gold Coast Titans

The Gold Coast Titans are most likely to end the 2022 NRL season with the wooden spoon. While no team wants to be left holding the unwanted culinary tool, the main goal for the Titans over the last month is determining their spine for 2023. Or, at least, have a decent idea of what it will look like heading into the summer.

AJ Brimson has floated between five-eighth and fullback this season.

Jayden Campbell has floated between reserve grade and fullback but pops up in five-eighth-like spots when he does feature in first grade.

Toby Sexton was handed the keys to the team far too early and has struggled to have an impact as a halfback.

Erin Clark spent the first 15 games of the season at hooker before shifting to lock. 

Tanah Boyd has featured at hooker and in the halves without being provided with much of an opportunity to cement himself in either position.

The regular turnover in key playmaking positions has made it difficult for the Titans to develop any consistency and their first-choice spine is no clearer than it was heading into Round 1.

Kieran Foran will arrive from the Sea Eagles for 2023 and is locked into the five-eighth jersey. Meanwhile, Sam Verrills is said to be making the move from the Roosters and would become the first-choice hooker on arrival.

The leaves Brimson, Campbell, Sexton and Boyd to fill the No.1 and No.7 jerseys. 

The Titans are fixed to Brimson until the end of the 2026 NRL season so it's safe to assume he leads the way at fullback. Sexton seems to be highly rated by the club and is likely to be the leading contender to pair with Foran next season. However, the Titans need to make this clear over the last month. Determine the futures of Campbell (signed to 2024) and Boyd (2024) and plan for a lengthy period of the same No.1, No.6, No.7 and No.9 to start 2023.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)