Rugby League Insider on the Foran effect

James Hooper was joined by Matty Vautin and Brandon Savage on Rugby League Insider for a wide-ranging Wednesday episode covering Kieran Foran's imminent debut as Manly coach, the Bulldogs' ongoing halves dilemma, a Knights side punching well above its weight, and whether the Raiders have lost the defensive edge that defined them last season.

The Foran effect

With Kieran Foran set to take charge of Manly for the first time Thursday night against the Dolphins at Redcliffe, Hooper backed the new interim coach to get an immediate response from a playing group that had clearly switched off under Anthony Seibold.

"I get the feeling Kieran with his DNA, the way he bled for that jumper, the players are right behind him. I think it was pretty splintered at Manly. They'd clocked off under Seibold. I don't think they're clocking off under Kieran."

Vautin, a Northern Beaches local, said the mood among fans has been broadly positive about the change despite the brutal timing, and identified the blank canvas as an opportunity for Foran to let the side play with freedom.

"They haven't been playing with a lot of joy. I think this gives him a chance to throw a bit of caution to the wind and just start throwing it around."

Hooper praised Jason King's handling of the situation, arguing the new CEO had flown under the radar since arriving just before Christmas, done his homework, identified the problem, and acted decisively rather than waiting for it to fester further.

On the manly DNA debate, Vautin offered a left-field candidate the panel hadn't previously considered.

"Sammy Burgess. Why hasn't his name come up? As a player, you'd want to play for him. He commands instant respect. He's got a real aura about him."

Hooper threw his weight behind Foran regardless, pointing out that every other candidate on the list is equally untested at NRL head coaching level.

"I like the fact that they had the conviction and gumption to give it to Kieran Foran over the soft option. The easy option would have been giving it to Jimmy Dymock."

Both Hooper and Savage tipped Manly to win Thursday night at $3.20.

Bulldogs at sixes and sevens

The mid-game decision to shift Steven Crichton to five-eighth and Matt Burton to the centres against Newcastle drew plenty of discussion, with Savage making the pointed observation that Burton might simply be the wrong fit for the six jersey altogether.

"When you think of all the great moments in Matt Burton's career, whether it's for Origin or for the Panthers, they've happened in the centres. Matt Burton at six is itself an experiment."

Hooper agreed the writing may be on the wall for Burton at the club, noting the optics of the GM of football going onto the field mid-game to speak with him were extraordinary.

"You don't see that very often. Burton's body language looked like, what the...yeah."

Savage was direct about where the blame lies. "Shaun O'Sullivan is the perfect pairing for Galvin. They've had two or three years from Matt Burton to really get him into that leadership role and he hasn't taken a fist of it."

Hooper maintained that if Galvin doesn't click against South Sydney on Good Friday, it will be time to bring O'Sullivan in at seven, shift Galvin to six, and move Burton to the centres permanently. The panel agreed that Crichton stays where he is regardless.

"He is worth every cent. You can't have $2 million in your centre positions, but you can't move your best player to fix a problem elsewhere."

Newcastle punching above its weight

With Dylan Brown still a fortnight away and Kalyn Ponga a few weeks beyond that, the panel marvelled at what Justin Holbrook has built in the early rounds.

"$2.7 million worth of talent missing and they're getting results," Hooper said. "It's amazing what a coaching change can do."

Savage highlighted the transformation from last year's toothless attack, pointing to Dom Young's return to pre-Roosters form, Dane Gagai and Tyson Frizell still delivering, and Harrison Graham's emergence as a genuine find.

Sandon Smith was singled out as the story of the season so far, having started the year as Holbrook's third-choice playmaker behind the injured Fletcher Sharp and Dylan Brown.

Have the Raiders lost their edge?

At 1-3 and having conceded 116 points, Canberra's defensive numbers are a world away from their round 12 ranking of first in the competition last season.

Savage pointed to the reshuffled right edge as a key factor, with Ethan Strange moving across from the left to accommodate Ethan Sanders' left-foot kicking game, creating combinations that simply haven't had time to click.

"You're taking away one of your biggest strengths by moving Strange from the left. His ball running is his greatest strength and the combinations he had on that left edge were lethal."

Hooper noted the discipline issues are compounding the problem. Corey Horsburgh's sin-binning against the Sharks directly led to 12 points and ultimately cost them the game, which they lost by exactly 12.

"There's just a little too much niggle. Dial it back slightly and you're not getting penalised as much and you've got a better shot at being there at the end."

The silver lining: Josh Papali'i returns this week, and with Ricky Stuart publicly flagging that Matt Timoko will reclaim his spot when fit, the combinations should settle.