Workhorse Watch Round 20

Toby Couchman stood alone this week with the only DWH in Round 20. This kid gets better each week and he will be a premium prop in NRLCEO for years to come. Another one of the young brigade, Cooper Clarke continues his rise into the WH ranks, looking every bit an NRL player for the Storm. It’s the last round before finals for a lot of comps this week and CEO’s will be trying to make sure they have a pack full of WH’s to push ahead in finals. Shout out to Hudson Young owners, let’s see if we can find you some cover in the spud pool!

Big Burning Questions

• Who takes Hudson Young’s spot for the rest of 2026 at the Raiders?
• Which side of the Couchman are you sitting on?
• Do the Storm have a potential Superman in Cooper Clarke?
• Its NRLCEO’s running of the Salmon, are you fishing?
• Can Oryn Keeley become the next Eli Katoa?
• Is it time for the Cowboys to unleash JT?

Workhorse Flow

Round 20 saw the highest number of WH’s scored in a single round for the season and the same thing happened last year in the corresponding round. In Round 20, 75 players scored a WH with one player scoring a DWH. There are now 22 players that have scored a DWH but only 7 of those have scored more than one DWH.

WORKHORSE OF THE WEEK

Toby Couchman (Dragons)

52 tackles, 19 runs for 169m in 80 minutes – DWH (0.89 spm)

Toby is still young but he is already one of the premium props in NRLCEO. He has a huge motor that enables him to play 80 minutes and his quality is improving each week. Do not sleep on this guy in drafts in future seasons as he will go early. With Koloamatangi coming to St.George next season, will that have a negative impact on both of their overall stats?

WORKING HARD

Nat Butcher (Roosters)

56 tackles, 13 runs for 117m in 80 minutes – WH (0.86 spm)

Butcher has put together a handy season with 11 WH’s so far. Even before he took Angus Crichton’s starting spot, he was scoring WH’s coming off the bench, running big metres as well. He turns 29 this week and is contracted for one more season at the Roosters, it will be interesting to see if he remains a starter next season or Robbo decides to go with a younger player. My money is on Butcher starting in the back row next season so his draft value will increase.

Cooper Clarke (Storm)

52 tackles, 16 runs for 122m in 80 minutes – WH (0.85 spm)

This kid has been so impressive! He took a few games to find his feet but he has found consistency already, scoring a WH and a ME in each of his last 3 matches. He will no doubt end up playing in the middle but with Stefano and King there again next season, he will likely have to bide his time. His position next season will depend mostly on whether Eli Katoa returns to the NRL and the Storm have just added Oryn Keeley who is a very under rated player. Clarke is a WH gun of the future and he is already here so invest in him long term if you can.

Isaah Yeo (Panthers)

54 tackles, 11 runs for 97m in 65 minutes – WH (1.00 spm)

Father time may be stalking the big Panther from Dubbo but there is still some WH’s left in his tank. He has only failed to score a WH once this season, depsite the Panthers dominating teams early in the year. His running metres are continuing to fall, having not scored a ME since round 5.

Ryan Couchman (Dragons)

51 tackles, 13 runs for 103m in 72 minutes – WH (0.89 spm)

Where there is one, the other is not to far behind. Would anyone consider drafting them together in your squad? For mine, I think Toby is slightly ahead of Ryan in his NRL career and would be my preference to draft first in NRLCEO. There it is, I chose my side of the Couchman. Make no mistake, they are both WH guns and having either of them in your squad is great.

HARDLY WORKING

Jacob Preston (Bulldogs)

27 tackles, 9 runs for 88m in 80 minutes – (0.45 spm)

It was a disappointing night for Jacob Preston against the Tigers, managing just 36 involvements in 80 minutes. Is it a concern for the short term that he may not have fully recovered from his injury? I would say that he was lacking match fitness and will be better for the run. Look for him to bounce back big time this week!

Beau Fermor (Titans)

25 tackles, 13 runs for 97m in 80 minutes – (0.48 spm)

This was very out of character for Fermor, missing a WH for the first time this season. It was a high scoring match against Manly so there was quite a bit of time taken out of the game but you would still expect Fermor to manage 40 involvements playing the full 80 minutes. It doesn’t look like there was anything to be concerned about so hopefully he also bounces back next week.

Taniela Paseka (Sea Eagles)

28 tackles, 11 runs for 98m in 55 minutes – (0.71 spm)

Paseka has failed to score a WH in his last 2 matches and this has corresponded with Manly’s drop in form. Prior to this, Paseka had scored 6 WH’s in a row which is a a career best for him and he was looking very solid. Whataver has happened to Fozball, it is affecting multiple players as Manly start to slide out of finals contention. Paseka has been very close to a WH the last 2 weeks, so give him one more chance.

