Workhorse Watch Round 4

NRLCEO Workhorse Watch Round 4 – It May as well be a two Haas race!

• a young Tiger is developing into a quality edge!
• does anyone have the keys to start I-Paps engine?
• a belated debut for a promising Dragon after so much hype from 2024
• the Eels big O on his last chance?
• a former Knight is revelling in the warmer temps in sunny QLD!

In Round 4 there were 68 players who scored a WH, with two players scoring a DWH. Coming up in Round 5 it is May v Haas as the Broncos host the Tigers in a battle of the super props!

WORKING HARD

Terrell May (Tigers)

60 tackles, 19 runs for 163m in 80 minutes – DWH (0.99 stats per minute)

May played the full 80 minutes and still looked fresh in those frantic final minutes. May is a rare specimen of a rugby league player, just keeps on working and makes it look effortless. I would be putting the captain on Terrell for the time being as he will score a few more DWH’s this season.

Payne Haas (Broncos)

45 tackles, 16 runs for 158m in 67 minutes – DWH (0.91 spm)

Haas hasn’t been in this kind of form for a couple of seasons. He seemed to drop down the pecking order of props during the drafts this season with AFB and even May being drafted ahead of him, but CEOs who stayed loyal to him are reaping the rewards now. Haas is also prime for captain right now and you could ride this wave up until Origin time. The question for both Haas and May is how long they can keep this up?

Cameron McInnes (Sharks)

62 tackles, 16 runs for 108m in 75 minutes – WH (1.04 spm)

McInnes sets the bar for the hardest worker of the current crop of NRL players, smashing out 78 involvements on the weekend against the Dogs. Unfortunately he isn’t a good candidate for a DWH as he struggles to get to the 150m required. He is also lacking in attacking stats, which means he is consistently going to get you 5 points, but only the 5 points.

Alex Seyfarth (Tigers)

50 tackles, 10 runs for 83m in 80 minutes – WH (1.09 spm)

Seyfarth is not your typical WH back rower but he is fast becoming one. He just missed out in Round 1, but since then has been very strong, adding a try in Round 3 and a TA on the weekend. He could be available in some spud pools as he is an unheralded player but he may just turn out to be a solid pick up with very good job security.

HARDLY WORKING

Jayden Su’a (Dragons) 

25 tackles, 12 runs for 107m in 80 minutes (0.46 spm)

Su’a seems to be a victim of the Dragons halves situation as he is clearly not getting enough ball. The same could be said of Leilua as well, with Ilias and Flanagan failing to get their edge involved enough to have an impact on their games. Su’a is still an under rated player who is a genuine chance to play Origin this season. If Su’a can become more consistent with his WH scoring he will be up there amongst the gun back rowers in NRLCEO.

Davvy Moale (Rabbitohs)

24 tackles, 12 runs for 97m in 42 minutes (0.86 spm)

Moale actually has a decent spm most weeks, he just isn’t getting enough minutes. Moale is still only 22 years of age and most props don’t reach their peak until 26-27 years. I think he can become a regular WH scorer, he just needs to lift his performance slightly to encourage Bennett to play him longer. He seems to play within himself and lacks energy and aggression in both defence and attack.

Isaiah Papali’i (Panthers)

28 tackles, 7 runs for 80m in 39 minutes (0.90 spm)

While Ipap ever get back to his best form? He just goes about his business quietly and does not look that interested in being a rugby league player. What has happened to the hard running, try scoring, tackle machine that was one of the first back rowers drafted each season? Most CEOs thought that moving to the Panthers would help unlock his best form, but it could actually be the opposite. Is he disciplined enough to buy into the Panthers system or will he be content with being a bit part player coming off the bench most weeks? I would be considering dumping him now but with Sorensen out you could give him one more week to hopefully show something.

Haumole Olakau’atu (Sea Eagles)

18 tackles, 15 runs for 172m in 80 minutes (0.41 spm)

After four matches in 2025, Haumole has just one WH to his name. The good new for CEOs is that he has three ME’s and three LB’s to go with a round one try, which helps cover the loss of 5 pts in those matches. It has to be concern moving forward that he is being conservative in defence in order to preserve energy in attack. I would be considering using him as trade bait in order to strengthen another position in your squad that you may be weak in. If you are going to keep him, I would be benching him until he starts to get a regular WH each week.

SPUD POOL LOOKOUT

Dylan Egan (Dragons)

35 tackles, 5 runs for 57m in 49 minutes – WH (0.82 spm)

Finally we get to see what all the hype was about at the start of 2024. Dylan Egan has huge wraps on him at the Dragons and he just managed to score a WH from the bench in his NRL debut. I can see Egan taking Leilua’s starting spot at some point as I can see him being a better defensive player than Leilua. Also Leilua could be more effective coming off the bench late in halves and attacking the game, rather than being fatigued from the small amount of tackling he does in a match. Egan is certainly a player of the future and is signed until the end of 2027. Those CEOs in contract/keeper leagues should be buying now!

