Workhorse Watch Round 25

NRLCEO Workhorse Watch Round 25 – Sheriff Pat Carrigan!

• Sheriff Pat Carrigan showing the young guns how its done!
• Is Teig wilting at the Sharks?
• Eisenhuth has been Mr consistent at the Dragons
• Is Moe the odd man out at the Titans?

In Round 25 there were 49 players who scored a WH, with 1 player scoring a DWH. Now we reach that time of the year when some NRL coaches think its a good idea to rest their players, potentially costing us a CEO title.

WORKING HARD

Patrick Carrigan (Broncos)

53 tackles, 17 runs for 159m in 80 minutes – DWH (0.88 stats per minute)

Carrigan scores his 3rd DWH of the season against the Eels as the Broncos continue their push for an unlikely finals spot. He looks like falling just short of his career best 163 point season in 2020, likely needing a try or a couple of DWH’s to get him over that mark.

Cameron Murray (Rabbitohs)

51 tackles, 18 runs for 133m in 70 minutes – WH (0.99 spm)

Murray would have had another DWH if not for being sin binned against the Knights. Murray missed 8 matches to injury and Origin this season which has seen his overall output drop considerably. This will not affect his draft position in 2025, he will still be one of the first locks selected.

Corey Jensen (Broncos)

52 tackles, 16 runs for 142m in 68 minutes – WH (1.00 spm)

Jensen is one of the most improved CEO performers in 2024. He has now scored 20 WH’s overall compared to his previous best of 7 WH’s in 2022. It will be interesting to see how high he is drafted next season, I think it is risky to expect him to provide the same numbers as this season, especially with Payne Haas back. Someone will no doubt take him early on when you are trying to hold out for value with a mid round draft pick.

Jacob Liddle (Dragons)

55 tackles, 6 runs for 60m in 80 minutes – WH (0.76 spm)

Liddle has had a superb season so far, notching his 18th WH for the season, his best tally since 2021. I think Liddle could be a real value pick in 2025, despite Damien Cook arriving at the Dragons. I can see Cook playing lock in a running role, leaving Liddle to stay at Hooker. The other option is to limit Cook’s playing time and have Liddle playing off the bench or vice versa. I like the first option better in terms of CEO scoring.

HARDLY WORKING

Jordan Riki (Broncos) 

32 tackles, 7 runs for 41m in 80 minutes (0.49 spm)

Perhaps I am being too harsh on Riki, it may not be his fault that his work rate is so low for a starting back rower. He is in a team with Haas, Carrigan and Jensen who do most of the work in that pack. If he is not producing WH’s then he should be scoring more attacking stats to offset that, however in 2024 he only has 3 Tries, 2 TA’s and 4 LB’s. If you are drafting Jordan Riki then you are a die hard Broncos fan, he should be in spud pools at the completion of your drafts next year.

Teig Wilton (Sharks)

24 tackles, 11 runs for 129m in 80 minutes (0.44 spm)

Fairly disappointing season for Wilton owners as he struggled to come back from an injury layoff mid season. He only has 12 WH’s for the season when he should be pushing 20+ WH’s. Wilton has also missed Hynes being in the team as they developed a great combo on the edge last season for the Sharks. I expect Wilton to bounce back next season and hopefully improve on his 113 pts from 2023, which was also affected by injury at the end of that season.

Lindsay Collins (Roosters)

24 tackles, 10 runs for 108m in 50 minutes (0.68 spm)

Collins looked like he was back to his best but that only lasted 3 weeks as he has failed to score a WH in his last 3 matches. After likely being dropped mid season by a lot of CEO’s, he was picked up from the spud pool with renewed hope after scoring 3 consecutive WH’s from rounds 18 to 21. Then he broke CEO’s hearts during their finals campaign as he scored 3 zero’s in a row. With JWH retiring after this season, it should be Collins and May starting props for the Roosters. I see May getting more minutes than Collins, similar to how this season has played out. Draft with caution in 2025.

Moeaki Fotuaika (Titans)

19 tackles, 9 runs for 93m in 52 minutes (0.54 spm)

Fotuaika has struggled to make a CEO impact at the back end of this season. He was solid up until Round 15, scoring 8 WH’s in 12 matches but he has only scored 1 WH since then. I don’t think he was affected by Origin as he only played a bench role but a similar trend occured at the end of last season when he faded out as well. Season 2025 does not look very promising for Fotuaika, with Tino to return and Jolliffe being more effective, we could see Moe taking up a bench role or playing less minutes which will cause his CEO output to drop further. Steer clear of him next season if you can.

