Workhorse Watch: Week 3
We may only be three rounds into 2014 but already I can’t wait for 2015, when Sam Burgess is playing rugby union.
NRLCEOs with the Rabbitohs forward no doubt love him after he delivered his third workhorse try of the year with 36 tackles and 18 hit ups but the media’s (namely Channel 9) love affair with Burgess and his family has managed to hide the fact he is an absolute grub. He was at it again on the weekend after taking exception to a tackle made on his brother George. It was no doubt a torrid game but surely NRLCEOs with Burgess in their ranks must start every weekend whether this will be the week he explodes and either gets sent off or faces a lengthy suspension. The PR glow that Burgess has enjoyed continues to fade the more you realise just how unsavoury his game really is.
What’s the matter Timmy Mannah? NRLCEOs with Tim Mannah will be disappointed with his output on the weekend with the Eels prop once again falling short of a workhorse try. In round one he copped a knock very early which clearly had an effect on him and in round two it was tough for any player to get a workhorse try amongst the deluge of tries, but against a tough Manly pack out there at Brookvale NRLCEOs would have expected more. Admittedly he did register 25 tackles and 11 hit ups but considering he scored 15 workhorse tries last season, one wonders whether the kind of numbers he’s posting will be the norm for the year. You would think that an experienced forward like Mannah in a team as woeful as the Eels would get more than enough time on the park to get some big numbers. Then again Eels coach Brad Arthur might have had a re-think and thought turning to some other players might be the go when you consider how intricate Mannah has been over the years and where it’s got them.
More surprising again is the fact that Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is also yet to register a workhorse try in 2014. The Roosters forwards missed out by one in the first round (32 tackles/7 hit ups), was well short in round 2 made 25 tackles and 10 hit ups against the Broncos on Friday night. Considering JWH made 17 workhorse tries in 19 games last year, his output is somewhat under par. Same goes for Ryan Hinchcliffe and Luke Douglas who after scoring 18 workhorse tries each last year are also yet to get off the mark. Better news though for Warriors pair Simon Mannering and Jason Bukuya who both scored their first workhorse tries of the year against the Cowboys.
Not sure what to make of the Michael Lichaa situation but I will say this; only in professional sport can there be an out-pouring of sympathy for a 20 year old millionaire. OK so he might not be quite a millionaire yet but whilst the Sharks might be screaming bloody murder about loyalty, one thing I haven’t heard asked in the last week is why the Sharks hadn’t extended his contract sooner. If the deal was in fact done in January, then he was signed before the Sharks had even given him a first grade start. What was the kid to do? Someone flashes the cash, you’re going to dash. And remember, if it weren’t for player disloyalty, we’d all still be following rugby union.
WORKHORSE OF THE WEEK:
Nate Myles: The bar continues to be raised as far as Workhorse output goes with Myles registering a season high 73 involvements against the Raiders one more than Shaun Fensom last week.
Special mention to Kurt Gidley (43/9) and Cameron Smith (31/19) who also scored double workhorse tries but due to the excellent form of other dummy-halves couldn’t crack the Workhorse Pack of the Week.
WORKHORSE PACK OF THE WEEK (Round 3)
8. George Burgess: 42 tackles + 11 hitups = 53
9. Mitch Rein: 47 tackles + 13 hitups = 60
10. Aiden Tolman: 44 tackles + 16 hitups = 60
11. Tupou Sopoaga: 46 tackles +14 hitups = 60
12. Trent Merrin: 42 tackles + 17 hitups = 59
13. Nate Myles: 58 tackles + 15 hitups =73
14. Robbie Farah: 40 tackles + 18 hit ups = 58
15. Jake Friend: 44 tackles + 9 hit ups = 53
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
Every week we also look at those who fell short by one, causing their NRLCEOs no end of frustration.
Glenn Stewart: 28 tackles + 11 hitups = 39
Mike Cooper: 28 tackles + 11 hitups =39
Ray Thompson: 34 tackles + 5 hitups =39
STATS PER MINUTE
A new segment we introduce to the Watch this week is Stats Per Minute (SPM). Where we break down who has the highest work rate when they’re out there on the paddock. The formula is pretty simple, you take the total number of involvements (tackles + hit ups) and divide by the number of minutes they play.
For example our Workhorse of the Week, Nate Myles:
58 tackles + 15 hit ups = 73 (involvements) ÷ 71 minutes = 1.03
This is an outstanding return. To get 73, obviously his work rate had to be high given there are only 80 minutes in a game. He averaged slightly more than one involvement every minute he was on the park. Only 14 players averaged more than one involvement per minute last week and no one came close to playing that many minutes.
Most forwards will average over 0.5 Stats Per Minute. The lowest last week was 0.35 from Frank Pritchard and Kelepi Tanginao. Ash Harrison also had 0.35 SPM but he played 5/8 on the weekend. However having a high SPM is irrelevant if the player only get 20 minutes per game but looking through the minutes played by players it is apparent that there are players coming through who given enough minutes are a shoe-in for a workhorse try and that the impact off the bench is more pertinent than ever. Although starters now, James Graham and Andrew Fifita were two players last year who brought huge workhorse impact off the bench and it appears other teams have copied that example.
David Shillington might have come off the bench on the weekend but had a SPM of 0.96 which meant he scored a workhorse try in his 49 minutes. Shannon Boyd is another one to keep an eye on if you’re looking for depth and need some workhorse potential. He had 33 involvements in 32 minutes for an SPM of 1.03.
It’s unlikely but Chris Heighington may have been overlooked in some leagues after starting the year injured. This guy has been a workhorse Trojan in years gone by and although he had 31 involvements, he did it 25 minutes (1.24 SPM). Joe Picker at the Rabbitohs is another; he had 43 involvements in just 48 minutes (0.9 SPM) – well worth a look. He’s back on the bench this week but it wouldn’t take much for an opportunity to fall his way, last week it was an injury to Dylan Walker this week it could be the Sam Burgess brain explosion I mentioned earlier.
Geoff Adams
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