Kurt Capewell (Warriors)

33 tackles, 7 runs for 51m in 80 minutes – WH (0.50 spm)

Mr Capewell and I have a long running feud, he thinks he is a draft worthy edge back rower, I disagree. To be fair he has been better since his move across the ditch, hitting double digit WH totals for the last two seasons (12 in 2023 and 10 in 2024). He would be so frustrating to own as you will always be waiting until the last few minutes to see if he can get the WH. I am happy to give a small amount of credit when it is due and back to back WH’s gives him a pass mark to start the season, barely!

Joe Ofahengaue (Eels)

36 tackles, 12 runs for 92m in 47 minutes – WH (1.02 spm)

Big Joe was given a tap on the shoulder during the week, aim up or start looking elsewhere. He aimed up, scoring a WH and crashing over for a try which was dubious at best. With Jack Williams out for about 6 weeks, Joe will likely hold a starting spot if he can maintain his form from the weekend. The game is just not suited to big forwards anymore, you need to be more mobile and able to defend laterally.

Erin Clark (Warriors)

31 tackles, 15 runs for 127m in 49 minutes – WH (0.94 spm)

I have always liked the way Clark goes about his footy, plays it hard and carries the ball well. He missed a WH in his first two matches but has turned it around with back to back WH’s. I think he also has decent job security given the Warriors lack of depth and the recently departed Dylan Walker. There are a couple of young Warriors forwards threatening to make their mark but I think Clark will hold his spot for most of the season.

WORTH MENTIONING…

Sean Keppie (Rabbitohs)

27 tackles, 13 runs for 91m in 44 minutes – WH (0.91 spm)

Why does the GOAT tease us so? Either be great or be shit but don’t be that in between tease that keeps us in hope every week. He is still a trap for mine, I can’t see him scoring more than five WH’s for the season. He did manage a decent spm of 0.91 which is a positive sign……

Daniel Saifiti (Dolphins)

29 tackles, 16 runs for 162m in 49 minutes – WH (0.92 spm)

Saifiti has risen from the dead in the Queensland sun, scoring his third consecutive WH to equal his entire output for last season. He has definitely benefitted from a change in scenery and he looks like the D-Saf of 2021. The Dolphins do not have a lot of depth in their forwards this season after losing a few players in the off season and Saifiti has been the beneficiary. Kudos to those CEOs who saw it in him.

Corey Jensen (Broncos)

36 tackles, 11 runs for 92m in 47 minutes – WH (1.00 spm)

For those CEO’s still holding out hope for a Jensen revival, there is some hope! He scored his first WH of the season after being relegated to the bench to accommodate Carrigan’s move up front. Jensen could be a sneaky pick up leading into Origin, as he will likely see increased minutes and the odd start to cover for the loss of Haas and Carrigan during that period.

Liam Le Blanc (Rabbitohs)

24 tackles, 12 runs for 92m in 47 minutes – (0.77 spm)

The Rabbitohs may have unearthed a good one in Le Blanc. He has a modern day build for a prop with a good running style and he has looked very solid off the bench in the last few weeks. I don’t see him being WH relevant for this season but he is certainly one to watch for the future.

BACKS IMPERSONATING FORWARDS

It is time we paid some attention to those skinny little bludgers who think they can play in the forwards. There may be some comps out there that reward backs for scoring a WH, so lets call them out, if only to shame the forwards in their pack for not doing the work themselves.

Cameron Munster (Storm)

28 tackles, 12 runs for 66m in 80 minutes – WH (0.61 spm)

Munster has to do some tackling in order to have a crack at his one on one steals. He just loves being where the ball is but you would rather he providing attacking stats, averaging 2 TA’s a match so far this season.

Jack Cole (Panthers)

28 tackles, 12 runs for 93m in 80 minutes – WH (0.53 spm)

The Rabbitohs certainly aimed some traffic at the Panthers halves, although Cole is hardly the attacking genius that you need to wear out. Surely Cole is just keeping Talagi’s jersey warm, he has done little to warrant keeping it.

 

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

POSITION	PLAYER	TEAM	INVOLVEMENTS	PACK OF THE WEEK
Front Row	Patrick Carrigan	Broncos	74	1
Hooker	Jazz Tevaga	Sea Eagles	64	1
Front Row	Toby Couchman	Dragons	70	4
Back Row	Jackson Ford	Warriors	64	1
Back Row	Thomas Cant	Knights	60	3
Lock	Isaah Yeo	Panthers	61	3

WH – Workhorse

DWH – Double Workhorse

ME – Metre Eater

DME – Double Metre Eater

SPM – Stats per minute played