Workhorse Watch Rd 16
After failing to name Angus Crichton last week and not hearing the end of it from rival Hamish Neal, he’s gone one better this week by failing to name the ‘Ross Dog’ Nathan Ross who crossed for three tries against the Dragons.
At least my mistake was by accident and didn’t cost me the win. His omission was a conscious one and cost him victory. How a team sitting second last can choose Dylan Edwards on the bench instead of Ross is beyond me, but it probably explains why he’s second last. At least he had Max King. You gotta love a front rower playing in the back row. Sadly there is a shortage of quality front rowers among the fresh faces that pop up each week so when you can find one that was listed as a prop at the start of the season but plays in the back row, you’d best hold onto him. King had 42 involvements to register his second workhorse try in as many weeks.
Still on the topic of positions, another week and another workhorse try gone begging for Ryan Matterson. The Roosters backrower scored his third workhorse in four weeks but most NRLCEOs won’t be able to take advantage of it due to the fact he’s listed as a five-eighth. NRLCEO has a rule where if a player plays three consecutive games in a position or five in total they get a position upgrade. But surely three workhorse tries deserves a positional upgrade?
Paul Vaughan’s fantastic season hit a speed hump over the weekend after the Dragons prop injured his calf muscle just three minutes into the game against the Knights. It was just the third time this season that he’s missed out on scoring points with the former Raider currently sitting pretty with 12 workhorse tries for the year. His injury did create an opportunity for Leeson Ah Mau who scored just his second workhorse try of the season with 35 tackles and 18 runs for 171 metres (a career best).
Speaking of injury, it’s unfortunate to see Matt Ballin’s career succumb to injury with the 220 game veteran announcing his retirement, effective immediately. At the beginning of the year I listed Ballin as one to step up now that Farah had departed, unfortunately injury has dogged the former Sea Eagle since arriving at the Tigers allowing him to play just three NRL games in two season, and just 10 minutes this year. But let us remember Ballin for the incredible career he had prior to that where he played for nine years at Manly and had 100 workhorse tries just from 2011 to 2015 alone. He is a workhorse gun and while the presence of Cameron Smith probably cost him a few Origin jerseys, it made him an NRLCEO gem.
Workhorse of the Week:
Simon Mannering posted a massive 75 involvements this week with 62 tackles and 13 runs. It was the most number of involvements he’s had in a game this season and up there with several efforts he had last year including that epic game in Round 16 where he had 80 involvements. The difference this time round was he had the metres to go with it, giving him a double workhorse.
WORKHORSE PACK OF THE WEEK
- Aaron Woods: 40 tackles + 15 hitups = 54
- Jake Friend: 71 tackles + 3 hitups = 74
- Leeson Ah Mau: 35 tackles + 18 hitups = 53
- Simon Mannering: 62 tackles + 13 hitups = 75
- Gavin Cooper: 40 tackles + 15 hitups = 55
- Dale Finucane: 44 tackles + 16 hitups = 60
14. Mitch Rein: 52 tackles + 4 hitups = 56
15. Nathan Peats: 50 tackles + 3 hitup = 53
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
Aiden Tolman: 28 tackles + 11 hitups = 39
David Klemmer: 25 tackles + 14 hitups = 39
Kenny Bromwich: 28 tackles + 11 hitups = 39
Mitch Barnett: 27 tackles + 12 hitups = 39
Ethan Lowe: 27 tackles + 12 hitups = 39
STATS PER MINUTE
I don’t know how it is even possible but Tim Browne has posted the most remarkable Stats Per Minute score in the history of the concept on the way to scoring his first workhorse try of the season. Browne had 46 involvements, no issues there, but nrl.com (my source for game time stats) has him down for just 32 minutes of game time.
That’s a stat per minute score of 1.44!
Insane! I’m not sure if it’s some sort of error as I haven’t watched the tape but 32 minutes is in line with what he usually plays (30.9 minutes) and the stats providers used by NRLCEO aren’t normally liberal with the numbers; either way, it stands.
He may have finished in the Close But No Cigar Club this week but Ethan Lowe’s stocks have suddenly gone up following the injury to Jonathan Thurston. Lowe had 39 involvements in 80 minutes (0.49 SPM) but thanks to JT’s absence, Lowe kicked three goals against the Panthers including the match winner from the sideline. Lowe should have cruised in for a workhorse try but missed four tackles (nrl.com had him down for seven misses!).
It’s rare to see Bulldogs forwards fall short of the mark but Aiden Tolman and David Klemmer both found themselves in the No Cigar Club this week. Klemmer usually doesn’t score workhorse tries so to see him finish on the wrong side of 40 (0.75 SPM) isn’t surprising. Tolman (0.72 SPM) on the other hand finished with 39 for the second time in three weeks. NRLCEOs can take heart in the fact that not since 2014 has Tolman played a season with more than two games where he was workhorse-less.
What has happened to Kevin Proctor? Proctor went from a stronger forward pack to a weaker one when he moved to the Gold Coast and yet he has just three workhorse tries this season compared to the ten he had at the same time last year. It doesn’t help that he’s missed rounds through suspension and injury but even now that he’s back, he’s fallen desperately short in the last two weeks. His minutes this year are basically the same as last year (71.8 minutes compared to 70.1 last year) but his involvements have dropped from 45 a game to 37.
Is he lazier or is Gold Coast’s style of play not conducive to scoring workhorse tries the same way Melbourne’s is?
Geoff Adams
Latest posts by Geoff Adams (see all)
- 2018 Workhorse Watch Awards - September 3, 2018
- Workhorse Watch – Round 24 - August 29, 2018
- Workhorse Watch – Round 23 - August 22, 2018
