"It's rugby league, you tackle people."

While Wayne Bennett is the man to pen those wise words, you don't need to be the greatest coach of all time to know that defence is a crucial part of this great game.

Only five teams have won a Premiership in the NRL era with a defence outside the top three in the competition. You can score all the points you want, but they're worthless if you can't stop more from coming back the other way.

Approaching the halfway point of the 2019 season, players and coaches have a decent sample size to analyse data heading into a game. Game plans will be centred around frailties in a defensive line as teams work on certain areas of the field to expose them.

Here, we take a look at where teams have conceded points throughout the first 11 rounds of the season, and whether it's a fixable problem... or something that is here to stay.

Brisbane Broncos

Brisbane's attack was predominantly blamed for their lacklustre 2-6 start to the season. However, their three-game winning streak since has come on the back of improvement defensively. After conceding 23.1 points per game during the opening eight rounds, the Broncos have only conceded 22 points in total over their last three games.

Their previously terrible goal-line defence has stood up, and they've found wins on the back of it.

They're back inside the Top 8 defensive teams in the NRL, and their numbers align with the averages across the competition.

It's unlikely that the Broncos will be average for long, though. As they develop cohesion and iron out their middle, Anthony Seibold could yet have this side amongst the top four defences in the NRL by the end of the season.

Canberra Raiders

The Raiders started the season as one of the best defensive teams in the competition. It was the most significant reason to believe their hot start could stick. As we now know, it hasn't.

The fall-away in defence coincides with John Bateman's injury. Conceding only 12.5 points per game in the eight rounds Bateman played, the Raiders have allowed an average of 22.6 points in the three games he's missed. 

Strangely, however, it's not Bateman's right side that is leaking the points.

Only the Gold Coast Titans allow more of their tries from the left side than the Raiders' 46.4%.

As is the case for many of the sudden downturns in team defence, cohesion, or lack thereof, can be pointed out as a reason why. 

Jack Wighton is new to the position and does have a tendency to search for a whack rather than make the right defensive decision. Nick Cotric has been moved around and now isn't available due to State of Origin. Meanwhile, Elliott Whitehead has spent time on the right side since Bateman went down injured. 

Their defence hasn't been up to scratch recently, but that could all change when Bateman returns and the team lines up as it did during the opening two months. There's enough reason to believe a turnaround is possible, perhaps even imminent.

Canterbury Bulldogs

Ranked 14th in defence conceding 22.9 points per game, the Bulldogs have leaked plenty of tries. Their biggest weakness is on the right side at the moment, but it hasn't always been like that. The Dogs conceded 45.1% of their tries down the left side throughout the opening eight rounds. Since Kerrod Holland was dropped to reserve grade, that number has dropped to 36.5%.

A liability on defence, it's misreading plays like this that has seen Holland sent down and the left side firm up as a result.

Cronulla Sharks

With the injuries they've carried and the different lineups they've been forced to send out, the Sharks have done remarkably well to be 7th defensively up to this point.

Missing on just 25.6 tackles per game (3rd fewest), the Sharks are a difficult side to crack.

They've conceded 33 tries with a relatively even split across the three areas on the field.

As perhaps the toughest team to read and still a Premiership threat considering the quality of players still to return, we've not learnt a lot about the Sharks in 2019.

What we've seen, we already knew: they're tough and they thrive in the grind.

Gold Coast Titans

The Titans conceded a whopping 53.1% of their tries down the left side across the first eight rounds. That number has dropped to 47.7% - still the worst in the NRL - after leaking four of the 12 total tries (33.33%) they've conceded since then down the left.

The difference: Tyrone Peachey.

While Garth Brennan is still trying to crowbar Peachey into the 17 each week, he's removed him from left-centre, and it's done the trick. His combination with Bryce Cartwright was a goldmine for opposition attacks, with the pair leaking like a sieve for the first two months of the season.

With Peachey playing more in the middle and Cartwright now off the bench, the Titans left edge is less of a target.

Manly Sea Eagles

The Sea Eagles are a much-improved defensive unit since coach Des Hasler re-joined the club over the summer. However, they've had a few issues over the last fortnight.

With 44.4% of their 27 tries conceded on the right, 29.6% on the left and 25.9% in the middle, the Sea Eagles had produced some fairly well-rounded results by the end of Round 9.

Dylan Walker's inclusion has seen them struggle over the last fortnight, though.

In his first two games of the season, Walker is still getting back into the speed of regular first-grade football. With an 11-game winger in Reuben Garrick outside of him, the pair have seen eight tries go down their side of the field in just 160 minutes of playing time together. 

Garrick's tendency to fly out of the line is something Ash Taylor and the Gold Coast Titans picked up early last week.

It's an issue in communication and understanding that Garrick and Walker will need to iron out as soon as possible if the Sea Eagles are to maintain their Top 8 pace.

Melbourne Storm

The Storm once again have the best defence in the competition, so they can't be slated too much while conceding only 13 points per game. However, there is one area Craig Bellamy will be demanding an improvement.

A huge 78.2% of Melbourne's 23 conceded tries have come down the right side.

Unsurprisingly, the right is where most of the Storm's inexperience lies.

Marion Seve has just eight games of first-grade experience, while Brodie Croft has just 28 games worth. Suliasi Vunivalu has played 80 games out on the right wing, but he's never been considered anything above 'average' defensively.

The Storm don't often have too many areas of concern, but they'll need to sure up their right-side defence by the pointy end of the season.

