Props Junior Paulo and J\u2019maine Hopgood are so effective with their short passing game and Jack de Belin can fit into that style as he trades the Red V for blue and gold.<\/p>\n
Kitione Kautoga is an underrated threat out wide too and someone who has improved out of sight. He runs incredible lines and you can see the trust Parramatta\u2019s halves have in him already.<\/p>\n
And then Paulo is so good at challenging the defensive line that he\u2019s a threat both through the middle and lurking out wide on the right edge.<\/p>\n
Really, it\u2019s not fair to have such a big, skilful man lining up opposite the playmakers, and there\u2019s an art to what he does in the tackle.<\/p>\n
With his size and footwork, Paulo attracts three defenders so often, and when he runs with the ball in his left hand it\u2019s similar to when right-handed boxers come up against a south paw. The change-up is all that\u2019s needed to get an advantage.<\/p>\n
And then when he\u2019s hanging out wide, he\u2019s just as dangerous with the ball in his other hand. It sounds easy, but there\u2019s a reason why he\u2019s been one of the NRL\u2019s best offloaders for more than a decade \u2013 he\u2019s truly elite.<\/p>\n
The champions and the new combo<\/p>\n
The playmaking battle is worth watching all on its own and I can\u2019t wait to see how Mitchell Moses and Jonah Pezet combine<\/a>.<\/p>\n I had a chat with Jonah during the off-season and I think he could end up playing a fair bit of first receiver as the year goes on. If he and Moses can strike that balance, look out, because unlocking the skipper\u2019s speed and running game is a fascinating prospect.<\/p>\n They\u2019re both very creative halves, while Moses also brings the best long kicking game in the competition. We saw it most famously in the Origin game Mitch dominated at the MCG two years ago when he kicked Queensland to death in 40 minutes.<\/p>\n His boot is such an advantage, either keeping the foot on an opponent\u2019s throat, or just as critically, helping to relieve pressure on his own forwards by booting them out of trouble.<\/p>\n Moses\u2019s long kicking game gives Parramatta the advantage in that area, but then we\u2019re talking about Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes. They\u2019ve done everything in the game and are just out-and-out champions.<\/p>\n For mine, Munster\u2019s record has him sitting comfortably alongside the greatest five-eighths rugby league has seen<\/a>.<\/p>\n Parramatta will make this a fascinating, tight match-up, and I think it\u2019s a genuine even money, flip of a coin contest. I just can\u2019t go past Bellamy\u2019s record, but I won\u2019t be at all surprised if Parramatta are the team to end it.<\/p>\n Joey\u2019s tip: Storm by two<\/p>\n First try-scorer: Sua Fa\u2019alogo<\/p>\n Man of the match: Cameron Munster<\/p>\n Vegas: The good, bad and controversial<\/p>\n It was another fantastic way to start our season in Las Vegas, and as for the controversy that came around the match-defining call that saw Ryan Couchman penalised for stripping Bronson Xerri<\/a> of the ball \u2013 I think the officials got it right.<\/p>\n For mine, Couchman played for the ball with a stripping technique. If he had been making a more conventional tackle, he would have been in closer and tighter \u2013 in the gap between he and Xerri before contact, I see a raking movement and intention for a two-man strip. The penalty was the right call.<\/p>\n As for the four sides and what they can take away from the weekend?<\/p>\n
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