Workhorse Watch Round 21

NRLCEO Workhorse Watch Round 21 – Keaon Koloamatangi is amongst the usual DWH suspects!

• Is Keaon a smokey for the NRLCEO MVP title?
• It’s the Young and the restless at the Raiders
• A Rabbitohs young gun is making some noise
• Will there be too many Cooks at the Dragons next year with Liddle firing now?

In Round 21 there were 67 players who scored a WH, with 3 players scoring a DWH. It is more critical than ever to ensure your forward pack is firing as we enter into NRLCEO finals.

WORKING HARD

Keaon Koloamatangi (Rabbitohs)

41 tackles, 24 runs for 194m in 80 minutes – DWH (0.81 stats per minute)

What a rise it has been from Keaon since moving into the middle, scoring his 2nd DWH of the season. His 17 ME’s is a career best and he is on track for a career best NRLCEO season. He will almost certainly become an early round draft pick next season and be highly sought after. With the Bunnies seemingly out of the finals race, will he maintain his current effort?

Isaah Yeo (Panthers)

45 tackles, 19 runs for 163m in 80 minutes – DWH (0.80 spm)

Yeo stepped again for the Panthers, this time after losing JFH to injury in the early moments of their match against the Dragons. It is his 3rd DWH of the season. Yeo is super consistent, scoring 20+ WH’s in 3 of the last 4 seasons. Yeo is contracted until the end of 2027 so he should still be at or near his best for at least the next 2 seasons.

Hudson Young (Raiders)

38 tackles, 22 runs for 205m in 80 minutes – DWH (0.75 spm)

2024 is now a career best CEO season for Young, scoring only his 2nd ever DWH and first since 2020. He has 16 WH’s to go with his 9 tries and 7 ME’s. I think he was under valued at the start of this season and it showed in his draft position in some leagues. He should be one of the first back rowers picked next year, if not the first.

Jacob Liddle (Dragons)

61 tackles, 6 runs for 48m in 80 minutes – WH (0.84 spm)

Plenty of tackling to be done in the middle for the Dragons against the Panthers on the weekend. Liddle has put together a very tidy CEO season, sitting just short of 100 pts for 2024. He is likely well down the list of Hooker’s chosen in your draft but he looks to have found a home at the Dragons. The only thing missing from his game are TA’s, scoring only 1 for the season. Unfortunately he will fall behind Cook next year, unless Flanno plans on turning Cook into a lock?

HARDLY WORKING

Brandon Smith (Roosters) 

30 tackles, 3 runs for 26m in 53 minutes (0.62 spm)

It’s almost as if Smith has forgotten who he is as an NRL player and what he can do. In season 2021 (yes at the Storm), Smith scored 196 pts in CEO. Currently this season he has scored 45 pts with just 4 WH’s. I think he needs to overhaul his game completely, is he a Hooker, is he a Lock? If the Roosters can get Smith back to near his best then they will would surely be the team to beat.

Davvy Moale (Rabbitohs)

26 tackles, 8 runs for 66m in 41 minutes (0.83 spm)

Moale has failed to deliver with an extended opportunity up front for the Rabbitohs. With Tatola out for the year, it was set up for Moale to announce himself as a WH front rower, alas he has scored just 4 WH’s for the season. His stats per minute are quite decent, he just isn’t getting enough minutes at the moment. He is still only young at 21 years and there is plenty of time for him to develop, but the signs are not great so far.

Kurt Capewell (Warriors)

28 tackles, 10 runs for 97m in 80 minutes (0.48 spm)

Capewell actually started the season well, scoring 5 WH’s in his first 6 games. He has now only scored 1 more WH since, making it just 6 WH’s for the season. He ended up having a 100+ pts season last year in a Broncos side that was humming along, he his currently on less than half that in his first year at the Warriors. At 31 years of age, it is hard to imagine his scoring will get back to the likes of last season, with 2023 looking like an anomaly in an otherwise average CEO career.

Alex Seyfarth (Tigers)

26 tackles, 10 runs for 87m in 52 minutes (0.69 spm)

Seyfarth his a purple patch of form from Rounds 10 to 16, scoring 5 WH’s in 6 matches in that period. He has now missed a WH in his last 4 matches and has fallen out of favour. I think he can be a solid WH scorer if given an extended opportunity, but for now he shuffles off to the spud pool, having done his job during the bye rounds.