Newcastle Knights

The Knights have flown under the radar as a somewhat decent defensive side conceding the fourth-fewest points at 16.7 points per game.

Some of that can be explained by the fact they've only played three games against teams sitting inside the top six on offense. However, they don't appear to have any glaring weaknesses across the field. Only 2% either side of the NRL averages, the Knights concede 33.3% of their tries on the left, 43.3% on the right, and 23.3% in the middle.

They're the talk of the competition and one of the in-form sides, but there isn't much to say about Newcastle's defence other than it's going to improve.

New Zealand Warriors

The Warriors have struggled to find consistent defensive centres over the years but may have found one in Patrick Herbert.

With Solomone Kata in at right centre for the first six rounds, 54.1% of opposition tries came down that side of the field. Since Herbert replaced him in Round 7, the Warriors right side has allowed just 30.7% of the total tries conceded.

The overall numbers across the board have levelled out for 21.6% conceded on the left, 45.9% on the right, and 32.4% through the middle. 

That number through the middle is higher than coach Stephen Kearney would like, but the change in personnel in Round 7 has cleared up one of the Warriors' most significant issues. 

North Queensland Cowboys

Only the Titans have conceded more total tries on the edges than the Cowboys (32).

It's no surprise to see the Cows towards the top of this list when you consider how many different combinations they've sent out in the centres and on the wing.

They've used seven different combinations in only 11 games and have named an eighth for Round 12. When you consider the changing right-side backrower position that has seen four different players wear the number 12 jersey already, we can somewhat explain why they're conceding 45.2% of their tries down that side. 

The power of cohesion is on full display in the North Queensland edge defence.

Parramatta Eels

While the results are looking a little better for the Eels in 2019, their defence has only marginally improved on their wooden spoon winning 2018 season.

They've conceded 1.1 fewer points this season at 21.8 points per game. While only four teams concede more points than the Eels, there is hope for an immediate improvement whenever they're ready.

Soft is a dirty word in Rugby League. It's the ultimate insult to any player or team. But, it's the only way to describe Parramatta's middle defence at the moment.

How else do you describe an NRL-high 48% of tries coming through the middle?

That's double the average from across the whole competition. 

Opposing sides are picking out little Reed Mahoney and targeting him. He's the best hooker the club has at the moment, so those around him need to tighten up and support the 21-year old when defending the goal-line.

Penrith Panthers

A lack of points is where 2019 is going wrong for the Panthers, but it's not helped by their inconsistent defence. While where they concede tries floats around the NRL averages, only the Dragons, Cowboys and Titans have seen more go through them than the Panthers' 41 so far this season. No team misses more tackles than Penrith's 38.9 tackles per game.

However, it's efforts like this that are holding the Panthers back the most:

South Sydney Rabbitohs

The Rabbitohs have conceded the second-fewest points in the competition through 11 rounds at just 15 points per game.

Typical of a Wayne Bennett side, they're well organised in defence and give away very few penalties.

The one area they'll look to improve on, is around the left edge. Souths go against the general trend of teams conceding more on the right edge than any other area of the field by allowing 42.8% of their tries in through the left.

One reason for this stands out straight away. Souths have sent four different centres out there already this season, two of which are traditionally backrowers.

With Braidon Burns on the mend and set to return in the coming weeks, the Rabbitohs still have room to become even more of a defensive force.

St George-Illawarra Dragons

The Dragons middle isn't what it was in 2018, and it shows in their defensive numbers.

Jack de Belin is proving a massive loss with the Dragons tied with the Titans, in conceding 44 tries through 11 games - the most in the NRL.

It's the 29.5% of tries they're conceding though the middle that is the issue. Much can be put down to de Belin's absence and the failure of Jacob Host and Blake Lawrie to fill the void, but they've not been helped by the rotations employed through the middle, either.

Until last week, McGregor had been wasting a bench spot on an unnecessary outside back. Scenarios of Host only playing 16 minutes off the bench, 33-year old James Graham playing 66 minutes in the middle while Jeremy Latimore sees only 16 minutes in the same game are all too common.

There's a reason the Dragons are being busted up the middle and averaging 17.6 ineffective tackles per game (3rd-most); they're gassed.

Sydney Roosters

Only the Warriors and Panthers (27) have used more than players than the Roosters (26) so far in 2019.

They've been without their first-choice and defensive specialist hooker and have had somebody playing out of position almost every week. 

Still, they sit 3rd on the ladder with the fifth-best defence in the NRL. 

After allowing the fewest points per game in their 2018 NRL Premiership winning season, it's safe to assume the Roosters will be up there in the defensive ratings again once fully fit.

Wests Tigers

There isn't much of a cohesion or experience issue to point out when looking at why 48.6% of the tries the Tigers concede, come down the right side.

The players in the positions are simply poor readers of play.

No try shows where the Tigers are going wrong on the right side than this one from Round 6.

By pausing at the 0:04 second mark, you can see both Esan Masters and Mahe Fonua with their shoulders in, before Jaeman Salmon releases the ball. On this occasion, Salmon plays short to the flying Shaun Lane, but he could have thrown a try assist to just about anybody here.

Masters, in particular, has a real issue with being ahead of his teammates in the defensive line and turning in early. Meanwhile, Fonua's struggles have been well-documented throughout his whole career. He's famous for his mullet, but unfortunately for the Tigers, it's at it's most eye-catching when it flicks up in the air as he spins on the spot to see another result of his misread in defence.

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