Workhorse Watch Round 1

NRLCEO Workhorse Watch Round 1 – Phins up with Tom Gilbert!

• A young Dragon takes his seat on the couch
• There is a new leader of the pack at the Panthers
• Big Red is back to lead the Green Machine
• A host of big names come up short in Round 1

In Round 1 there were 52 players who scored a WH, with no player scoring a DWH. There were a couple of high scoring matches, which caused a lot of stoppages, keeping the involvemenst low for some teams.

WORKING HARD

Tom Gilbert (Dolphins)

56 tackles, 11 runs for 94m in 56 minutes – WH (1.19 stats per minute)

Gilbert launched himself into the new season with a massive 67 involvements in just 56 minutes of play. It is so good to see him back and injury free with the Dolphins. Gilbert will easily score a WH in every game that he starts, barring injury or HIA.

Blayke Brailey (Sharks)

62 tackles, 4 runs for 35m in 80 minutes – WH (0.83 spm)

Plenty of defence for Brailey against the Panthers in Vegas. He has been so consistent for the Sharks over the last few years and is amongst to top rated hookers in NRLCEO. His scoring should bounce back this year after spending some time covering in the halves last season.

Lindsay Smith (Panthers)

48 tackles, 18 runs for 132m in 60 minutes – WH (1.10 spm)

There is a new WH gun in town and he is leading the pack at the Panthers. Smith is just an out and out worker and will WH every game he plays. He should also be able to produce quite a few ME’s as well, falling just short in round 1. I can also see the odd DWH on the horizon. It wont be long before Smith is chosen ahead of Haas and Carrigan.

Toby Couchman (Dragons)

49 tackles, 15 runs for 99m in 70 minutes – WH (0.91 spm)

Toby has been on my radar for a few seasons and it looks like it is his time to shine. It was a solid performance in his starting debut although his stats were inflated after the Dragons lost his twin brother to a season ending ACL injury. There is also talk of David Klemmer joining the Dragons in the coming weeks which could impact his minutes but if he can maintain a starting spot and keep his spm at a high level, I see good things for CEOs that drafted him.

HARDLY WORKING

Stefano Utoikamanu (Storm) 

23 tackles, 9 runs for 83m in 42 minutes (0.76 spm)

It is not the best game to judge a WH performance on, however Stefano was less than impressive in his Storm debut. It was a hot day in Melbourne and the Storm outside backs were having a field day so there really wasn’t much needed from Stefano. Time will tell if Bellamy can push him to produce a regular WH performance but if the Storm dominate a lot of matches like they did against the Eels, there will be less opportunity for the Storm forwards to shine.

Jayden Su’a (Dragons)

22 tackles, 11 runs for 75m in 80 minutes (0.41 spm)

The Dragons simply need more output from their edge. Su’a was kepy quiet and Leilua was taken off early in the 2nd half as neither was making any impact against the Dogs. Su’a is a try scoring back rower but he falls short in the WH category. If he could add another 5-6 workhorses to his total from last year he would be amongst the elite back rowers in NRLCEO.

Reed Mahoney (Bulldogs)

28 tackles, 6 runs for 43m in 80 minutes (0.43 spm)

Mahoney was very quiet in round 1, falling well short of a WH. He did seem to cop a few heavy knocks which may have put him off his game, as he usually is close to a WH by half time. Mahoney led the NRL in tackles made last season so hopefully Round 1 is just a glitch.

Harry Grant (Storm)

27 tackles, 6 runs for 57m in 75 minutes (0.44 spm)

The Storm wizard was also a victim of the blowout score against the Eels, although he did manage a try which saved a lot of CEO’s from scoring a donut with their captain. We all know what Harry can do and he will no doubt bounce back after the Storm’s bye.

SPUD POOL LOOKOUT

Emre Guler (Dragons)

45 tackles, 8 runs for 47m in 54 minutes – WH (0.98 spm)

A good first hit out for Guler at his new club, notching 53 involvements at a cracking pace of 0.98 spm. The Dragons were down a forward but its still a good sign for a player who has always showed glimpses of being a regular WH scorer. Keep a watch on the Klemmer situation, because if he signs with the Dragons that will likely eat into Guler’s stats or even his starting spot.

Samuel McIntyre (Cowboys)

35 tackles, 11 runs for 101m in 43 minutes – WH (1.07 spm)

I have always liked McIntyre’s work ethic but he just lacked the minutes to score a WH on a regular basis. Not sure on the makeup of the Cows forward pack as yet but I think McIntyre can lock down a starting role moving forward. Jason Taumalolo will come back in and possibly start, although I can see him having an impact role off the bench.

Lachlan Hubner (Rabbitohs)

34 tackles, 12 runs for 87m in 59 minutes – WH (0.78 spm)

Bennett is a big fan of Hubner, bringing him down from the Dolphins to join him at the Bunnies. With Cameron Murray sidelined for most of the season, there is a clear opportunity for someone to take the lock role and it appears Hubner is the man. A decent spm of 0.78 will see him score a WH with 55 minutes of game time.

Siua Wong (Roosters)

39 tackles, 3 runs for 23m in 67 minutes – WH (0.63 spm)

The Roosters are far from a settled lineup, with some of the rookie’s at the club being given more minutes to develop in the NRL. Wong has served his apprenticeship already and could earn a regular starting spot if he keep his form up. His job security may not be great but if if he starts then he will likely score a WH.

WORTH MENTIONING…

Jai Arrow (Rabbitohs)

40 tackles, 11 runs for 90m in 80 minutes – WH (0.64 spm)

Those that took a chance on Arrow returning to his old self under Wayne Bennett have been rewarded it seems. Arrow played the full 80 minutes for the first time in a long while, noticebly on an edge and not in the middle. It will be interesting to see what the Bunnies best pack looks like, with Aitken to come back in a few weeks and Tatola to get match fit.

Corey Horsburgh (Raiders)

35 tackles, 15 runs for 109m in 59 minutes – WH (0.85 spm)

After a season of off field turmoil, Big Red returned in a big way against the Warriors. His usual high work ethic was there to see as well as the odd flash of fire that can often land him in trouble. If Corey can manage to control his temper will be a real assett to both CEO’s and the Raiders.

Jackson Ford (Warriors)

35 tackles, 11 runs for 88m in 51 minutes – WH (0.53 spm)

Ford was the man that everyone was leaving out in most drafts. It seems his value has dropped in NRLCEO despite scoring 17 WH’s last season. If the Warriors run with Ford at prop again next week he will earn dual position status (as would Barnett), which would lift his value immensely.

Alex Twal (Tigers)

32 tackles, 12 runs for 104m in 50 minutes – WH (0.88 spm)

All is well in NRLCEO when Alex Twal is once again WH relevant. With Stefano gone and Klemmer in the departures lounge, Twal gets a starting spot back and could even be dual position if named at lock again this week. Twal and May will do the heavy lifting in the young Tigers pack, the only question being how long do we have to wait before his next try?

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

 

POSITION	PLAYER	TEAM	INVOLVEMENTS	PACK OF THE WEEK
Front Row	Lindsay Smith	Panthers	65	1
Hooker	Blayke Brailey	Sharks	66	1
Front Row	Leo Thompson	Knights	55	1
Back Row	Hudson Young	Raiders	55	1
Back Row	Toby Couchman	Dragons	64	1
Lock	Tom Gilbert	Dolphins	67	1

WH – Workhorse

DWH – Double Workhorse

ME – Metre Eater

DME – Double Metre Eater

SPM – Stats per minute played