Workhorse Watch Round 4

A crazy round of upsets in the NRL this week with the Knights, Tigers and Cowboys all beating their more fancied rivals. There was no DWH scored this week as a trend of quality players playing less minutes seems to be in vogue from some of the coaches. Big Tino continues to play reduced minutes to frustrate CEO’s, whilst the #1 overall draft pick this season Terrell May, is struggling to match last season’s heroics.

• Alex Twal 2.0 is the real deal!
• King takes the foot off as the Storm dissipates
• How would the Titans replace Fifita, thats Hau!
• Need a temporary number nine, just call the Corey hotline
• Panthers forwards are putting their feet up as the backs run riot
• Galvin is transforming right under our noses, he belongs in the pack

There were 69 WH’s in Round 4, down slightly on previous weeks, with no players scoring a DWH.

WORKHORSE OF THE WEEK

Patrick Carrigan (Broncos)

54 tackles, 14 runs for 129m in 80 minutes – WH (0.85 spm)

For the second week in a row Carrigan played the full 80 minutes and CEO’s will be disappointed that he couldn’t find the extra 21 metres to get the DWH. With no Payne Haas it was left to Carrigan to lead the Broncos engine room and he finished with a massive 68 involvements. He is the number one lock in NRLCEO but if he could find some more attacking stats he could become a legitimate MVP candidate.

WORKING HARD

Alex Twal (Tigers)

49 tackles, 15 runs for 126m in 70 minutes – WH (0.91 spm)

Twal is setting a new standard at the Tigers, taking coach Benji Marshall’s pre season words to heart. He looks like a different Twal to the player we have seen i previous seasons, averaging 122m a game over the first 3 rounds, compared to 85m a game last season. He has two ME’s already this season with his last ME coming in round 12 of season 2023, which shows just how much he has improved to start the year. If he can continue to play big minutes, he could be scoring some DWH’s this season.

Kobe Hetherington (Sea Eagles)

56 tackles, 7 runs for 62m in 73 minutes – WH (0.86 spm)

Kobe scores his first WH of the season in his 2nd start at prop for Manly (and most likely his last), sadly though he was just a tackling machine and didn’t go close to scoring a ME. It is safe to say he is not a prop, with opposition forwards salivating with him running the ball at them in the middle. Depending on how long Jake Trbojevic lasts this season, Kobe will likely be on the pine or starting at lock for most of the year, he is a trap!

Jackson Ford (Warriors)

47 tackles, 13 runs for 100m in 68 minutes – WH (0.88 spm)

Currently the number one forward in NRLCEO, Ford continued his strong start but could only manage a WH against the Tigers. There is still some conjecture about how the Warriors pack will look with Barnett approaching match fitness but Ford will find a way to continue to score WH’s.

Siua Wong (Roosters)

42 tackles, 17 runs for 119m in 80 minutes

Quite the under rated player Wong, going about his business without many people noticing. He has scored a WH in his last three matches, missing out in Round 1 as he started off the bench. He has also scored two ME’s which is now a non-negotiable for a back rower in NRLCEO. He is certainly not one of the best in his position but he will do a job for you. He is also sneaking closer to his first DWH!

HARDLY WORKING

Tom Starling (Raiders)

38 tackles, 1 run for 10m in 61 minutes – (0.64 spm)

Trust Ricky Stuart to ruin a good thing, taking Starling off just as he reaches his 39th involvement and replacing him with the weaker Brailey. Starling has proved that he can play for 80 minutes and his creativity out of dummy half would have been very handy as the Raiders fought back against the Sharks. Sadly I can see this continuing to happen over the coming weeks, as it did last season with Pattie coming on however Starling usually returned late in the game as a running forward to help spark the Raiders attack. Hold him for now but if you get a trade offer, think seriously on it.

Josh King (Storm)

28 tackles, 11 runs for 90m in 64 minutes – (0.61 spm)

After a very solid opening fortnight, King has struggled the last two weeks as the Storm fade late in games like they never have before. King has been in WH decline the last few seasons, peaking in 2023 with 21 WH’s but dropping to 15 WH’s in 2024 and just 12 WH’s last season. At 31 years of age I think it is clear that his best is now behind him and you should only consider him as a back up option in your squad.

Jacob Laban (Warriors)

26 tackles, 13 runs for 107m in 46 minutes – (0.85)

Its tough to put him in this category based on last weekend’s performance but overall he has been disappointing this season since earning a start on an edge. His 39 involvements and 107m was the best he has played, falling just 1 involvement short of a WH that would have complimented his Try and ME nicely. There are just so many workers in the Warriors pack and I think he will struggle to maintain a WH standard during the season. Even though he looked better playing just 46 minutes, I think you can cut him.

