The evolution of Damian McKenzie

Damian McKenzie’s elevation into the Chiefs 10 position was one of the more intriguing storylines of 2018.

His previous irregular stints at the position for the Chiefs didn’t convince everyone that this would be a successful transition. He was groomed for three years for this move while Cruden was ‘the guy’, and this year was finally handed the role he came to the Chiefs for.

The freedom to roam at fullback and return kicks with acres of space made it difficult to contain McKenzie’s elusive running. He became the most exciting player in the competition, bouncing off tackles and ripping through staggered kick-chase defences. At 10, we are seeing a shift in the type of player he is. He’s getting less chance to run and finding other ways to cause headaches for the opposition.

The biggest difference to note this year is McKenzie is shouldering a much, much bigger load, even more than Cruden had. His possessions per eighty minutes have risen 47%, increasing from 27.8 to 40.8. As a result of being in the halves he is kicking more (74% increase) and passing more (63% increase), but finding fewer opportunities to run (17% decrease).

The significant increase in distribution duties has sharpened his play, and he is fast becoming a dynamic passer with advanced vision. He is making defensive reads at rapid speed and executing extremely difficult long-range passes in the Chiefs attack. His peripheral awareness has been exceptional – reading defenses quickly to identify and exploit overlaps with flat bullet passes or rainbow cutout passes. There is still the odd wayward pass or dropped ball but often the read is a good one.

His production as a playmaker is improving out of sight, completing one line break assist every 12 passes compared to one every 17.7 last year. Combined with a 63% increase in the number of passes he is making, McKenzie is on track to register 27 line break assists this season, the most of any player in a season.

McKenzie’s fearless running has been an extremely valuable asset in his development as a playmaker. He has no issues playing flat at the line and is prepared to sacrifice his body in order to put a teammate in a gap. This ability to commit defenders and take a hit is often overlooked and something that many 10s just never get used to.

He’s running less but still breaking the line at a similar rate (one every 8.2 runs vs. 7.9 in 2017). His freakish ability to shake off defenders has been crucial when faced with pressure from rushing defenders. Even when the play looks lost, he has been able to break free, keep the play alive and create something.

The narrative that McKenzie is a ‘high-risk’ player and ‘turnover machine’ is only a half-truth. He may pose certain risks but the rewards outweigh them. His turnover rate is trending downwards from 6.55% last year to 4.82% this season, close to Sopoaga (4.10%) and Barrett (3.75%). His kick error rate is a touch high at 7% and will normalise over time to a standard 5%.

“It’s a winner,” Chiefs coach Colin Cooper said early this year on the transition.

“We did the same with Beauden Barrett at Taranaki, it took him a while to adjust from 15 to 10, it will take Damian [a while], he’s just got to be given the time and patience.

He has evolved much quicker than given credit for and with a second-string forward pack his play this season has been underappreciated. The Chiefs have an astounding 16 out of 38 original squad members injured and have 11 players who were not contracted at the start of the season currently playing. Whilst the backs have just two starters out, McKenzie interplays much more with the forward pack at 10 than he did at 15. When his best pack is back on the field, there will be a better platform to run off.

McKenzie at 22-years-old is already the most-rounded attacking 10 in New Zealand. His passing is superior to Barrett and his running game is more dangerous than Mo’unga.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get a start in the All Blacks 10 jersey soon.