Workhorse Watch Round 12

2024 NRLCEO Workhorse Watch Round 12 – Payne & Gain!

• Payne Haas goes beats mode on the eve of Origin
• The Cheese has gone bad, keep clear
• Young Henry is making noise at the foot of the mountains
• Is Prestonmania about to take off again?

In Round 12 there were 50 players who scored a WH, with 1 player scoring a DWH. There was a significant drop in the amount of players scoring a WH this week due to some big scores in some matches.

WORKING HARD

Payne Haas (Broncos)

41 tackles, 19 runs for 218m in 80 minutes – DWH (0.75 stats per minute)

It was an epic 80 minute performance from Haas on the weekend, scoring a DWH to go with a DME and a TRY and LB. Payne has not been at his best in 2024, mainly due to injury and outside distractions, but he was at his barnstorming best against the Titans. Interesting that Kevvie chose to play Haas for 80 minutes and Carrigan only 58 minutes leading into Origin.

Jackson Ford (Warriors)

54 tackles, 13 runs for 101m in 80 minutes – WH (0.84 spm)

Ford has stepped up to help lead the Warriors to back to back wins when their season seemed on the brink. Missing up to 10 first team players, Ford put his hand up for a huge 67 involvements. At 26 years old, Ford has established himself as a premium back row player in NRLCEO, scoring 11 WH’s in his 12 matches this season.

Cameron McInnes (Sharks)

60 tackles, 4 runs for 40m in 80 minutes – WH (0.80 spm)

The ‘Toothless Tackler’ himself was very busy against the Panthers, making a whopping 60 tackles. No surprise he only managed 4 runs for 40m as the Panthers ran riot against the Sharks. McInnes has been outstanding in 2024, whilst lock is not a typically high scoring position, he has scored 10 WH’s in his 11 matches this season. He was rewarded with the starting lock position for NSW to start this year’s Origin series.

Euan Aitken (Dolphins)

51 tackles, 13 runs for 89m in 80 minutes – WH (0.80 spm)

Aitken is back in his best position in the back row. Since being moved into the back row due to injuries in Round 2 he has scored a WH in every match. He was a super pick up for those that got him and he will continue to deliver as long as Bennett keeps him in the forwards.

HARDLY WORKING

Terrell May (Roosters) 

21 tackles, 13 runs for 105m in 38 minutes (0.89 spm)

It is very frustrating seeing May’s minutes reduced but that tells you how strong the Roosters forward pack is. The emergence of Naufahu Whyte has meant that May is barely playing 40 minutes a week. He is a future gun so if you are in a contract/keeper league I would still be locking him up long term, for the time being unless things change he is a drop.

Brandon Smith (Roosters)

26 tackles, 7 runs for 76m in 64 minutes (0.52 spm)

The Cheese is off! Connor Watson, whilst currently injured, has moved ahead of Smith in terms of the Roosters first choice Hooker. It is hard to put a finger on why he has not worked at the Roosters, perhaps he just isn’t a hooker after all. He is more suited to a running forward role and middle defender, which the Roosters already have in Radley. He played decent minutes (64) on the weekend with Watson out but he still only had a spm of (0.52). If he is your starting CEO hooker, you are going to struggle.

Heilum Luki (Cowboys)

20 tackles, 11 runs for 107m in 64 minutes (0.48 spm)

Luki continues to struggle to get to a regular WH standard. He will often play 80 minutes and still not make it to 40 involvements which is not what you want from a starting back rower. I don’t even have Luki on my Draft radar yet. He has suffered some long term injuries in the past couple of seasons, which has hampered him, but he just isn’t a high work rate player and possibly never will be.

Shawn Blore (Storm)

22 tackles, 8 runs for 70m in 69 minutes (0.43 spm)

If you can’t make it at the Storm then you are probably never going to make it in NRLCEO. Blore definitely has the potential to be a quality back rower, both in the NRL and in NRLCEO, but he doesn’t seem to have the will. I mentioned a few weeks back to hold and see if he can improve, now he is an easy drop.

SPUD POOL LOOKOUT

Kelma Tuilagi (Eels)

38 tackles, 11 runs for 111m in 73 minutes – WH (0.67 spm)

Ok bare with me here. Tuilagi has been a poor CEO scorer since breaking into the NRL but his performance on the weekend suggests there might be some hope. Interestingly, interim coach Trent Barrett made a pint of mentioning Tuilagi in his first press conference, saying that he would like him to get some more playing time. There is more to Ryan Matterson pulling out with illness than what has been reported, so there may be an opportunity for Tuilagi to play more minutes. This is a gamble so don’t hold it against me if it goes to shit.