Sione Fainu (Tigers)

29 tackles, 6 runs for 41m in 47 minutes – (0.74 spm)

Fainu has now failed to score a WH in 3 of his last 4 matches which is giving me drop vibes. The Tigers form will be lazy for the rest of the season as they again find a way to self destruct just when they should be Galvinising for a finals run.Sione showed promise for a weeks but he has been unable to maintain consistent involvements and playing time.

SPUD POOL LOOKOUT

Oryn Keeley (Storm)

40 tackles, 18 runs for 155m in 80 minutes – WH (0.73 spm)

Keeley was impressive in his first start for the Storm, filling the role played by Eli Katoa. He is not quite as big a body as Katoa is but he runs the ball hard and has a better work rate in defence. The Storm will still be pushing for finals and Keeley could have a solid run of form over the next 2 months. He was only 2 involvements short of a DWH so if he is in your spud pool then find someone to make way for him.

Tyson Frizell (Knights)

34 tackles, 9 runs for 73m in 49 minutes – WH (0.88 spm)

Frizell could be a handy pickup over the next month as the Knights have lost Jacob Saifiti and Cody Hopwood to injury. He scored his 3 WH of the season and has scored 2 WH’s in his last 3 matches. Keep an eye on those returning players as once they are fit again, Frizell is a drop.

Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys)

28 tackles, 15 runs for 161m in 51 minutes – WH (0.84 spm)

Taumalolo is certainly not totally CEO irrelevant in 2026, scoring 12 ME’s for the season to go with just his 2nd WH of the year. The Cowboys are lacking an Alpha in their pack and it may just fall on JT to be that player. I know they are still trying to manage his workload but at some point they need him to lift another gear or two if they are going to play finals.

Ata Mariota (Raiders)

33 tackles, 9 runs for 94m in 49 minutes – WH (0.86 spm)

Is Mariota the man to take over from Hudson Young? He is probably their most experienced option at the moment but they could also move Sasagi back into the forwards or Hosking back to an edge and Horsburgh to lock. Either way Mariota should see increased minutes and he should be able to improve on his 5 WH’s so far this season.

WORKHORSE LEGEND

James Graham (Bulldogs/Dragons)

Sticking with the pommy theme, was there a bigger on-field character than James Graham? He absolutely wore his heart on his sleeve and would die on the field if it meant protecting a team mate or stopping someone in defence. He had a massive work rate, often taking multiple hit-ups in a set, especially when he played under Des at the Bulldogs. He led the Bulldogs to 2 Grand Finals in 2012 & 2014, falling short on both occasions. His mid season munch on Billy Slater’s ear was a lowlight in the 2012 decider which led to him missing the first 7 rounds of 2013. He strongest NRLCEO season came in 2016 whilst still at the Dogs, scoring 34 WH’s (10 of which were DWH’s) and 19 ME’s. His passion for the game of rugby league is still evident today as he manages a busy media career, including radio and his Bye Round podcast.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT……

Jaeman Salmon (Bulldogs)

34 tackles, 13 runs for 126m in 59 minutes – WH (0.80 spm)

Weak Gutted Dog no more!(well maybe a little bit). Salmon is in a rare patch of form at the moment, having scored 10 WH’s for the season (a career best) and a WH in each of his last 5 matches. He was just shy of a maiden DWH last week and if he continues his current form he may yet find a DWH before the season is done. I picked him up in a couple of comps so (shhh dont tell anyone) so if he is good enough for me……

Ethan Bullemor (Sea Eagles)

46 tackles, 15 runs for 116m in 80 minutes – WH (0.76 spm)

He has often impressed with his limited opportunity to start and the weekend was no different. He smashed out 61 involvements covering for Ben Trbojevic and he was one of Manly’s best. It is only his 2nd WH of the season but his limited minutes limit his opportunities to perform. Personally I would be starting him at prop with Paseka and have Hetherington and Laiafi coming off the bench. I would also trust him to play bigger minutes which would make him CEO relevant. The good thing is he is 26 years of age and signed at Manly until the end of 2029. Could next year be the year to make his mark?

Simi Sasagi (Raiders)

19 tackles, 23 runs for 204m in 80 minutes – WH (0.53 spm)

Run Simi Run! Dont let his low work rate fool you, Sasagi is definitely a WH forward, he just happens to have a bit of pace in him. I think his best position is back row as he runs great lines and is damaging with the ball. He scored a WH playing from centre on the weekend and even though it was just his 2nd WH of the season, he is a player that you just want in your squad.

WORKHORSE PACK OF THE WEEK

• Toby Couchman – 71 involvements
• Reece Robson – 62
• Cooper Clarke – 68
• Nat Butcher – 69
• Ryan Couchman – 64
• Isaah Yeo – 65