SPUD POOL LOOKOUT

Samuel Hughes (Bulldogs)

28 tackles, 13 runs for 105m in 44 minutes – WH (0.87 spm)

Hughes stepped up with Josh Curran out injured, scoring his 3rd WH for this season. Its not something to get excited about as he has played every game this season for the Dogs, but its a step in the right direction. I am not convinced he can be a regular WH front rower at this stage, his minutes would have to increase for that to be a chance. The Bulldogs are showing the rest of the NRL that you can have an effective defence with a bunch of smaller, more mobile players which has taken them to the top of the NRL in defence. It means that the bigger bodies (like Hughes) may be destined to miss a WH more often.

David Klemmer (Tigers)

27 tackles, 13 runs for 99m in 45 minutes – WH (0.93 spm)

Big Klem has wound the clock back the last 2 weeks, scoring a WH in both matches with the Tigers winning both. He only just got there both times but he gets the points the same. Sadly the Tigers have the bye this week but he could be a handy pickup in Round 27, especially for teams needing to replace a Warriors front rower.

Brendan Hands (Eels)

44 tackles, 5 runs for 44m in 67 minutes – WH (0.73 spm)

Hands has been a frustrating player to have in your squad. He seems to have the ability to score a WH each week but for some reason his numbers are very erratic. With Harry Grant likely to be rested there will be a few CEO looking for a replacement and Hands is capable of doing a job for you this week. He is contracted to the Eels next season but who knows if he will be the starting hooker under Jason Ryles.

Jayden Brailey (Knights)

41 tackles, 6 runs for 56m in 70 minutes – WH (0.67 spm)

Brailey is probably a safer bet to come into your squad than Hands. Brailey scored his 12th WH of the year against the Rabbitohs but his attacking stats are diabolical with just 1 TA and 1 LBA for the season. He is contracted to the Knights in 2025 but he may end up elsewhere as they look to offload some players to repair their salary cap. He looks to have overcome his injury worries of the past few years and made it through the entire season, playing all but 2 matches. If he finds a new club for next year he may still have some draft value, Eels possibly?

WORTH MENTIONING…

Joe Ofahengaue (Eels)

37 tackles, 18 runs for 155m in 67 minutes – WH (0.82 spm)

Ofahengaue would have certainly scored a DWH if he didn’t go off for a late HIA test. He has been in good form over the last month, scoring 4 WH’s in his last 6 matches. He would be a handy pick up this week if Ryan Matterson is still out injured.

Thomas Eisenhuth (Dragons)

40 tackles, 9 runs for 69m in 67 minutes – WH (0.64 spm)

Eisenhuth has broken the 100 point barrier this season, scoring 18 WH’s in his 22 matches. He may be relegated to a bench role in 2025 with the arrival of Damien Cook and potentially others as well. That being said, he could also be a sneaky late round draft pick just to see where he starts in 2025. If he remains as the starting lock then he could offer great value.

Sam Verrills (Titans)

37 tackles, 5 runs for 82m in 80 minutes – WH (0.53 spm)

It appears that Verrills will be the Titans starting hooker moving forward. Both Verrills and Randall are contracted until the end of season 2026, but Verrills looks the more accomplished at dummy half. With Tino back and another full off season under Des Hasler, the Titans pack will improve in 2025 and Verrills will play off the back of that. He should be great value as a mid to late round draft pick.

Liam Henry (Panthers)

32 tackles, 9 runs for 88m in 31 minutes – (1.32 spm)

Make sure you have this guy in your squad when he becomes a regular starter. Smith will likely take the front row spot vacated by JFH, but Henry will be first off the bench and cover both back row and front row when injuries hit. This giant kid has a fantastic motor for his size and those CEO’s in contract/keeper leagues who have him locked up long term will be salivating.

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

8. Corey Jensen (5) (Broncos) – 68

9. Jacob Liddle (4) (Dragons) – 61

10. Joe Ofahengaue (1) (Eels) – 61

11. Cameron Murray (3) (Rabbitohs) – 69

12. Connelly Lemuelu (2) (Dolphins) – 50

13. Patrick Carrigan (4) (Broncos) – 70

(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