Workhorse Watch Round 9
I knew there was a reason I didn’t submit this week’s Workhorse Watch early. Elijah Taylor is back after it was announced that he would transfer immediately to the Wests Tigers. This is huge news for NRLCEOs and no doubt there’ll be a mad dash to pick him up off your competition’s Waiver Wire. That is if he’s not been stockpiled by someone in your comp who reassured him or herself every week that eventually he’d be back. Taylor brings workhorse quality to the Tigers back row that’s been missing ever since Liam Fulton retired two years ago. It will be interesting to see if this year’s interpretation of what counts as a tackle in NRLCEO will affect his numbers but, given he hasn’t scored less than 15 workhorse tries per season for the last four years his return is a significant one.
Add Andrew McFadden’s name to the list of coaches not afraid to wield the axe. The Warriors coach wasn’t kidding around when he banished six players for ill-discipline following their Anzac Day game against the Storm and the absence of players like Bodene Thompson and Ben Matulino combined with the injury to Simon Mannering yielded a huge result for Jacob Lillyman and Jazz Tevaga who both scored their first ever double workhorse try. John Palavi made the most of his late inclusion with his first ever workhorse try thanks to 37 tackles and 7 runs.
A lot can happen in 80 minutes. Just ask Addin Fonua-Blake. That’s the amount of NRL football the Manly front rower has to his name which apparently is enough to earn himself a spot in the City Origin team. I wish him all the best but what the bloody hell is wrong with this picture? Rugby League faces a massive problem when it comes to representative football and it’s hard to tell where the solution lies, is it the chicken or the egg?
Players and officials don’t take it seriously which makes it hard for fans to. Because fans don’t take it seriously it’s hard for players and officials to. Since the powers that be continue to sit on their hands on this one, it’s up to us the fans to get out there and support representative football if we truly want to see more of it. Me? I’m heading up to Newcastle to watch the Test match with Kiwi and fellow NRLCEO blogger Hamish Neal and I’m half tempted to back up for the Pacific Tests on Saturday.
Workhorse of the Week:
Jacob Lillyman: You tend to forget that Lillyman is in the upper echelon of rugby league players. He played all three Origins last year and this year continues to ply his trade having scored four workhorse tries in eight games prior to last weekend. It’s a shame it took the misconduct of six Warriors players to give Lillyman a chance to shine but he’s exactly the kind of bloke clubs rely on when such shenanigans come to light.
WORKHORSE PACK OF THE WEEK
- Jacob Lillyman: 48 tackles + 19 hitups = 67
- Jazz Tevaga: 46 tackles + 10 hitups = 56
- James Graham: 46 tackles + 20 hitups = 66
- Jack De Belin: 38 tackles + 15 hitups = 53
- Tariq Sims: 40 tackles + 13 hitups = 53
- Sam Burgess: 33 tackles + 18 hitups = 51
- Michael Lichaa: 53 tackles + 7 hitups = 60
- Nathan Peats: 53 tackles + 6 hitups = 59
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
Paul Vaughan: 23 tackles + 16 hitups = 39
James Tamou: 22 tackles + 17 hitups = 39
Kevin Proctor: 28 tackles + 11 hitups = 39
Luke Douglas: 31 tackles + 8 hitups = 39
Nate Myles: 27 tackles + 12 hitups = 39
STATS PER MINUTE
George Burgess’ woes are having a positive effect for his twin brother Thomas who has moved into the starting side for the Rabbitohs and who scored his first workhorse try for the year on Thursday night. Thomas has gone from getting 20 odd minutes a game off the bench to averaging 47 minutes in the last two weeks and had 41 involvements against the Tigers (0.89 SPM).
Round 9 turned into a fantasy football player’s nightmare with more late changes than a Melbourne weather forecast. Fortunately none of those impacted on the league’s leading workhorses however it did afford a number of players the opportunity to boost their involvements.
Ken Edwards took full advantage of his elevation to the starting side for Parramatta with an 80 minute effort that included 48 involvements (0.60 SPM) and saw him score his first workhorse try since Round 23, 2014. The same game saw the return of Workhorse Watch favourite Tim Mannah who had 21 involvements before coming off after 20 minutes having re-injured the shoulder that has kept him out for the last four weeks (1.05 SPM).
Jack Stockwell was a late inclusion for the Knights, coming in for Sam Mataora and getting 46 involvements in 55 minutes (0.83 SPM). It was his third workhorse in four games this season. Meanwhile Matt Parcell scored his fourth workhorse try of the year with 45 involvements in 80 minutes (0.56 SPM) after Api Koroisau was a late withdrawal. I say late withdrawal but there is every chance that Stockwell and Parcell were always going to play given the Knights and Sea Eagles played each other on Monday afternoon and had to name a team 24 hours later.
Lastly, Tongan international Joe Ofahengaue was again the benefactor of his teammate’s misfortune, stepping up in the absence of suspended front rower Adam Blair. Blair is yet to register a workhorse try in 2016 while Ofahengaue scored his second in consecutive weeks thanks to 28 tackles and 14 runs in 44 minutes (0.95 SPM). With Origin just around the corner, the 20 year old is well worth your attention to help you through the representative period.
Geoff Adams
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