SPUD POOL LOOKOUT

Tallis Duncan (Rabbitohs)

38 tackles, 9 runs for 71m in 73 minutes – WH (0.64 spm)

I told you a few weeks ago that if Duncan was available then you should grab him. He is looking right at home on an edge, a position I think he will take in 2025 under new coach Wayne Bennett. He will learn a lot about being a consistent NRL player which in turn could produce consistent CEO points. Those in contract/keeper leagues will have an opportunity to get him now or early next year before his value climbs to the point where everyone will want him. A future CEO gun in the making.

Hame Sele (Dragons)

41 tackles, 12 runs for 102m in 63 minutes – WH (0.84 spm)

Flanno is a big fan of Sele, unfortunately he has had a bad run of injuries this season which has limited his impact in CEO. He scored just his 3rd WH of the season against the Panthers after starting at lock. This could be a sign that he will move back into the starting side permanently and perhaps be of some use during the CEO finals. The Dragons have a tough draw ahead and will be doing plenty of tackling.

Reuben Porter (Tigers)

41 tackles, 9 runs for 60m in 80 minutes – WH (0.90 spm)

Porter will benefit from the loss of John Bateman (UK) and if rumours are true, Isaiah Papali’i injuring himself late against the Warriors. The Tigers are running out of forwards and big bodied Porter will gte plenty of minutes over the coming weeks. A late bloomer at 27 years, he has scored 3 WH’s in 6 matches this season and could help cover for byes or injuries heading into the CEO finals.

Harrison Edwards (Cowboys)

31 tackles, 15 runs for 121m in 48 minutes – WH (0.96 spm)

Edwards scored 10 WH’s in his first season of NRL at the Bulldogs, this kid has a huge work rate. He has had limited opportunity since making the mid season switch to the Cowboys, however with Taumalolo rumoured to be out for the season and Cotter out after a failed HIA, Edwards could offer great value. Whether he gets a start or plays off the bench, his minutes should be enough to get him a WH.

WORTH MENTIONING…

Lindsay Smith (Panthers)

34 tackles, 17 runs for 137m in 60 minutes – WH (0.85 spm)

It has been a breakout CEO season for Smith, scoring his 14th WH of the year. With JFH likely to be out for a couple of weeks, Smith becomes a little more valuable as a starter. He has been scoring WH’s from the bench for most of the season but as a starter he is a lock. He looks to have a great CEO career ahead of him and with JFH heading to the Warriors, Smith will most likely be a starting Prop at the Panthers.

Peter Mamouzelos (Rabbitohs)

39 tackles, 3 runs for 10m in 63 minutes – WH (0.67 spm)

I am not convinced that Mamouzelos is the type of player that Bennett would be happy with as his starting hooker next year. I know he has had limited opportunity so far, but I am yet to see anything that tells me he can be an elite hooker at NRL level. He would be a great mid to late draft pick next year if he is given first crack as the starting hooker. I would not be surprised to see Bennett bring someone in that he is familiar with after losing so much experience with Cook joining the Dragons.

Scott Sorensen (Panthers)

30 tackles, 18 runs for 146m in 80 minutes – WH (0.60 spm)

After an injury interrupted start to 2024, Sorensen looks to have found his match fitness and is starting to produce numbers similar to his breakout 2023 season. Those CEO’s who held him during that period will see dividends now, especially with the Panthers going on their usual end of season run to the GF.

Jeremiah Nanai (Cowboys)

32 tackles, 11 runs for 146m in 80 minutes – WH (0.54 spm)

Nanai has quietly built a career best CEO season, eclipsing the 117 pts he scored in 2022. He has scored 10 WH’s to go with 12 tries that has him amongst the best back rowers in NRLCEO. He is signed on big coin until the end of 2027 at the Cowboys so he would be a good player to get on a multi year contract in contract leagues. I think most CEO’s would not rate him as highly as he should be so you might be able to get him for decent value in your draft.

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

8. Moeaki Fotuaika (2) (Titans) – 59

9. Jacob Liddle (1) (Dragons) – 67

10. Hame Sele (1) (Dragons) – 53

11. Hudson Young (2) (Raiders) – 60

12. Keaon Koloamatangi (4) (Rabbitohs) – 65

13. Isaah Yeo (4) (Panthers) – 64

(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