Workhorse Watch – Round 21
I’d like to retract a statement I made last week regarding Wayne Bennett. I said last that I’d be happy to see Bennett come to Parramatta next season should he be unwanted at the Broncos. But I’ve changed my mind. Watching Thursday night’s game I was reminded that Bennett saw it fit to bring Matt Lodge back to the elite level. I’d rather my team come last that have a guy like that play for the club. (I write this fully aware of the record of some of the players who currently play for the Blue & Gold.) For what it’s worth, Lodge had a career high 50 involvements against the Bulldogs on Thursday, scoring his sixth workhorse try of the season.
Does anyone else get the feeling that Damien Cook is so in the zone at the moment that it wouldn’t matter what the requirements were, he’d score a double workhorse try most weeks regardless? Just last week I discussed the idea of raising the standard required to achieve double workhorse try but didn’t mention the metres required. Currently it sits at 125m for a double workhorse but given Cook ran a career best 210 metres against one of the best defensive teams in the comp, then ladder leaders Melbourne; who here doesn’t think he could just turn it on every week no matter the workhorse parameters?
What a great story out of New Zealand last week with Lorina Papali’i, mother of Isaiah, coming out of retirement to play for the Warriors’ women’s team. It will be a truly historic moment and one of the many new stories the game has to tell now that women are being provided a better opportunity in rugby league. The questions is, will we see a fantasy version of the women’s competition? The inaugural competition starts soon so it might be a bit short notice to have one this year and having just four teams isn’t ideal but perhaps it’s something to work towards in the future. In the women’s State of Origin game earlier this year the average involvements for a starting forward were 31.9 with the NSW side averaging 27.8 while the Queenslanders, having to get through a lot more defensive work averaging 36 involvements. Given that the women play 60 minutes compared to the men who play 80, a women’s workhorse try of 30 involvements sounds about right. Meanwhile, Isaiah Papali’i scored his eighth straight workhorse try and 11th for the season with 41 tackles and 11 runs against the Dragons.
Workhorse of the Week:
Tevaga was just 14 metres off a triple workhorse try just a week after Damien Cook posted the first ever triple.
WORKHORSE PACK OF THE WEEK
Woah! Bit of a problem with the pack this week. Maybe it IS too easy for hookers to score double workhorse tries with Cameron McInnes scoring a double but unable to fit into the team. I’d almost feel bad for leaving him out if not for the fact he totally kicked my arse on the weekend. Then again Manase Fainu also scoring a double workhorse and me not including him in my team also didn’t help.
- Aiden Tolman: 37 tackles + 22 hitups = 59
- Jazz Tavaga: 54 tackles + 13 hitups = 67
- Tariq Sims: 43 tackles + 13 hitups = 56
- Jai Arrow: 42 tackles + 18 hitups = 60
- Aiden Guerra: 42 tackles + 16 hitups = 58
- Paul Gallen: 34 tackles + 23 hitups = 57
. - Manase Fainu: 46 tackles + 9 hitups = 55
- Damien Cook: 34 tackles + 19 hitups = 53
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
Boyd Cordner: 24 tackles + 15 hitups = 39
STATS PER MINUTE
It’s been a miserable season for Adam Elliott who sits with just one workhorse try for the season. The Bulldogs back rower showed real potential during the middle of last year going on a run of 6 workhorse tries in 7 games from Round 11 through to 18. During that time he averaged 71. 7 minutes per game and played the full 80 minutes on four occasions. Two 80 minutes efforts to finish the season including a workhorse try in the final game would have given hope to NRLCEOs in 2018. Instead Elliott is averaging just 30 involvements and 41.45 minutes per game (0.72 SPM) this year.
It’s been a lean year across the board for front rowers and it’s been no different for my team as well. In a keeper league like mine, the best workhorse props are clutched to by their NRLCEOs like gold. It leaves slim pickings for the rest of us who retained workhorses are back rowers and hookers. Daniel Alvaro (1.14 SPM) has been sensational this year and Viliame Kikau (0.48 SPM) has been a solid late draft pick up. But with Alvaro out and Robbie Rochow coming off the bench, another prop was needed as the finals loomed.
I swore to myself that I wouldn’t do it. Not this year. No way. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Enter Tim Mannah. Like I said, the pickings were slim. George Burgess, Russell Packer, Siosaia Vave, Matt Scott and Mannah were the only starting props available. Between them they have just 11 workhorse tries between them. With zero workhorse tries and just 24 involvements a game, Vave (0.83 SPM) was the first to be ruled out. Burgess (0.79 SPM) was next to be scratched having just 2 workhorse tries to his name, quickly followed by Scott who has the lowest stats per minute (0.78) of any of the five. Both Packer and Mannah have 3 workhorse tries to their name this season and each average 35 involvements per game but with a far superior stats per minute, Mannah (0.94) wins out over Packer (0.79). Lord help me!
If only Leeson Au Mau was still available. The Dragons prop scored his third workhorse try of the year after Paul Vaughan went off injured early against the Warriors. Ah Mau played 52 minutes (well up on his 2018 average of 37.1 minutes) and had 52 involvements. With Vaughan out for the rest of the NRLCEO season, should pick up a few more workhorse tries.
Geoff Adams
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