Workhorse Watch Round 17

Like a Tiger, Like a Tiger! Terrell May has hit top gear as he begins his charge towards back to back NRLCEO MVP titles. He still has a fair bit of work to do but with Jackson Ford now injured, May will almost certainly be the number one prop. There are plenty of concerns for CEO’s at hooker, with a number of starters being benched in favour of younger and faster models.

Big Burning Questions

• Can you really afford to miss out on a gun hooker early in a draft?
• Can Stefano shake the inconsistency and become the Storm’s alpha?
• Is Jeremiah Nanai the perfect CEO bench forward?
• Running off the back fence! Does Nathan Brown have one last NRLCEO surge left in the tank?
• Can Terrell May catch the MVP leaders?
• Is Tino finally about to hit his straps in 2026?

Workhorse Flow

In Round 17, 70 players scored a WH with 2 players scoring a DWH. The total WH’s being scored are currently trending down on last year. Interestingly, Round 17 was one of the lower scoring rounds for the season so we the drop in WH’s against last year cannot be attributed to the extra stoppages from points being scored. The amount of DWH’s scored this season is almost the same as last season up to Round 17, with 32 in 2025 compared to 33 this season.

WORKHORSE OF THE WEEK

Terrell May (Tigers)

52 tackles, 20 runs for 160m in 80 minutes – DWH (0.90 spm)

May has found his groove in 2026, scoring his 5th DWH of the season. He is now averaging a DWH (43 tackles & 18 runs for 150m) a match this season. Those CEO’s who were wondering if May was going to reproduce his CEO form from last year are now cashing in with May as captain.

WORKING HARD

Payne Haas (Broncos)

44 tackles, 16 runs for 195m in 80 minutes – DWH (0.75 spm)

It has been a disappointing return for CEO’s who invested in Haas as he has missed several games due to injury and Origin. He is not as valuable as Terrell May in NRLCEO but he is the first prop picked if you are building an NRL team. It is Payne’s first DWH of the season and he will need plenty more if he is to make up ground on his CEO points total from last season.

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (Titans)

50 tackles, 15 runs for 102m in 73 minutes – WH (0.89 spm)

Tino’s 65 involvements were his highest this season in a good sign for CEO finals. The Titans are improving with each game with their young spine and they need their captain to be leading from the front. Tino is normally good for a few crash over tries close to the goal line but he is yet to cross for a meat pie in 2026.

Harry Grant (Storm)

55 tackles, 10 runs for 64m in 80 minutes – WH (0.81 spm)

It is a star studded Working Hard this week as the young Storm wizard also salutes. Grant is well on track to surpass his 2025 season and is in the running for the NRLCEO MVP title. Given that the Storm need to win most of their remaining games, there is no risk of him being rested during the CEO finals. The only issue for CEO’s is the Storm have a bye in Round 24 so you will need a backup hooker for that finals week.

Phoenix Crossland (Knights)

64 tackles, 1 run for 9m in 80 minutes – WH (0.81 spm)

A very under rated player, Crossland has emerged as a regular WH scoring hooker in NRLCEO. If we are comparing him to someone like Harry Grant though, he is well off the pace (71 pts compared to 143 pts for Grant so far in 2026). Crossland is solely a defender and struggles with the attacking side of the game but he will score you a WH which is sometimes all you need.

HARDLY WORKING

Stefano Utoikamanu (Storm)

31 tackles, 6 runs for 54m in 45 minutes – (0.82 spm)

Stefano is fading as we head into the back end of the NRLCEO season, failing to score a WH in his last 2 matches. Usually when a player gets a taste for Origin they elevate their game to another level as they want to considered for selection in the years to come but Stefano still has some work to do on his consistency. The Storm need a genuine alpha prop and whilst he shows glimpses sometimes, he only ever produces on rare occassions.

Wayde Egan (Warriors)

28 tackles, 7 runs for 52m in 59 minutes – (0.67 spm)

If Samuel Healey plays then it is bad news for Egan owners. It is clear that the Warriors are transitioning Healey to be their long term hooker, which means Egan will have to settle for less game time barring injury or HIA’s. Both players are signed until the end of 2027 so it will be interesting to see if the Warriors pull the trigger on a switch to have Healey starting. This is unlikely at the back end of this season as they will need Egan’s experience in the big games to come, so look for it to happen early to mid next season.

Damien Cook (Dragons)

30 tackles, 5 runs for 63m in 55 minutes – (0.64 spm)

Cook has failed to score a WH in his last 2 matches. I am not sure how much Cook has left to offer CEO’s as the Dragons will look to give Liddle a chance to start for the remainder of this season. Cook will be moving on to the UK Super League in 2027 and despite the Dragons signing Connor Watson for a ‘gap year’, I expect Liddle to be their starter from next season. If you have Cook as your starting hooker coming into NRLCEO finals then you need a plan B and fast.

Jeremiah Nanai (Cowboys)

19 tackles, 13 runs for 98m in 80 minutes – (0.40 spm)

It is a good thing that this bloke can score tries cause otherwise he would be completely useless in NRLCEO. It begs the question, can you afford to rely on a player scoring 10-12 tries to cover the loss of WH points? He is obviously an aerial threat which is a weapon the Cowboys utilise when Nanai plays. If he was a regular WH scorer, he would be one of the top ranked back rowers in NRLCEO.

