Dead cat bounce, Galvin's instincts and why Munster needs to fire against Penrith

Paul Kent and Warren Livingstone previewed a bumper Easter weekend on Kenty Blitz, covering Kieran Foran's coaching debut, the Bulldogs' halves dilemma, Cameron Munster's slow start and what the six-again rule is doing to the game's traditional spine structure.

Foran's blank canvas

Kent borrowed Andrew Johns' phrase "dead cat bounce" to frame expectations around Manly's first game under Kieran Foran, while stressing the new coach has done everything right in his first week.

"He's come in, made no forced team changes and essentially said to the players, go out and show me you deserve your spot. The excuse of the coach has now been removed from the playing group. It is now up to them."

Kent also defended the decision not to throw Joey Walsh into the deep end, noting the 19-year-old has played just 21 games of rugby league in his life after coming through as a rugby union junior.

"In that number seven jersey there's an essential skill which is you have to be able to manage a game. You have to understand when to pick the momentum up or slow it down. You need to understand the opposition's weak spots within the game. He's still very much a novice."

Kent pointed to Ash Taylor as the cautionary tale of what happens when clubs rush a gifted young half before he's ready.

"He had the world at his feet, signed the big million-dollar contract, and the pressure crumbled him. It was the end of him as a player."

Kent tipped the Dolphins to win despite the Foran factor, pointing to Tom Trbojevic's five tries in three games against the Dolphins and the hammer's nine tries in five games at Redcliffe as the key statistics.

Bulldogs halves: simplify or switch

With Shaun O'Sullivan potentially coming into the starting side against South Sydney, Kent framed it as a logical step rather than an admission of defeat on Lachlan Galvin.

"Canterbury have never said Galvin was the finished product as a halfback. He's a kid that's played five-eight and they're trying to turn him into a halfback. It's going to have its teething problems."

Drawing on Andrew Johns' column, Kent argued the solution is simplification rather than a positional reshuffle.

"What he needs to do is play just one shape. By simplifying the game, having one shape that allows him to know exactly what option A, B and C are, then he can play his instinct off that. The worst thing you can do is try and think your way through a game because it cripples you."

Kent tipped the Bulldogs to win the Good Friday blockbuster against South Sydney on the back of their defence, noting Wayne Bennett's spray after the Tigers win suggests the Rabbitohs haven't hit their straps yet.

"Their attack averaging 24 points a game, but I just think Canterbury will get their defence right before it happens the other way around. The Bulldogs fans will be swinging off the rafters. They'll be pumped up."

Munster must fire against Penrith

Kent was candid about Cameron Munster's slow start to the season, suggesting the broader structural changes to the game may be part of the explanation.

"He's the Australian five-eight. I don't want to sit here and ride him but there hasn't even been moments in a game. If you gave us his highlight reel from the first four rounds you'd be hard pressed to find too much to stick in it."

Kent's broader theory was that the six-again rule is gradually eroding the traditional dominance of the spine, as fatigue disrupts the structured patterns halfbacks have relied on for years.

"For fifteen years the game has been dominated by the spine. Now with fatigue coming in, guys getting the ball, looking out to the left and suddenly the ball runner is not where he needs to be. You see it in some of those halfbacks. Mitch Moses has had an indifferent start. Galvin. Munster. They're all having one of those starts."

On the Panthers, Kent tipped Melbourne to be competitive but couldn't pick against Penrith, noting Brian To'o has scored eight tries in his last eight games against the Storm.

Harry Grant's defence concern

While praising Grant's overall form as Melbourne's standout player through the first month, Kent raised a pointed concern about Jerome Tuitupou's defensive work.

"He doesn't like collision. There are times he's defending on his try line as the A defender when the opposition nearly scores. When they pass out of dummy half he doesn't come up off the line, he just starts to jog sideways. That'll get exposed soon. Someone will pick that up and run straight at him and score."

Round five tips

Kent went with the Dolphins over Manly, Canterbury over South Sydney, Melbourne to stay close against Penrith without winning, the Cowboys to continue their dominance over the Dragons, the Warriors to bounce back against the Sharks, the Raiders to edge the Knights but flagged it as a danger game, and the Tigers to justify their price against Parramatta on Easter Monday.

"I can't understand why Parramatta are favourites in that game. I really don't get it. I like the Tigers."

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