Stretch to strength: How right side shift has Graham on rapid rise

“Pick him Freddy, pick him.”

Paul ‘Fatty’ Vautin, a former Queensland Maroons captain, pleaded with Freddy Fittler to pick Campbell Graham in his New South Wales Blues squad for the 2023 State of Origin series during the call.

Graham had just scored his second of three tries for the match as the Rabbitohs stamped their premiership credentials with a 32-6 win over the Broncos, with a die-hard Queenslander demanding his selection for the opposition.

The 23-year-old's NRL-high 11 tries have played a significant role in South Sydney’s start to the year and propelled him into Origin contention, but the signs of this calibre of player have been there for a little while now.

What's changed from 2022 to 2023?

Graham has certainly improved on what was already a fairly successful 2022 campaign. He finished last season scoring five tries in 20 games while averaging 143 metres, 3.4 tackle breaks and 18.1 tackles per game, and was rewarded for a strong season with two caps for the Kangaroos at the Rugby League World Cup.

This year, Graham has run for a career-high 145 metres, broken 3.1 tackles and made 17.4 tackles per game. Take away the 11 tries and Graham’s numbers are very similar year-on-year.

So, what’s changed?

The Rabbitohs certainly haven’t had any trouble piercing the defensive line in recent years, but have made an adjustment to the tip of the spear in 2023.

Souths scored 48% of their tries down the left edge in 2022. Still averaging 24 points per game as they did last season, Souths have scored 55% of their tries down the right edge to start 2023. The tries have followed Graham from the left edge to the right, meaning that rather than being part of the build-up, he’s now the cherry on top.

As most of the numbers suggest, he’s doing a lot of the things he was been for a year or two but is being put in positions to turn those actions into points.

At 197cm and 95kg, Graham is a big body and he knows how to use it. He began his career in the centres with a defensive focus and quickly became one of the best defensive centres in the game. Incredibly strong and able to stand and stick to the tackle, he made his most notable impact in a high-scoring Rabbitohs side without the ball last season but still played his part in South Sydney's lethal left edge.

His skills as a hard line runner, tip passer and offloader, mixed with his ability to attack the inside shoulder of the two-in defender, was particularly influential on Alex Johnston’s second-consecutive 30-try season.

While only officially credited with eight try assists in 20 games last season, Graham played a part in far more Rabbitohs tries. The Titans saw firsthand what impact Graham could have as both as a line-runner and distributor in Round 14 last year.

The impact of moving left to right

Shifting over to the right edge, Graham isn’t seeing any more ball or running any more decoys. He averaged 17 touches and 2.0 decoys per game in 2022 and those numbers have dropped slightly to 16.5 touches and 1.9 decoys per game. Again, the tries are earning him recognition for the actions he has been crafting for two years.

Knowing the role having played it so often himself, Graham is the first to acknowledge the work being done inside him when talking about his form.

“It's just a result of the coaching I'm getting here at Souths and the game plans that they're infiltrating and the attacking shapes,” said Graham after Round 9.

“I don't get these opportunities without the boys around me setting them up, so obviously I've been lucky enough to cross for a few tries, but it's off the back of the boys running that great shape."

Of course, Graham has done plenty on his own. The try that inspired Vautin’s call for Origin is another fine example of his strengths with the ball.

Here, his ability to hit a hole and push through contact are both on display. Graham even manages to step from the outside shoulder to catch a pass behind him before stepping inside and through the scrambling defence this time.

In the same game, he went back to the outside shoulder to lay one on for Cody Walker.

With a late swerve into the space between the winger and centre while the three-in defender is being tied up inside him, Graham is able spin and release an offload back to Walker on the inside.

Right side, strong side

Traditionally known for their left-side dominance, South Sydney's right edge is now starting to make their claim as the more potent Rabbitohs edge.

Still only 22 years old and with just 36 games of first-grade experience to his name, Lachlan Ilias has made great strides in his game in 2023. One of the most appealing aspects of his rookie season was his willingness to get deep into the line.

It’s a trait often absent in young halves as they look to play early and easy.

Ilias, on the other hand, finished the 2022 season 7th in line engaged runs with 5.9 per game. And now he has the improved execution under pressure to go with those line-engaged runs, so is seeing more of the ball to average 0.7 try assists and 45.4 touches per game – up from 0.4 try assists and 42 touches per game last season.

Koloamatangi spent the majority of his time fixed to the right edge before his injury in Round 7. After moving between the edge and middle in 2022, Koloamatangi has formed a lethal partnership with Ilias inside him. He’s the perfect back-rower for a young half with his timing, late footwork at the line and ability to stand in or push through the tackle making him arguably the best line runner in the competition.

The pair combined to score a beauty in Round 3. The sort of try that captures the value of Ilias’ work and the threat of Graham before Koloamatangi works his magic.

Playing flat and on the advantage line, Ilias carries the ball deep into the chest of the A defender. The extra time he holds the ball and straightening of his run shows the Roosters’ two-in defender Latrell Mitchell out the back which forces him to jam in, which leaves Luke Keary exposed on the much bigger man.

When you apply the footwork and fade through the line Koloamatangi does here, you end up with one of the better-created tries this season.

Mitchell’s involvement can’t be understated here, either. Look back and you'll notice that the the gravity he draws from a defence is second to none. With eight tries, three try assists and 28 tackle breaks in his last four games, Mitchell is in a purple patch and it’s causing havoc on the defensive line whether he touches the ball or not.

How Souths are putting it all together

When you combine Ilias engaging the four-in defender, Koloamatangi turning the three-man in and Mitchell receiving the ball out the back before adding the double pump, and you end up with Graham making it look easy.

These two against the Sharks in Round 1 and Dolphins in Round 7 start to paint the picture of how everything around Graham is coming together for him to reap the rewards and recognition of his hard work in recent years.

Intelligent and reliable defensively, a strong ball carrier, willing to complete the unheralded actions and able to pull off those that feature in the highlights packages, Graham is an elite centre and has been for at least a year.

While the hype is coming in thick and fast now, he has been on a steady path to this point. He is profiting off his development to make the most of the improved form and cohesion of those around him in a talented Rabbitohs lineup.

It’s all coming together for Graham and the South Sydney as they climb the NRL ladder and build into a premiership push. A big body that can hold up one side defence and move it up the field in yardage, he profiles as an ideal option for the Origin arena too, should the cries of Vautin be heard by Fittler later this month.