NRL live updates: Parramatta Eels vs Melbourne Storm, round 22
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Sydney Morning Herald
17 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The secret to Teddy's career-best form? Resisting what he does best
But there is a tweak in the ruck running that Lindsay Collins says Tedesco 'probably pioneered' – those pin-balling tackle three and four carries that Dylan Edwards and Connor Tracey have also made their hallmarks. The same plays that, through sheer competitiveness and ability, could see Tedesco involved too much, especially as NSW captain, trying to put a team on his back too often. Champion Data statistics reveal Tedesco ranks fourth across the NRL for tackle three carries in 2025, and second for tackle four runs. Clint Gutherson is the only other back who features in the top five of each stat, which is otherwise led by elite pack horses like Terrell May, Keaon Koloamatangi and Pat Carrigan. Since a 2023 dip in form, Tedesco is significantly more involved in the middle of the Roosters sets, yet finding his teammates more often too – as noted by Rugby League Writers' Jason Oliver. 'I'd say he's added that pass with those plays over the last two years,' Watson says. 'I think that's because you see a lot of fullbacks running that way now [around the ruck]. So if Teddy brings a bit of shape around his carry, it gives us the option to move the ball from his running too.' Collins adds: 'As a middle too, if you're running around Teddy, you notice the defensive line can stop and hold, because they're on alert. There's the chance to hit a hole off him, and usually a quick play-the-ball too.' For his part, Tedesco was quick to point to the Roosters drop-off in the past month that has dropped them out of the top eight at the wrong point in the season. Losses to the Tigers and Storm when Jahrome Hughes went down are particularly galling. 'Our team performances haven't been the best and I'll wear a bit of that,' Tedesco said leading into the Manly clash. 'But I've been really enjoying leading these young guys. I think at the start of the year no-one really gave us a chance or expectation and I've enjoyed leading those boys through my actions and communication. 'Now there is expectation and pressure on us to win. I need to lead by example.' Aside from the Roosters error-strewn defeat to Cronulla two weeks back, Tedesco has hit the same lofty bar he's set all season. With five, if not six wins needed from as many games to sneak into the finals, the return of young half Hugo Savala's kicking game and control is especially welcome. Loading Sydney's latest big wet points to the long and short kicking games of Savala and Sam Walker, Daly Cherry-Evans and Luke Brooks potentially deciding their sides' top-eight hopes. So too Tedesco's trademark sniping around the ruck, especially if Tom Trbojevic is still confined to right centre when, at his best, he can match the Roosters No.1 scything through a middle defence. The temptation to try and put the Tricolours on his back is right there for Tedesco. 'It's a constant thing to work on,' he says. 'Over my career, around the ruck and around the middle of the field is where I've played most of my footy but there's lots of opportunities out wide. 'It's those combinations with the halves – Sammy Walker's come back in, Hugo's been out a couple of weeks but as a spine working together, that's what brings out my best footy. 'So I have to be clear with our spine on what our game plan is, but just getting my hands on the ball without too much thinking is when I play my best footy too.'
Sydney Morning Herald
17 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
For the NRLW, from little things big things grow
It was all about geography when the 2018 NRLW season kicked off with the Roosters, Dragons, Broncos and Warriors, with the NRL wanting to spread the love across two states and two countries. 'We think we've got the balance right for our first year and I would expect more NRL clubs to join the competition in the years ahead,' NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg said at the time. Now, the footprint of the 12 NRLW teams spans from Townsville to Wollongong and across the Tasman to Auckland. Since 2018, NRLW viewership has grown 35 per cent annually, while attendances have increased 37.5 per cent year on year. Perhaps the starkest illustration of the growth of the women's game can be seen in State of Origin. Despite a dip in attendances during COVID-19, the interstate clash has drawn strong crowds since the introduction of a three-game series in 2024. As the game has become more professional, the quality – and quantity – of Origin matches has increased, leading to greater fan engagement. A big step was taken with the introduction of multi-year contracts for players in 2023. Before then, players were contracted for one season at a time, which made it hard for clubs to retain talent and develop the on-field understanding and combinations that come from longer-term knowledge of each other's games. Now, player contracting more closely resembles the men's game – though the salaries remain poles apart – and clubs can build their team around key players. For example, the Cowboys have secured key trio Emma Manzelmann, Jakiya Whitfeld and Lily Peacock until 2028 – something that was impossible when Kelly signed her first contract in 2018. The current state of play After expanding again in 2025 with the introduction of the Bulldogs and the Warriors, the NRLW is in a consolidation period. Further expansion in 2026 is unlikely but not completely out of the question, with NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo eager to increase quality before quantity. 'It would be a very short runway to expand in 2026,' Abdo said. 