Workhorse Watch Round 16

NRLCEO Workhorse Watch Round 16 – May the force be with him!

• Terrell May is next level good, will he be better than Haas?
• Ford vs Holden, its Ford all the way!
• The Rabbitohs Arrow is missing his target
• A future WH gun at the Dolphins looks to be settling in

In Round 16 there were 39 players who scored a WH, with 2 players scoring a DWH. With the focus currently on Origin, there are some young players stepping up and being noticed!

WORKING HARD

Terrell May (Roosters)

39 tackles, 26 runs for 232m in 80 minutes – DWH (0.81 stats per minute)

We got a glimpse of just how good Terrell May could be with an 80 min DWH & DME against the Bulldogs. It seems a lock that May will become the starting prop at the Roosters with the departure of JWH to the UK super league. It is his 2nd DWH of the season and there will be many more to come. He will go close to being the most sought after prop in NRLCEO drafts next season.

Keaon Koloamatangi (Rabbitohs)

40 tackles, 21 runs for 238m in 80 minutes – DWH (0.76 spm)

Talk about next level, Koloamatangi has lifted his game immensely after moving from an edge into the middle. It is his second career DWH and his first for season 2024. It was Wayne Bennett who apparently instigated his move into the middle and it is paying dividends for CEO’s with Keaon scoring 4 consecutive DME’s to go with 12 consecutive WH’s. Cameron Murray will return after their bye this week so will Keaon remain at lock or possibly move to Prop to continue playing in the middle.

Reed Mahoney (Bulldogs)

66 tackles, 2 runs for 12m in 68 minutes – WH (1.00 spm)

Mahoney tackled his butt off in the wet against the Roosters which left little in the tank in attack. Mahoney is currently ranked the 2nd highest scoring Hooker behind only Reece Robson. Reed is on track for a career best CEO season for TA’s with 10 so far in 2024 (currently his best is 12 in 2021).

Jackson Ford (Warriors)

45 tackles, 13 runs for 96m in 55 minutes – WH (1.05 spm)

Ford has given CEO’s a gift in becoming a dual Back Row/Front Row player. After coming from nowhere in 2023, he has backed it up this season and is on track to go even better in 2024. At 26 years of age he is coming into his prime and should be able to deliver a high return for CEOs over the coming seasons. He will be drafted significantly higher in NRLCEO next season.

HARDLY WORKING

Brandon Smith (Roosters) 

31 tackles, 7 runs for 70m in 61 minutes (0.62 spm)

The Cheese had a great chance to show his worth at the Roosters with Connor Watson on Origin duties. He is either not fit enough or does not have the desire to want to work hard at his new club. There is a lot of talk about his future at the Roosters which usually means that he will be moved on at some stage. The Roosters certainly didn’t get the player they thought they were getting when they signed Smith. He has just 3 WH’s and 4 ME’s in his 13 matches this season and will possibly move into the undrafted pool next year.

Addin Fonua-Blake (Warriors)

31 tackles, 6 runs for 60m in 50 minutes (0.74 spm)

Here we are again talking about the form of Fonua-Blake. After a slow start in 2024 where he missed a WH in his first 4 matches, he lifted for a period and scored 6 consecutive WH’s, including a DWH in round 6. He has now scored only 1 WH in his last 4 matches which tells me there is something not right. Given that AFB has signed with the Sharks for season 2025, perhaps he has checked out early and isn’t willing to do what it takes to help the Warriors get to the finals this year. The crazy thing here is that he is currently the 2nd highest scoring prop in NRLCEO behind his Warriors partner, Mitchell Barnett.

Jai Arrow (Rabbitohs)

26 tackles, 12 runs for 114m in 66 minutes (0.58 spm)

Has there been a player fall as far as Jai Arrow in 2024. He is currently sitting on 18 points for the season which is an average of 2 pts a match. He always looks injured during games (not quite Josh Dugan style, but close) and he just isn’t working as hard as he has in the past. He has had a few injury setbacks over the last couple of seasons so perhaps I am being a bit harsh, mainly because we know what he can do at his best. If you have not cut him already then I would be sharpening the axe!