Lindsay Smith (Panthers)

25 tackles, 12 runs for 97m in 58 minutes – (0.64 spm)

With the Panthers blowing every other team away each week, their forwards are struggling for numbers. Smith missed a WH for the second time this season and he is averaging 38 involvements so far this season, compared to 51 involvements last season. Even Isaah Yeo was given an early mark against the Eels, something which we will continue to see if the Panthers have the result in hand early on.

SPUD POOL LOOKOUT

Xavier Willison (Broncos)

40 tackles, 13 runs for 90m in 44 minutes – WH (1.20 spm)

It seemed as though the Broncos had a ready made replacement for Payne Haas with Willison, until they signed Mitch Barnett. Now his future looks a little murky as a potential WH gun. For the time being though he could be a handy pickup as Haas labours with ongoing back issues which could affect his overall playing time. A work rate of 1.20 spm is sensational for a big man.

Sitili Tupouniua (Bulldogs)

29 tackles, 21 runs for 185m in 56 minutes – WH (0.89 spm)

An awesome performance from Sitili in a beaten team, smashing a WH and ME. He is a damaging ball runner and solid defender but he is in a pack full of workers and may struggle for minutes over the season. I think he has overtaken Josh Curran in the pecking order off the bench so he may be good for a few WH’s, it just depends on his minutes.

Billy Phillips (Panthers)

29 tackles, 14 runs for 102m in 49 minutes – WH (0.88 spm)

Phillips looks the goods and is certainly a name you want to remember for the future. With the six man bench now operating in the NRL, we get more opportunity to see other players stand up when teams face adversity with HIA’s and injury. Phillips was the beneficiary of Isaah Yeo’s early mark so I don’t think he will be CEO relevant at the moment, but for those in Contract/Keeper leagues, he is a player you will want to keep an eye on.

Corey Paix (Broncos)

54 tackles, 1 run for 4m in 69 minutes – WH (0.80 spm)

Paix looks set to be the starting hooker for the time being as Ben Hunt looks a shadow of the player he once was (possibly gone a season too long). Paix has scored a WH in his last two matches but he is just a defender so far with no attacking stats and barely any metres out of dummy half. If he continues to start he should be able to score a WH each week which could be handy for bye or injury cover.

WORTH MENTIONING

Arama Hau (Titans)

36 tackles, 10 runs for 161m in 80 minutes – WH (0.58 spm)

I think it is safe to say we will not be seeing Josh Patston any time soon. Arama Hau had a day out against the lowly Dragons, scoring two Tries, a WH and a ME in a man of the match performance. Hau has scored a WH in all four of his matches this season, along with two ME’s, his predecessor David Fifita could only manage two WH’s for the whole season. Hau is looking every bit an upgrade at at a bargain price.

Jayden Su’a (Dragons)

36 tackles, 16 runs for 150m in 80 minutes – WH (0.65 spm)

Su’a has been a force this season in a largely disappointing team. He has scored a WH and a ME in all four of his matches, whilst also adding a try in round 3. He is starting to look like one of the elite back rowers in NRLCEO but imagine what he could be with a decent pair of halves feeding him the ball.

Addin Fonua-Blake (Sharks)

21 tackles, 16 runs for 213m in 52 minutes – (0.71 spm)

Here we are again looking at AFB as the supposed missing link in the Sharks premiership hopes, however I just don’t see it happening. Inconsistency is preventing him from being a top tier Prop in NRLCEO as he misses a WH far too often in recent years. His running metres are good but he is not in the same ball park as Payne Haas or Keaon Koloamatangi in terms of work rate. You rarely see any aggression from him, something which is sorely missing from the Sharks pack. They seem to be happy to play their footy every year and get near the end but then wave goodbye as they watch the top tier teams roll through them. I think Addin has the potential to change that fate but he has to want to.

Lachlan Galvin (Bulldogs)

25 tackles, 22 runs for 203m in 80 minutes – WH (0.59 spm)

Galvin’s transformation into a lock forward is well under way as he continues to learn his game in the NRL. He is supposedly being asked to steer the Bulldogs around the park but I think they are simply getting as many reps into him as they can so that when he moves into a lock role he will have a clear method of how they want him to play in that role. Once he adds a bit more size he could be a real weapon in the 13 jumper but for the time being you could do worse than to name him on your bench 1 or 2 spot and score the half WH with a potential DME.

WORKHORSE PACK OF THE WEEK

• Kobe Hetherington – 63
• Damien Cook – 58
• Jackson Ford – 60
• Siua Wong – 59
• Noah Martin – 56
• Patrick Carrigan – 68