Workhorse Watch – Round 11
It’s hard to believe we’re already at the halfway mark of the NRLCEO regular season but that means it’s time for the Workhorse Watch mid-season review. Past years have seen some sort of theme and this year is no different. In honour of the man whose season you couldn’t script if you tried here is the Workhorse Watch – reality TV style!
MASTERCHEF:
Every week Damien Cook serves up exquisite offerings and after another double workhorse try on the weekend sits on 17 workhorse tries for the season. He also had a try, a try assist, a line break and two line break assists. So dominant is he at the moment, his performance alone was almost enough for Hamish Neal to overcome the defending champions in my competition.
SURVIVOR:
In the first ever Workhorse Watch mid-season break down back in 2014, I listed 13 players who I considered ‘Top of the Class’ with 11 or more workhorse tries at the halfway mark of the NRLCEO regular season. Of those 13 only one player is in double figures at the halfway mark of this year – Andrew McCullough. The rest have either retired (Nathan Friend, Nate Myles, Corey Parker, Matt Ballin) no longer the number one guy (Robbie Farah, Mitch Rein), been injured (Aiden Tolman) are not putting up numbers like they have in the past (Cameron Smith, Jake Friend) or a combination of all three (Shaun Fensom, Trent Merrin, Sam Burgess). But McCullough is a survivor with 11 workhorse tries and it seems the only thing that might slow his NRLCEO output down is a Maroons jersey.
THE APPRENTICE:
There is a host of up and coming young workhorses ready to be the next big thing and whilst the likes of Matt Eisenhuth came from absolutely nowhere to become an NRLCEO workhorse force, the up and comers this year are having gradual but notable breakout season. Alex Twal and Cameron Murray have picked up from where they left off late last season with Twal seeing out 2017 with four workhorse tries in nine games and beginning 2018 with six workhorse tries in 10 games. Murray meanwhile had five workhorse tries in each of his last five NRLCEO games last year and this year sits on seven in nine games. Former Broncos Jai Arrow and Herman Ese’ese are making every post a winner at their new clubs with Arrow on seven workhorse tries and Ese’ese on eight. And despite already being around for a couple of seasons, Viliame Kikau (three workhorse tries) and Jazz Tevaga (five workhorse tries) are potent when given the opportunity.
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THE BIGGEST LOSER:
However there are only so many tackles and runs that can be made in a game and for every rising star there is another guy on the decline. There are a number of NRLCEOs who will be disappointed in players they would’ve expected a lot more from. I’ll let you decide which one is the biggest loser. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves had nine workhorse tries midway through last year but despite playing every game this year only has four to his name. James Graham, a man seen as a workhorse god has seen his numbers drop massively since moving to the Dragons and has gone from 10 workhorse tries last season to four this year despite also playing every game. Cameron Smith’s numbers are just as bad, also dropping from 10 down to four with his try assists and line break assists also down on last year. Injury has also played its part with Paul Gallen going from 10 after 11 rounds in 2017 to four this year and Aiden Tolman spending much of the season on the sideline with only one workhorse to his name after having 11 midway through last year.
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Workhorse of the Week:
What more can you say about the man? Or is he a God? Cook was the only player to score a double workhorse this round. Shout out to Joe Ofahengaue though who made his first workhorse pack of the week and who has now scored three straight workhorse tries.
WORKHORSE PACK OF THE WEEK
- Andrew Fifita: 39 tackles + 20 hitups = 59
- Damien Cook: 44 tackles + 8 hitups = 52
- Joe Ofahengaue: 39 tackles + 17 hitups = 56
- Manu Ma’u: 38 tackles + 17 hitups = 55
- Tohu Harris: 45 tackles + 10 hitups = 55
- Josh Jackson: 43 tackles + 13 hitups =56
. - Jai Arrow: 38 tackles + 16 hitups = 54
- Jack De Belin: 40 tackles + 13 hitups = 53
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
Luke Bateman: 32 tackles + 7 hitups = 39
Elliott Whitehead: 27 tackles + 12 hitups = 39
David Gower: 25 tackles + 14 hitups = 39
STATS PER MINUTE
For all the training and strategy teams employ over the course of a season, there is a little doubt that a little luck is vital to a team’s success, especially when it comes to injury. Consider St George Illawarra who currently sit at the top of the NRL ladder. 16 of the Dragons 17 players that take the field each week have been the same EVERY WEEK with the only exception being Jeremy Latimore who missed one game. And the 17th man seems to be on rotation with Paul McGregor naming a different player in the number 17 every week over the last five weeks.
Their backs have been the same every week and have played every minute of every game save for 10 minutes that Jason Nightingale was injured in Round 2. No other team comes close for the consistency the Dragons have in their line up and it’s showing in their results.
One remarkable stat when looking at the Dragons’ pack is how even their workload is. Cameron McInnes averages 41 involvements per game, Paul Vaughan, Tyson Frizell and Jack De Belin each average 39 with James Graham averaging 38. Ashton Sims trails the pack with just 33 involvements per game but he, besides McInnes is the only forward in the Dragons pack playing 80 minute games regularly.
In terms of stats per minute it’s pretty even up front with Vaughan (0.76 SPM) and Graham (0.78 SPM) on par although Vaughan has seven workhorse tries to his name and Graham just four. While in the back row De Belin (0.71 SPM) leads the way followed by Frizell (0.52 SPM) and Sims (0.44 SPM). In the middle McInnes only has an SPM of 0.52 but he does play 80 minutes most weeks.
Geoff Adams
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