Workhorse Watch Round 8

How good is it seeing the new and improved Alex Twal! He is one of the big reasons that the Tigers are winning games and it would be fascinating to get an understanding of what has changed for him to be in this kind of form. Injuries and suspensions continue to cause chaos for CEO’s as we continue our search for ‘the next WH gun’ in order to maintain a WH scoring pack. At the moment you want either Ford or Twal and if you have both then we salute you!

• Thomas Flegler struggling to get back to pre injury form, is he cooked?
• If AFB is not the Sharks missing puzzle piece, then what is?
• Wakeham to the limit, have the Sea Eagles found their next #9?
• Fifita who? Duncan is the Rabbitohs real edge weapon
• Keaon on reduced minutes just means his a normal forward right?
• Bellamy promises change, is the love affair with Chan over?

WORKHORSE OF THE WEEK

Alex Twal (Tigers)

58 tackles, 22 runs for 157m in 80 minutes – DWH (1.00 spm)

Twal scored his third consecutive DWH and he is showing no signs of slowing down, consistently playing the full 80 minutes without even looking fatigued. It is unclear what has changed for Twal in 2026, is it fitness or desire, whatever it is the Tigers are much better for it. He is well on track to record a career best NRLCEO season, needin only to surpass his 107 points from 2021.

WORKING HARD

Jackson Ford (Warriors)

59 tackles, 21 runs for 186m in 80 minutes – DWH (1.00 spm)

Currently averaging a DWH each week, Ford has almost reached 100 points this season after 8 rounds (96 pts). We can only admire those courageous CEO’s who did not lose faith in him this season. We keep asking if he can maintain this high work rate and he just keeps delivering, I think Andrew Webster just assumes he will play 80 minutes every week and forgets about giving him a rest.

Tom Gilbert (Dolphins)

53 tackles, 11 runs for 85m in 65 minutes – WH (0.98 spm)

Gilbert has managed to play in all 7 games for the Dolphins this season, scoring a WH in each of them. The worry for Gilbert is that in two of the last three seasons, he has failed to make it past round 12. He has suffered a season ending injury in each of the last three seasons and CEO’s will be hoping he can play through this season without getting injured. If you have Gilbert and can cover him, it would be a sneaky good time to trade him out just in case something was to happen to him again.

Toby Couchman (Dragons)

47 tackles, 16 runs for 123m in 71 minutes – WH (0.89 spm)

In coach Dean Young’s first game in charge, Couchman was able to play the most minutes he has this season (71 minutes). This is a good sign for CEO’s as we need him to increase his running metres so he has a chance at scoring some DWH’s. He has already improved his running metres from last season (avg 97m a game) up to 123m a games this season. At just 22 years of age he will be among the top front rowers in our game for many years and a great candidate for a contract/keeper league.

Kulikefu Finefeuiaki (Dolphins)

48 tackles, 12 runs for 106m in 80 minutes – WH (0.75 spm)

Finefeuiaki has been one of big improvers in 2026, averaging 9pts a game this season (up from 4 pts a game last season). He has become a weapon for the Dolphins on an edge and is running consistently high metres, averaging 160m a game. He scored a try in rounds 1 and 2 but has not scored again since, if he can manage to cross the line a few more times it will elevate him into the top tier of back rowers in NRLCEO.

HARDLY WORKING

Thomas Flegler (Dolphins)

25 tackles, 11 runs for 90m in 42 minutes – (0.86 spm)

Six games into the season for Flegler and all he has to show for it is a sin bin. It was always going to be a tough ask for him to get back to his previous form after such a long lay off with injury. If he is still sitting in your squad then you must be a distant relative of his as he is not going to do anything for you this season.

Luke Garner (Panthers)

24 tackles, 12 runs for 81m in 59 minutes – (0.61 spm)

Despite starting in the back row for the Panthers since Liam Martin was injured, Garner has failed to trouble the WH scorer, with only one WH for the year coming in round 1. It doesn’t help him that the Panthers are dominating teams but 59 minutes should be enough for a genuine worker to score a WH.

Naufahu Whyte (Roosters)

21 tackles, 13 runs for 122m in 35 minutes – (0.97 spm)

Whyte has just fallen off the map, failing to score a WH since round 1 and failing to score a ME in his last three matches. The game is simply too fast now for players like Whyte and he will likely need an off season to adjust his body and fitness to suit the modern game, the same for which can be said for a few other forwards as well. If you are still holding on to him, don’t be daft, he is a drop!