 

SPUD POOL LOOKOUT

Michael Chee-Kam (Rabbitohs)

38 tackles, 12 runs for 88m in 80 minutes – WH (0.63 spm)

The Rabbitohs forward pack is looking very solid at the moment for the run home, is there a place for Chee-Kam on an edge? Murray will surely return at lock although he could also take this edge spot. Let’s assume Murray comes back at lock, meaning Koloamatangi will play prop given his new Coach wants him in the middle. This could leave Chee-Kam with an edge spot where he is very capable of getting a WH playing 80 minutes.

Erin Clark (Titans)

27 tackles, 17 runs for 170m in 47 minutes – WH (0.94 spm)

I really like the look of Erin Clark in the middle. I think his he well suited to Lock and would love to see Des give him a permanent start there so he can develop some consistency. He runs the ball well and makes his tackles, he also has decent ball playing skills which is crucial for a number 13. Watch the lineups for the Titans over the next few weeks and see if this eventuates, if it does he would be a great pick up before the finals.

Jaeman Salmon (Bulldogs)

34 tackles, 7 runs for 71m in 80 minutes – WH (0.51 spm)

A previously unheralded player, Salmon has been fairly consistent, scoring a WH in 6 of his last 8 matches. He has also scored 3 tries during that same period. It looks like he has the favour of coach Ciraldo to remain in the starting side on an edge or at lock. He is currently available in a few spud pools for those CEO’s that have injuries in their back row.

Nathan Brown (Sea Eagles)

43 tackles, 13 runs for 127m in 60 minutes – WH (0.93 spm)

We know Nathan Brown has a great work rate but can he get the minutes to score a WH each week. The Sea Eagles have a few injuries in the forwards which will likely see him being named as a starting prop seeing as Jurbo will play lock. Brown plays with great energy, which can often be misdirected but he certainly has the ability to provide WH’s for CEO’s. He looks to have good job security in terms of increased minutes for the next few weeks until Manly gets some troops back.

 

WORTH MENTIONING…

Alex Seyfarth (Tigers)

27 tackles, 18 runs for 143m in 51 minutes – WH (0.88 spm)

Seyfarth is developing into a consistent WH scorer, even coming off the bench at times for the Tigers. He has scored 5 WH’s in his last 6 matches but it remains to be seen if he will keep playing big minutes with troops on the way back for the Tigers. Klemmer and Bateman look likely to be back this week which will likely impact Seyfarth’s playing time. Credit where it is due though, he could be a sneaky good late round draft pick up next season.

Samuela Fainu (Tigers)

39 tackles, 14 runs for 117m in 80 minutes – WH (0.66 spm)

Samuela is growing with confidence each week, starring in the Tigers win against the Raiders. He has scored 3 WH’s in his last 4 matches to make it 6 WH’s for the season. You can see the makings of a great combination with Lachlan Galvin on an edge, scoring 2 tries and 4 LB’s this season, in a team that has struggled for wins. For those CEOs in contract/keeper leagues, Samuela is a player of the future and would be worth locking him up long term if you can.

Ben Trbojevic (Sea Eagles)

35 tackles, 10 runs for 109m in 80 minutes – (0.56 spm)

Burbo may be getting used to the 80 minute grind in the NRL, showing signs he could yet become a regular WH scorer on an edge. He has scored 3 WH’s in his last 4 matches and the match that he missed was due to having to move to centre to cover Reuben Garrick being injured. His job security is excellent and will be a permanent starter on an edge when fit.

Connelly Lemuelu (Dolphins)

30 tackles, 13 runs for 103m in 80 minutes – WH (0.54 spm)

I am really liking the form of Lemuelu. Wayne Bennett has always had big raps on him and wanted him to develop into an 80 minute edge player for the Dolphins. Since his return to the starting side, Lemuelu has scored 5 consecutive WH’s and has looked dangerous running the ball out wide. I think he is another player that you should be looking at for contract/keeper leagues to sign long term as his value now is not as high as it potentially could be in the near future.

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

8. Terrell May (2) (Roosters) – 65

9. Reed Mahoney (3) (Bulldogs) – 68

10. Jackson Ford (4) (Warriors) – 58

11. Keaon Koloamatangi (1) (Rabbitohs) – 61

12. Samuela Fainu (1) (Tigers) – 53

13. Nathan Brown (1) (Sea Eagles) – 56

(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