Workhorse Watch: Rd 20
Round 20 saw a number of lopsided scorelines in the NRL and no doubt there were a few in NRLCEO thanks in part to a record number of try/workhorse try combos. In total there were 10, one more than the 9 that were scored in Round 10. Leading the way was Paul Gallen who scored his first try of the season and also grabbed a massive double workhorse as well. Matt Ballin, Jake Trbojevic and Elijah Taylor also scored their first tries of 2015. Rounding out the ‘Perfect 10’ were James Segeyaro (also a double workhorse) Kevin Proctor, Shaun Fensom, Kade Snowden, Michael Lichaa and Corey Parker.
The charmed run of Kyle Lovett looked like it might have come to an end after the Tigers back rower was relegated to the bench in favour of Curtis Sironen on Friday. It was Sironen’s first game back since Round 11 and in that time Lovett has scored a workhorse try every week bar one. Fortunately for Lovett, Chris Lawrence left the field after two minutes with an ankle injury which meant the Leichhardt junior was required to play the rest of the game which resulted in his 9th workhorse try for the season.
After three weeks in the workhorse wilderness, Matt Ballin was finally back amongst it with 50 involvements against the Warriors (not to mention a try from dummy half close to full time). It’s been a difficult couple of weeks for the number 9 with Apisai Koroisau set to join the Sea Eagles next year and speculation Ballin is to be moved on at season’s end. The consensus seems to be that Ballin is not enough of an attacking dummy-half and the stats certainly back that up. With just 37 metres a game, Ballin averages the least amount of metres of any first choice dummy half in the league. A few more darts from dummy half might be just what the doctor ordered should he wish to carry on for a few more seasons.
Well it was fun while it lasted. Ben Creagh has been in good form in recent weeks since returning to the starting line up, but that ended on Saturday night with coach Paul McGregor opting to start Will Matthews ahead of the Dragons captain. Between rounds 16 and 19, Creagh started all four games and scored a workhorse try in every one. In those games he averaged 53 minutes a game compared to 34 minutes when he’s come off the bench. That’s not enough time for anyone to get a workhorse.
WORKHORSE OF THE WEEK:
Paul Gallen. Gallen is the Workhorse of the Week for the second straight week. With only 5 weeks left he’s no chance to overtake the workhorse try leaders lest they all suddenly get injured but he could come bloody close. Gallen ran for 273 metres which is huge, even for him.
WORKHORSE PACK OF THE WEEK
- Jake Trbojevic: 27 tackles + 27 hitups = 54
- James Segeyaro: 38 tackles + 13 hitups = 51
- Kade Snowden: 51 tackles + 8 hitups = 59
- Dale Finucane: 36 tackles + 20 hitups = 56
- Simon Mannering: 54 tackles + 15 hitups = 69
- Paul Gallen 39 tackles + 27 hitups = 66
14. Elijah Taylor: 53 tackles + 6 hitups = 59
15. Shaun Fensom 37 tackles + 17 hitups = 54
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
Lachlan Burr: 28 tackles + 11 hitups = 39
Ryan James: 28 tackles + 11 hitups = 39
Glenn Stewart: 26 tackles + 13 hitups = 39
Frank Pritchard: 24 tackles + 15 hitups = 39
Darcy Lussick: 30 tackles + 9 hitups = 39
Manu Ma’u: 27 tackles + 12 hitups = 39
STATS PER MINUTE:
Simon Mannering’s season continues to go from strength to strength with the Warriors captain scoring his 21st workhorse try of the year. Mannering still hasn’t missed a workhorse try all season and on Saturday had one by halftime with exactly 40 involvements at the break. Mannering finished with 69 involvements for the game (0.86 SPM) but was short by 25 metres to qualify for a double workhorse.
One player who wasn’t short on metres was Jake Trbojevic. Trbojevic had the best game of his short career where he ran for 274 metres, had 40 involvements by the 49th minute, finished with a career best 54 involvements (0.76 SPM), played 71 minutes instead of his usual 43 and scored the first try of his NRL career as well. What a game!
Kade Snowden had an equally impressive game scoring the opening try in the Newcastle vs Souths game. In fact all three games on Saturday had props open the scoring with the aforementioned Trbojevic and Melbourne’s Nelson Asofa-Solomona opening the scoring in their respective matches. Unfortunately it was all downhill from there for Snowden and the Knights as they got absolutely hammered by the Bunnies. Snowden did however score a workhorse try (1.07 SPM) and despite his huge workload (51 tackles, 8 hit ups) and the Rabbitohs running rampant, didn’t miss a single tackle.
Meanwhile, Frank Pritchard came within a whisker of scoring a try/workhorse try when he crashed over in the 65th minute and then finished with 39 involvements. It would have been his first workhorse in over 2 years but it was not to be. Pritchard played the full 80 minutes (0.49 SPM), well up from his normal 48 minutes and his 39 involvements was a big rise from his normal 26.
JUST QUICKLY:
I’ll start my say on the Fifita saga by drawing your attention to a comment I made after last year’s Auckland Nines when there were no off-field incidents.
8. PLAYER BEHAVIOUR: 256 players and not one off-field incident. NRL players CAN behave themselves. It helps that they’re completely occupied by football mind you. By definition a player can’t misbehave off field when he’s on the field. The problem is that in a typical week there are 80 minutes of football and another 10,000 minutes where he must remain trouble free. Clubs try to fill it with training, recovery sessions and video review but there’s only so much you can do. Same goes for new tattoos. The best way to keep players out of trouble is to keep them on the field (or at least in the stadium) as much as possible. If a player misbehaves he should be made to play more, not less. Fine him to the moon and back but don’t suspend him. Get him to play more games; NSW Cup, Jim Beam Cup, hell get them into a Thursday night mixed touch footy comp if it will keep them off the streets and out of trouble!
In regards to Fifita, at the time of writing, the punishment to be handed down by the NRL and the Sharks was yet to be finalised, but what is alleged to have happened is an absolute disgrace. People are saying it’s endemic of what the Sharks culture has become.
This is much worse than Paul Gallen swearing on Twitter or Todd Carney weeing in his own mouth. It should have instantly occurred to them that they are at a junior match and are ambassadors for the game.
I am so sick of headline after headline, day after day sullying the game of rugby league. I am so sick of individuals who live in a vacuum and have no idea how to conduct themselves in normal society. Then again the way the Fifitas acted seems to be no different to a lot rugby league parents, sadly.
Maybe I’m the one that’s living in a bubble, with idealistic dreams of what rugby league and those involved should be. Is it that impossible to separate the take no prisoners mindset on the field and the role model off it?
Speaking of prisoners, if rugby league players really are modern day gladiators perhaps they should be treated as such. Roman gladiators were not heroes free to do as they wish, most were slaves who were purely there for the entertainment of the public. When they weren’t competing they were training or in their barracks. Under the watch of others, always, so they couldn’t get into any trouble. As I alluded to last year, perhaps that’s what’s needed nowadays.
Ok. Maybe not just quickly…
Geoff Adams
Latest posts by Geoff Adams (see all)
- 2018 Workhorse Watch Awards - September 3, 2018
- Workhorse Watch – Round 24 - August 29, 2018
- Workhorse Watch – Round 23 - August 22, 2018