Addin Fonua-Blake (Sharks)

19 tackles, 13 runs for 111m in 53 minutes – (0.60 spm)

AFB is in a similar position to Whyte, he is just not suited to a faster version of NRL. Either that or he is enjoying his holiday at Cronulla and is not the missing piece to their premiership puzzle as some thought he was. I have never been a fan of his and have never drafted him in CEO, as hard as it is to do I would be dropping him, or at the very least offering him up in a trade.

SPUD POOL LOOKOUT

Saxon Pryke (Eels)

34 tackles, 9 runs for 73m in 56 minutes – WH (0.77 spm)

With further injuries to the Eels forwards, most noticably Dylan Walker, Pryke could find himself thrust into a starting role in the 13 jumper. He has been solid in his first two NRL matches, scoring a WH in both, playing just under 60 minutes. Even if not now, he is a player of the future for CEO’s, a high work rate and he loves running the ball.

Morgan Smithies (Raiders)

39 tackles, 10 runs for 64m in 53 minutes – WH (0.92 spm)

Smithies could find himself in a starting prop role whilst Josh Papalii is out injured, leading to some potential WH scoring in this time. He was seen to be out of favour, moving to the bench when they are at full strength, but he has scored two WH’s in his last three matches giving hope that he may not be a spent force just yet. He has a tremendous work rate and only needs to play approx 45 minutes to score a WH. He is also now a dual position Lock/Front Row which makes him handy for bye cover.

Brandon Wakeham (Sea Eagles)

41 tackles, 2 runs for 32m in 69 minutes – WH (0.62 spm)

Manly must not have great belief in Jake Simpkin, which begs the question ‘why did they sign him?’. He should be their starting hooker but instead we get Wakeham who managed to score his first ever WH since starting at hooker. He is a risky pickup for mine, as Simpkin will always be on the bench, but he is worth monitoring as it is working for Manly at the moment.

Sitili Tupouniua (Bulldogs)

40 tackles, 9 runs for 76m in 59 minutes – WH (0.83 spm)

Sitili is such a high energy player who is either running at full tilt or belting blokes in defence. He scored his second WH of the season on the weekend as the Dogs continue to struggle. With King and Kikau injured and Harry Hayes suspended this week, Sitili is a decent pickup as he could potentially start or play bigger minutes off the bench.

WORTH MENTIONING

Tallis Duncan (Rabbitohs)

31 tackles, 17 runs for 134m in 80 minutes – WH (0.60 spm)

Forget David Fifita, Duncan is the Rabbits real edge weapon. For a couple of weeks he missed a WH but he bounced back to form with a WH in both of his last two matches as well as a three try haul against the Storm. If he can become a consistent WH scorer then he will be amongst the eilte back rowers in our game moving forward as he can also find the try line, scoring nine tries in 2025 and four tries so far this season.

Xavier Willison (Broncos)

34 tackles, 20 runs for 134m in 75 minutes – WH (0.72 spm)

Its a great sign for Broncos fans, seeing Willison power his way through 75 minutes of quality work. Despite signing Barnett, Willison is their future gun and he has shown over the last few weeks that he is up to the task. He will remain relevant this season as long as the Broncos have injuries, otherwise he will struggle for a WH coming off the bench when they are at full strength.

Keaon Koloamatangi (Rabbitohs)

21 tackles, 19 runs for 170m in 59 minutes – WH (0.68 spm)

Keaon is dealing with an MCL injury at the moment, seeing his playing time considerably reduced. The last 2 weeks he has only just managed to score a WH, finishing on exactly 40 involvements. Be wary of having him as your captain for the time being as he will likely be rested at some point so that he is fit for the end of season games.

Joe Chan (Storm)

26 tackles, 11 runs for 83m in 68 minutes – (0.54 spm)

How quickly things can change in NRLCEO as Chan struggles to maintain the form that saw him off to a flyer this season. He has failed to score a WH in two of his last three matches, one of which he was hooked, and with Bellamy promising changes to thier lineup it could be Chan on the chopping block.

WORKHORSE PACK OF THE WEEK

• Jackson Ford – 80
• Phoenix Crossland – 57
• Tom Gilbert – 64
• Max Plath – 58
• Kulikefu Finefeuiaki – 60
• Alex Twal – 80