Workhorse Watch Round 3

2024 NRLCEO Workhorse Watch Round 3 – Once Tohu was a Warrior!

Tohu Harris has been a workhorse warrior for quite some time now. He has always been a tackling machine but lately he has improved on his metres run which is a sign that he still has a few good years left in him. In Round 3 there were 61 players who scored a WH with no player managing a DWH.

WORKING HARD

Tohu Harris (Warriors)

52 tackles, 13 runs for 115m in 80 minutes – WH (0.81 stats per minute)

Tohu is the mainstay of the Warriors forward pack and has been a consistent CEO workhorse for many years. At 32 years of age his best years are now behind him, I wonder how long he can keep pace with the best workhorse forwards in our game. His draft priority has dropped in recent years so be mindful of drafting him to high next year as his output will surely drop soon.

Harry Grant (Storm)

55 tackles, 9 runs for 69m in 80 minutes – WH (0.80 spm)

The reigning CEO MVP makes his first appearance in the Workhorse Pack of the week with a huge defensive effort against the Knights. Despite a valiant effort, he was unable to lead the Storm to consecutive come from behind wins. He fell short of a ME this time but there is plenty of points to come from the best in our game.

Patrick Carrigan (Broncos)

45 tackles, 16 runs for 148m in 80 minutes – WH (0.76 spm)

Carrigan fell just short of a DWH for the second week in a row, this time missing out by a measly 2 run metres. Carrigan has certainly increased his workload in the absence of Payne Haas, if only he can grab that elusive DWH.

Hudson Young (Raiders)

45 tackles, 14 runs for 95m in 80 minutes – WH (0.74 spm)

It has been an excellent start to the season for Hudson Young, scoring a WH in each game so far and adding a try and a ME as well. He no doubt has the abilities but can he find the maturity needed to become a consistent performer at the highest level. At the moment he is one of the best back row options available and his draft position should reflect that.

HARDLY WORKING

Addin Fonua-Blake (Warriors) 

27 tackles, 12 runs for 146m in 48 minutes (0.81 spm)

There has been an early season trend of Front Rowers missing out on WH’s and AFB has missed out in all three matches so far. Its a good thing that he has scored two tries and a ME otherwise he would be leaving a sizeable hole in your team. It usually takes the bigger forwards a few weeks to get their match fitness up so hopefully he can turn his WH scoring around but its a concern if you have him.

Jaeman Salmon (Bulldogs)

30 tackles, 8 runs for 63m in 41 minutes (0.93 spm)

Do not be fooled into bringing Salmon into your squad as he just isn’t cutting it. He actually has a very decent spm of 0.93 but its his minutes that are the problem. Josh Curran, whilst not starting, is taking the majority of the minutes at lock when he comes on and looks a far better player. It may take some time for Salmon to develop into a WH performer after not being used to playing regularly in the forwards.

Shaun Lane (Eels)

25 tackles, 11 runs for 77m in 80 minutes (0.45 spm)

Dump him now or trade him away and don’t look back. Lane is a false dawn that will never arrive despite playing the full 80 minutes each week. Apart from a try in Round 2, he has nothing else to show on his 2024 CEO resume and I don’t think things will improve much moving forward. The Eels are going to Cartwright much more now and Lane has suffered because of it.

SPUD POOL LOOKOUT

Kurt Mann (Bulldogs)

42 tackles, 11 runs for 92m in 52 minutes – WH (1.02 spm)

Three matches played, three WH’s scored! If you are weak at lock then Mann is the answer. He has started form the bench every week but has still smashed out the involvements at an impressive rate. The bulldogs are light on forwards so his job security is very good, even if he is starting from the bench.

Thomas Hazleton (Sharks)

41 tackles, 12 runs for 104m in 57 minutes – WH (0.93 spm)

It could be a good few weeks coming up for Hazleton with the Sharks dealing with a few injuries in their forward pack. He may even start this week depending on the availability of Uele and Hunt, even so his minutes are likely to increase regardless. We saw that he has it in him with the extra minutes against the Tigers on the weekend so he is a very handy pick up for the next 4 to 6 weeks.

Jaiman Jolliffe (Titans)

36 tackles, 13 runs for 45m in 80 minutes – WH (1.08 spm)

Jolliffe is a must get if he is still sitting in your spud pool. Even before Tino went down with a season ending injury, it looked like Jolliffe would see increased minutes after being given the start at lock against the Bulldogs. Now he is certain to become a regular WH scorer for the rest of the year and if he starts at lock again next week he will earn dual Front Row/Lock status which is gold.

Fletcher Baker (Broncos)

33 tackles, 12 runs for 96m in 70 minutes – WH (0.64 spm)

His spm is a concern at a low 0.64 but he could be handy whilst Payne Haas is out injured. It seems he will start over Xavier Willison so he will be a better chance of scoring a WH for the next few weeks. His engine is not at the level required to be a regular WH scorer yet so he is a short term fix only for the moment.

WORTH MENTIONING….

Kai Pearce-Paul (Knights)

34 tackles, 15 runs for 136m in 80 minutes – WH (0.61 spm)

After three matches in the NRL it seems KPP has found his feet and the speed of the game. He has looked better each week and delivered a big performance (WH + ME) against the Storm. That edge spot is now his to lose after Dylan Lucas missed a match due to injury and KPP owners will be cheering that they held onto him.

Billy Walters (Broncos)

43 tackles, 1 runs for 3m in 58 minutes – WH (0.76 spm)

Walters now has two WH’s in three matches which equals his entire 2023 WH scoring. In both matches he scored a WH, the Broncos suffered a significant loss and were on the defensive for most of the match. Once they click into gear it is unlikely that Walters will continue to WH so monitor his minutes and the bench rotation of the Broncos forwards. I don’t think Walters will ever become an 80 min hooker at NRL level and it is only a matter of time before Blake Mozer gets his chance to take the number 9 jersey, even at the expense of the Coach’s son.

Thomas Eisenhuth (Dragons)

44 tackles, 7 runs for 46m in 55 minutes – WH (0.78 spm)

I would be cautious in adding Eisenhuth to your squad, especially with a lot of troops due to return at the Dragons. He certainly has the work rate to be a regular WH scorer but I don’t see him being a regular starter if all the Dragons forwards are fit. I see him being very enigmatic for the year and not someone who will have a consistent spot in the team.

Jack Williams (Sharks)

42 tackles, 8 runs for 68m in 67 minutes – WH (0.74 spm)

The heir apparent to the Sharks number 13 jumper a few years ago is still hanging around and is becoming more relevant. We mentioned the Sharks injury worries in their forwards and Williams looks set to add dual position (Back Row/Lock) to his resume after covering for Briton Nikora’s suspension. He scored seven WH’s from the bench last year and could be in for a decent run of form over the next few weeks.

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

8. Jake Trbojevic (1) (Sea-Eagles) – 55

9. Harry Grant (1) (Storm) – 64

10. Thomas Hazleton (1) (Sharks) – 53

11. Hudson Young (1) (Raiders) – 59

12. Jackson Ford (1) (Warriors) – 47

13. Tohu Harris (1) (Warriors) – 65

(1) – number of times featured in the Workhorse Pack of the Week

 

WH – Workhorse

DWH – Double Workhorse

ME – Metre Eater

DME – Double Metre Eater

SPM – Stats per minute played