Workhorse Watch – Round 15
Amid last week’s workhorse injury crisis there was one man set to make his return that had NRLCEOs salivating – that of Josh Hodgson. While there was no workhorse try for the Englishman, his effect on the Raiders was instantaneous as the Green Machine went from 10-12 down to 48-12 run away winners. Hodgson ranked behind Cameron McInnes, Cameron Smith and Api Koroisau for points scored last season and there are other hookers that score many more workhorse tries but Hodgson is just so enthralling to watch and if you’re in possession of Hodgson or any of the Raiders’ outside backs you’re no doubt very excited at the moment.
What would it take for you to trade away the best workhorse in the game?
If I had Damien Cook I don’t think someone could offer me anyone that would entice me to part ways with him. If the rest of my pack was really poor I might be tempted to do a 2 for 1 trade, it might have to be 3 for 1, and the players I’d have to get back in return would need to be guns in their own right. I can tell you what I wouldn’t trade him for – a 20 year old back with 24 games to his credit!
The Workhorse Watch was shocked to learn this week of an extraordinary trade deal within my private league that would have seen the ladder leaders trade the number one guy in the comp for magic beans.
I mean Kalyn Ponga!
Don’t get me wrong, Ponga is a talent with a lot of potential in the future but Cook is both of those who is getting it done right now. Cook is currently averaging nine points a game, but Ponga is averaging just four. Whilst adding Ponga would have filled the hole this CEO has at fullback, it would have left him with a massive points shortfall and only Slade Griffin to cover the hooking role. And as if that wasn’t enough, Ponga will be assigned more kicking points next season meaning the CEO in question, being in a keeper league, would have to drop either Ponga or Jarrod Croker (his only salvation for many years) at the end of the season anyway.
Thankfully the trade did not go ahead but if I knew Cook was going so cheaply I would’ve thrown someone like a Kevin Proctor up weeks ago.
More trouble on the Sione Katoa front over the weekend with once again the wrong Katoa being assigned points. It’s been corrected now initially Penrith’s Sione Katoa was robbed of his first ever workhorse try when he was assigned Cronulla’s Si Katoa’s involvements of 10 tackles and 11 runs. It was soon corrected and the Panther had his first ever workhorse try with 39 tackles and 3 runs. However the try the Shark’s Katoa scored still stands for both he and his namesake at Penrith, even though the Panthers had the bye that weekend. Hope it didn’t cost anyone a win!
Workhorse of the Week:
Brad Fittler sure loves the workhorses. After filling his pack with workhorses for Origin 1, Fittler called in the Titans’ dual positioner as cover for the injured Reagan Campbell-Gillard, before ultimately going for Matt Prior. After scoring a double-double last week, James back up with a double workhorse try and an actual try to finish with 13 points for the round and take his workhorse tally to 14.
WORKHORSE PACK OF THE WEEK
- Ryan James: 47 tackles + 15 hitups = 52
- Jake Granville: 52 tackles + 3 hitups = 55
- Jared Waerea-Hargreaves: 33 tackles + 26 hitups = 59
- Josh Jackson: 40 tackles + 17 hitups = 57
- Matt Eisenhuth: 49 tackles + 7 hitups = 55
- Jake Trbojevic: 44 tackles + 16 hitups = 60
. - Joe Ofahengaue: 37 tackles + 18 hitups = 55
- Jai Arrow: 39 tackles + 16 hitups = 55
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
Bunty Afoa: 31 tackles + 8 hitups = 39
Jack Hetherington: 33 tackles + 6 hitups = 39
Tim Glasby: 29 tackles + 10 hitups = 39
Marty Taupau: 27 tackles + 12 hitups = 39
Tyson Frizell: 26 tackles + 13 hitups = 39
Lachlan Fitzgibbon: 27 tackles + 12 hitups = 39
Wade Graham: 27 tackles + 12 hitups = 39
Cameron Munster: 26 tackles + 13 hitups = 39
STATS PER MINUTE
It’s been a shaky start to the career of Keegan Hipgrave. The Titans backrower made his debut in Round 26 last year with 30 involvements in 52 minutes (0.58 SPM) but was suspended for one match for a shoulder charge. He copped another suspension in Round 3 for a head high and recently became the first player in 16 years to get sin binned twice in the same game. But all that you knew. What you may not be aware of his the huge lift in minutes he’s received in the last month. In the opening 10 rounds of the competition Hipgrave averaged just 26.4 minutes. But in his last four games he’s averaged 63.5 minutes with involvements of 35, 38 and 38 before finally cracking it for his first ever workhorse try on the weekend with 41 involvements (0.69 SPM).
It was a monster performance from Roosters veteran Jared Waerea-Hargreaves who played 80 minutes for the first time in two years. Not since Round 14, 2016 has the Kiwi played from siren to siren but it paid dividends on the weekend as he racked up his highest number of involvements in almost 5 years. Unfortunately Waerea-Hargreaves fell one involvement short of a double workhorse (0.74 SPM) with NRLCEOs left to lament his three missed tackles.
Kaide Ellis doesn’t have a position yet according to NRLCEO but he’s in top spot when it comes to Stats Per Minute. The Penrith backrower will be on no one’s radar averaging just 18 involvements a game but on the weekend he had 27 involvements in just 22 minutes against the Roosters (1.23 SPM) to have the highest workrate of anyone in Round 15.
Geoff Adams
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