'Expansion is something that we've handled, and the commission has handled, in my view, very effectively. Whilst the commission has always said it's a priority to invest and grow in the women's game, it's [about] growth at all levels. A major aim of the consolidation period is creating a deep enough talent pool to sustain the women's game. In 2024, the state competitions were pushed back so that they ran concurrently with the NRLW. Previously, they began in February and players would compete in both the state competition and NRLW. It was a big adjustment for players, with many having effectively used the state competition as an NRLW pre-season, but it means the NRLW now has an established reserve grade league from where players can be elevated or dropped as needed – the same as the men's game. And an increase in quality duly followed. The 2024 season saw the highest ever ball-in-play average of 47.6 minutes per game, with the average margin of victory narrowing to 13.9 points. Women who were in junior pathways systems are now starting to find their way into the top grade. In 2018, the average age of an NRLW debutant was 27; now it's 21. Where to now? The goal for the NRLW is full-time professionalism. For now, most players juggle fulltime jobs with their NRLW careers – NSW and Eels fullback Abbi Church is a paramedic, while Eels halfback Rachael Pearson is a coalmining fitter and turner. Eventually, every NRL team will have an NRLW team. 'All of the NRL clubs that don't have an NRLW license have their own individual plan where they're working towards their readiness to have a team in NRLW,' Abdo said. 'We will continue working with them and the more that we invest and the more we see of investment in age group competitions and the programs to accelerate talent development, the more we're going to have the capacity to expand ... in a sustainable way where the competition quality actually improves, doesn't decrease.' For players like Kelly, who have seen the highs and lows of expansion across the past eight seasons, controlled growth is key. 'I think we've still got a few years to go until I think it would be best to go full-time,' Kelly said. 'Having it stay the same for a bit I think is probably the best [option] in keeping that product really high and making sure that everyone's developing at the same rate. I think it's always been a conscious thing with us girls that we've never wanted to go too big too soon.' Just as geography was a key factor in the make-up of the inaugural competition back in 2018, it remains a key consideration for further expansion. The Perth Bears and Papua New Guinea are the latest clubs to be handed NRL licenses, with the two teams to enter the competition in 2027 and 2028 respectively. Abdo said the plan for NRLW teams was 'essential' when Perth and PNG were awarded teams. Loading 'Both are areas where we don't have any league, men's or women's, teams and both are hugely important development areas for us,' Abdo said. 'The game plan for both Western Australia and Papua New Guinea is to open up talent development from an early age for both mens and women's, boys and girls, and the business case and the consideration of the awarding of the license to those two regions had built into both an NRL and NRLW license over time. 'What I can say to you is the blueprint and the business plan absolutely includes a women's team, but what I can't say to you is what year they will enter the competition, but that will become clearer over time as those pathways an investments take shape.'
The Age
17 minutes ago
- The Age
The secret to Teddy's career-best form? Resisting what he does best
But there is a tweak in the ruck running that Lindsay Collins says Tedesco 'probably pioneered' - those pin-balling tackle three and four carries that Dylan Edwards and Connor Tracey have also made their hallmarks. The same plays that, through sheer competitiveness and ability, could see Tedesco involved too much, especially as NSW captain, trying to put a team on his back too often. Champion Data statistics reveal Tedesco ranks fourth across the NRL for tackle three carries in 2025, and second for tackle four runs. Clint Gutherson is the only other back who features in the top five of each stat, which is otherwise led by elite pack horses like Terrell May, Keaon Koloamatangi and Pat Carrigan. Since a 2023 dip in form, Tedesco is significantly more involved in the middle of the Roosters sets, yet finding his teammates more often too - as noted by Rugby League Writers' Jason Oliver. 'I'd say he's added that pass with those plays over the last two years,' Watson says. 'I think that's because you see a lot of fullbacks running that way now [around the ruck]. So if Teddy brings a bit of shape around his carry, it gives us the option to move the ball from his running too.' Collins adds: 'As a middle too, if you're running around Teddy, you notice the defensive line can stop and hold, because they're on alert. There's the chance to hit a hole off him, and usually a quick play-the-ball too.' For his part, Tedesco was quick to point to the Roosters drop-off in the past month that has dropped them out of the top eight at the wrong point in the season. Losses to the Tigers and Storm when Jahrome Hughes went down are particularly galling. 'Our team performances haven't been the best and I'll wear a bit of that,' Tedesco said leading into the Manly clash. 'But I've been really enjoying leading these young guys. I think at the start of the year no-one really gave us a chance or expectation and I've enjoyed leading those boys through my actions and communication. 'Now there is expectation and pressure on us to win. I need to lead by example.' Aside from the Roosters error-strewn defeat to Cronulla two weeks back, Tedesco has hit the same lofty bar he's set all season. With five, if not six wins needed from as many games to sneak into the finals, the return of young half Hugo Savala's kicking game and control is especially welcome. Loading Sydney's latest big wet points to the long and short kicking games of Savala and Sam Walker, Daly Cherry-Evans and Luke Brooks potentially deciding their sides' top-eight hopes. So too Tedesco's trademark sniping around the ruck, especially if Tom Trbojevic is still confined to right centre when, at his best, he can match the Roosters No.1 scything through a middle defence. The temptation to try and put the Tricolours on his back is right there for Tedesco. 'It's a constant thing to work on,' he says. 'Over my career, around the ruck and around the middle of the field is where I've played most of my footy but there's lots of opportunities out wide. 'It's those combinations with the halves - Sammy Walker's come back in, Hugo's been out a couple of weeks but as a spine working together, that's what brings out my best footy. 'So I have to be clear with our spine on what our game plan is, but just getting my hands on the ball without too much thinking is when I play my best footy too.'