Liam Henry (Panthers)

27 tackles, 19 runs for 148m in 40 minutes – WH (1.15 spm)

Liam Henry is a future gun. He scored his 4th WH of 2024 on the weekend, with an incredible spm of (1.15). The Panthers will lose Martin and Yeo to Origin and history shows us that they will not back up in the rounds following an Origin match. This means that Liam Henry will likely see increased minutes during the Origin period and with his high work rate, he only needs 40-45 minutes to score a WH. If you are in a contract/keeper league then go and get this kid.

Blake Lawrie (Dragons)

37 tackles, 9 runs for 70m in 46 minutes – WH (1.00 spm)

There is an opportunity for us to see the old Blake Lawrie re-emerge with a long term injury to Hame Sele. I am not sure why Lawrie has struggled so much in 2024, perhaps he is not fit enough to meet the training standards of new coach Flanagan. That being said we know what Lawrie can do and the Dragons need his size up front, expect him to see increased minutes and start scoring WH’s more regularly again.

Samuela Fainu (Tigers)

31 tackles, 12 runs for 96m in 80 minutes – WH (0.81 spm)

Fainu looked to get more involved on the weekend against the Cowboys, as he scored his 3rd WH of the season, to go with a TRY and a LB. He is slowly getting conditioned to being an 80 minute NRL back rower and you will see his involvements continue to climb for a few weeks. The Tigers look to have Papali’i out for a few weeks, joining Bateman on the sidelines, which led Api Koroisau to tell us that Samuela Fainu was one of the Tigers most important players on the field. He is a player of the future but he might just produce for you now.

WORTH MENTIONING….

Jacob Preston (Bulldogs)

18 tackles, 13 runs for 115m in 47 minutes – (0.66 spm)

Preston has been slowly getting back to match fitness after being out with a broken jaw. I was very surprised that Ciraldo didn’t put him back in to the starting lineup upon his return, given he was voted the Bulldogs best in 2023. We should see Preston return to the starting lineup now though, given Viliame Kikau is out again for 4-6 weeks with an injury. This is a nice reward for those CEO’s that have held Preston, but if he is in your spud pool I would be getting him quick.

Scott Sorensen (Panthers)

26 tackles, 8 runs for 55m in 69 minutes – (0.49 spm)

Sorensen has finally returned to the field over the last 2 weeks but is yet to find his full fitness. It would be interesting to know if he is carrying an injury that requires ongoing management, which might have an effect on his playing time. He managed 69 minutes last week but could only get to 34 involvements, although he did score a TRY. If you have him in your squad he is worth holding onto, or you could try and trade him away on his reputation and see what you get offered.

Haumole Olakau’atu (Sea Eagles)

27 tackles, 7 runs for 66m in 80 minutes – (0.52 spm)

Although he missed two weeks due to a suspension, Olakau’atu has now scored only 5 WH’s this season in his 10 matches played. He still has his attacking stats to supplement a missed WH but it is a cause for concern for CEOs that have him. He is currently on track to be well down on his scoring from last season so you could use him to trade in a regular WH scoring back rower as he would have very high trade value.

Josh King (Storm)

35 tackles, 8 runs for 73m in 61 minutes – WH (0.70 spm)

Josh King started at lock for the first time this season, after playing all of 2023 there. There is no doubt that his minutes and involvements will be higher when he starts at lock so hopefully for CEO’s that own him, he stays there for the rest of the season. It definitely gives the Storm some more size in the middle which could be the reason behind it.

WORKHORSE PACK OF THE WEEK (most involvements by eligible position)

8. Payne Haas (2) (Broncos) – 60

9. Harry Grant (4) (Storm) – 58

10. Reuben Cotter (6) (Cowboys) – 61

11. Jackson Ford (3) (Warriors) – 67

12. Euan Aitken (1) (Dolphins) – 64

13. Cameron McInnes (3) (Sharks) – 64

 

(1) – number of times featured in the Workhorse Pack of the Week

WH – Workhorse

DWH – Double Workhorse

ME – Metre Eater

DME – Double Metre Eater

SPM – Stats per minute played