SPUD POOL LOOKOUT

Ata Mariota (Raiders)

33 tackles, 15 runs for 125m in 51 minutes – WH (0.94 spm)

Mariota has has a solid few weeks, scoring a WH in each of his last 3 games. He has seen an increase in playing time and similar to Simi Sasagi did, he is making the most of his opportunity. Keep an eye on the makeup of the Raiders bench each week as it may come down to how many other forwards they have named that could potentially play. Mariota is unsigned after this season so he also needs to show his best form in order to play for a new contract.

Preston Riki (Broncos)

30 tackles, 10 runs for 83m in 39 minutes – WH (1.03 spm)

Riki is starting to make his mark in the NRL after being given some time in the starting side due to injuries. He has scored a WH in each of his last 2 matches and has done it in quick time as well as he is playing limited minutes. I think Riki will be one to watch in future seasons, at 28 years of age he is already entering his prime and he could be a handy player for the Broncos in the post Payne Haas era.

Nathan Brown (Sea Eagles)

21 tackles, 19 runs for 170m in 52 minutes – WH (0.77 spm)

It is hard to imagine that Nathan Brown had one of the craziest scoring runs in NRLCEO history for a forward. In 2020 whilst playing for the Eels, Brown scored 122 pts in 13 matches, including 6 DWH’s and a TWH. Those days are clearly behind him but he is able to play a role off the bench for Manly and he could be a key player in getting them into the NRL finals. His trademark runs off the back fence have become essential viewing at 4 Pines Park!

Oryn Keeley (Dolphins)

DNP in Round 17

Keeley has made the move south to the Storm with immediate effect ahead of his 2 year contract starting next season. I expect Keeley to slot straight into the Storm starting side on an edge, especially given that Ativalu Lisati is expected to miss a few weeks with an injury. Keeley will develop his game under the watchful eye of Craig Bellamy and just watch him go next season! He will be a genuine sleeper in drafts next season so those in contract/keeper leagues should make a move for him now if you can.

WORKHORSE LEGEND

Corey Parker (Broncos)

The Broncos goal kicking back rower is our WH Legend this week. Parker was a rarity in NRLCEO, a goal kicking forward that scored WH’s for fun, he was almost a cheat code. He rarely looked tired on the field, having one of the best motors in the NRL during his career. Towards the back end of his career, he was a part of the side that lost the 2015 NRL Grand Final epic to the Cowboys. He would be named Broncos captain in 2016 only to retire at the end of that season as the 2nd highest capped Broncos player behind only Darren lockyer. In NRLCEO, his best season was in 2013 when he scored 10 DWH’s, to go with 5 tries and 53 goals. These days he is a rugby league analyst and commentator for Channel 7 and QLD radio.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT……

Oliver Pascoe (Titans)

45 tackles, 4 runs for 19m in 52 minutes – WH (0.94 spm)

One of the big questions this week was whether to hold Pascoe after he was subbed at half time in the previous week. He managed 52 minutes this time around and scored a WH due to his high work rate. With Sam Verrills on the move in 2027, Pascoe looks like being the starting hooker for next season as well, so his reduced minutes of late may just be to prevent burn out as it is his first season of NRL. Pascoe is certainly a hold for now and CEO’s will be hoping he can recapture some of that form he showed when he was first given the start back in round 12.

Eddie Ieremia-Toeava (Warriors)

33 tackles, 12 runs for 113m in 58 minutes – WH (0.78 spm)

Another young gun being given extended minutes off the bench, Ieremia-Toeava has shown that he has the WH goods. He has scored a WH in 2 of his last 3 matches, notably taking minutes off Tanner Stowers-Smith against the Dolphins on the weekend. There could be a consistent bench role for him for the rest of the season with Jackson Ford out long term and Leka Halasima also out indefinitely.

Loko Pasifiki-Tonga (Dragons)

33 tackles, 10 runs for 85m in 45 minutes – WH (0.96 spm)

This Dragons pack will be WOW in a few years. Pasifiki-Tonga has scored 4 WH’s in his last 6 matches to become a genuine bench option in NRLCEO, especially if you need injury or bye cover. At just 21 years of age he is only raw and could develop into a quality WH forward in the next couple of years. You get the sense that he may not be overly happy at the Dragons though, given that he had to publicly demand more playing time so he can show what he can do. He would be a very handy pickup for the Bears or PNG.

Tom Starling (Raiders)

12 tackles, 2 runs for 32m in 23 minutes – (0.61 spm)

How long will Ricky Stuart persist with Pattie as the Raiders starting hooker. I think it will be Starling off the bench for the rest of the season as the Raiders are now highly unlikely to play finals. This will give Pattie a chance to develop without the pressure of results effecting his performance. It is also a look at the future long term spine at the club, with Weekes, Strange, Sanders and Pattie. The more games they can play together now, the better is is for the team long term. Sorry Starling owners but its curtains for him this season.

WORKHORSE PACK OF THE WEEK

• Terrell May – 72 involvements
• Harry Grant – 65
• Josh King – 59
• Dylan Lucas – 65
• Hamish Stewart – 64
• Tino Fa’asuamaleaui – 65