HE'S labelled Will Kennedy the most improved player in the 2021 NRL competition and now Anthony Siebold claims the fullback is the key in the Cronulla Sharks' bid to be part of the finals series.
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Currently working in a consultancy role with the Newcastle Knights, the side which beat the Sharks 16-14 on Sunday, Siebold has a high opinion of the 24-year-old Bathurst talent.
When Dally M voting went behind closed doors after round 12, Kennedy was fifth on the list of players in contention. It highlights why Siebold sees the fullback as such a vital figure for the Sharks.
Cronulla currently sits in 10th, two points outside the top eight.
"I certainly think if he plays good football over the next month, then the Sharks will play some finals football," Siebold told NRL's The Game Plan.
"Obviously they need some other players to step up, but the thing I'm seeing from Will Kennedy is he's improving his line organisation in defence and he's improving his work rate in defence, so that's going to help Cronulla Sharks.
"I like his work rate defensively, I think that's an area he needed to improve and I've seen that build over the season."
As Siebold, who spent time as head coach of South Sydney and Brisbane Broncos, pointed out, Kennedy's work in defence has been impressive.
His efforts under the high ball in the loss against Newcastle impressed league great Peter Sterling, who said: "He's a quality player, he's got a real smoothness about him ... he's got a real composure about his game."
However, Kennedy has been just as good in attack in 2021. He has scored 12 tries, has 11 try assists and made 56 tackle breaks. It's a quality Siebold has noticed.
"The other thing I see from him is evasion, whether it's on short sides, out the back of shape, he is an electric player," he said.
"I remember watching his Dad play for the Tigers, Bubba Kennedy in the '90s, well William Kennedy, he's probably the most improved player in the competition.
"He's forever asking questions of opposition defences.
"He is electric in regards to holding the ball in two hands, and he's got the speed and the evasion to break a tackle and I think Will Kennedy is going to be at the forefront of all the positive things that Cronulla do."
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