Workhorse Watch Round 18

NRLCEO Workhorse Watch Round 18 – It’s a Raider, It’s a Knight, It’s a Warrior, Its Super Mitch!

• Mitch Barnett is not of this world, reaching the rare TWH!
• A former Tiger is looking at home on the Northern beaches
• The Sharks are wilting, they need their Wilton back!
• Have the Eels discovered a future gun?

In Round 18 there were 83 players who scored a WH, with 1 players scoring a DWH and 1 player scoring a TWH. We were treated to some cracking games in Round 18 and the players worked as hard as they have in any round this season.

WORKING HARD

Mitchell Barnett (Warriors)

53 tackles, 25 runs for 211m in 83 minutes – TWH (0.94 stats per minute)

Super human performance from Barnett, playing almost the entire match and almost carrying his side to victory. 2024 looks set to be a career best year for him as he leads the way for all forwards, except Hookers. He seems to be focusing more on his footy and has gotten rid of the garbage that used to plague his game. He was often overlooked early on in drafts as he was considered a risk due to his judiciary record. At 30 years of age, Barnett is in his prime but will he peak this year or next?

Connor Watson (Roosters)

49 tackles, 18 runs for 177m in 80 minutes – DWH (0.84 spm)

Watson is a cheat code right now, looking like scoring a DWH in every match he plays. For the record this was his 4th DWH of the season, falling just short of a TWH. Those CEO’s that picked him up mid season are sitting pretty now. Fingers crossed he can remain injury free for the rest of the season.

Max King (Bulldogs)

63 tackles, 17 runs for 146m in 68 minutes – WH (1.18 spm)

King is in some rare form, racking up 80 involvements in just 68 minutes against the Warriors. He really has put his hand up to lead the Bulldogs forward pack, although he is not the biggest bloke, he keeps turning up and never backs down. He only needed to run 4 more metres to score the DWH but it is hard to be critical.

Reed Mahoney (Bulldogs)

73 tackles, 1 runs for 10m in 89 minutes – WH (0.76 spm)

Once again Mahoney leads the way for tackles made, this week making a crazy 73 tackles. Currently the No.1 ranked Hooker in NRLCEO, Mahoney has elevated himself above Robson and Grant for the time being and it is a just reward for a player who gives it his all every week.

HARDLY WORKING

Stefano Utoikamanu (Tigers) 

19 tackles, 13 runs for 86m in 54 minutes (0.59 spm)

You would think that Stefano would be producing his best form at the moment as he looks to secure his future with a new contract. He just can’t seem to develop into a consistent WH scorer at the moment. 54 minutes is enough for a young prop on the rise to secure 40 involvements, perhaps the contract discussions are a distraction for him. I am not confident going into CEO finals if he is one of my starting props.

Sean Keppie (Rabbitohs)

25 tackles, 8 runs for 79m in 36 minutes (0.46 spm)

Keppie went looking for a new opportunity at the Rabbits and he has failed to take advantage. With injuries and form affecting the Rabbitohs pack, Keppie has been a starter for some time, yet he is failing to score WH’s and has become almost irrelevant to CEOs. He has only scored 2 WHs for the season and I doubt that he could even replicate that before the season is over.

Joe Ofahengaue (Eels)

23 tackles, 10 runs for 107m in 40 minutes (0.83 spm)

Ofahengaue has found himself back in the starting side for the Eels with injuries to J’maine Hopgood and now Junior Paulo. He has a decent spm of 0.83 so it is just a matter of how many minutes he gets. He would need 50-55 minutes in order to score a WH most weeks and that is possible now, but you certainly can’t bank on him! Just 2 WHs for the year so far makes for pretty ugly reading.

Teig Wilton (Sharks)

25 tackles, 8 runs for 65m in 50 minutes (0.66 spm)

The Sharks are easing Wilton back from injury off the bench which has prevented him from scoring a WH in the last 2 weeks. He should get the start this week after Siosifa Talakai was suspended for a match, so hopefully Wilton can get back to his best sooner rather than later.

SPUD POOL LOOKOUT

Kurt Mann (Bulldogs)

32 tackles, 9 runs for 72m in 37 minutes – WH (1.11 spm)

A long term injury to Jaeman Salmon should see Mann with some increased playing time. He scored a WH in just 37 minutes on the weekend so even if he is starting from the bench, he can still score a WH.

Tyson Smoothy (Broncos)

50 tackles, 2 runs for 9m in 55 minutes – WH (1.13 spm)

The Broncos need another new halfback and it could be in the form of Billy Walters. This would potentially open up a starting spot for Smoothy, who is more than capable of scoring a WH as a starter. There are other options available to Kevvie, including young Josh Rogers, so check out the team named on Tuesday.

Jake Simpkin (Sea Eagles)

56 tackles, 0 runs for 0m in 68 minutes – WH (0.82 spm)

Still no sign of Lachlan Croker which is giving Simpkin an extended opportunity at his new club. The Sea Eagles have lacked any punch out of dummy half with Croker playing, perhaps Simpkin can make the position his own and allow Croker to play off the bench in a utility role once he returns. He has been signed until season 2026, so there is a good chance that he becomes the starting hooker at Manly, something to think about for contract/keeper leagues.

Jacob Saifiti (Knights)

28 tackles, 15 runs for 151m in 48 minutes – WH (0.90 spm)

Jacob Saifiti finds himself back on the bench for the Knights, but he has scored a WH in his last 2 games with a very solid spm of (0.90). He is a player who has not yet reached their full potential and I personally think he has what it takes to become a regular WH scorer as a starter. Perhaps if the Knights are going to move his brother Daniel on, it may see Jacob blossom without big bro there to steel his thunder. If Daniel does leave next year, I think Jacob would be a great late round draft signing next season.

WORTH MENTIONING…

Nathan Brown (Sea Eagles)

32 tackles, 17 runs for 130m in 56 minutes – WH (0.88 spm)

Brown has seen his minutes increase, due to a few injuries in the Manly forward pack, and we are seeing some of the Nathan Brown of old. He has scored a WH in his last 3 matches and I expect that trend to continue. He could still be available in the spud pool for those that slept on him a few weeks back.

Ryan Matterson (Eels)

35 tackles, 18 runs for 176m in 70 minutes – WH (0.76 spm)

Matterson looked to be free of injury last week and he produced his best performance of the season against the Rabbitohs. If Barrett keeps him in the starting lineup then he is a must have if he is available. CEOs who kept him in their squad might finally be able to start him with some confidence after a season riddled with injury and poor form.

Toby Couchman (Dragons)

26 tackles, 11 runs for 100m in 43 minutes – (0.91 spm)

I have said it before, this kid is a future CEO gun. Whilst he didn’t get a WH on the weekend, it is only a matter of time before he gets an oportunity to start and then everyone will be able to see what he can do. If you are in a contract/keeper league, don’t sit on him, find a way to sign him up long term.

Charlie Guymer (Eels)

25 tackles, 11 runs for 90m in 45 minutes – (0.80 spm)

An impressive debut for Guymer, he was a standout for the Eels in a losing side. He ran with power on a good line and made his tackles. I was watching the game and thought it was a horrible decision to take him off because he was making a difference while he was out there. He looks the goods and with a new coach coming to the Eels there is always opportunity for someone to stand up and impress.

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

8. Max King (3) (Bulldogs) – 80

9. Reed Mahoney (5) (Bulldogs) – 74

10. Reuben Cotter (9) (Cowboys) – 61

11. Mitchell Barnett (2) (Warriors) – 78

12. Jackson Ford (5) (Warriors) – 60

13. Connor Watson (4) (Roosters) – 67

(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