Workhorse Watch Round 9
Luke Lewis’ return at five-eighth on the weekend got me thinking; Lewis has played just about every position on the field over the course of his career, starting out as a winger until eventually finding himself in the back row.
This then got me thinking about other players that have moved from the backs to the forwards as their career has progressed; what kind of a backline could you come up with using players who are now workhorses? A pretty handy one as it turns out.
At fullback is Kurt Gidley. Like Lewis, Gidley has played plenty of positions on the park and whilst his versatility has given him a wardrobe full of rep jerseys years it has also seen him shunted around the Knights line up depending on who else the club has on the books. This year he’s made hooker his proving a real find in the workhorse department which is generally the case when you’re a hooker for the team coming last.
On the wings I’d have the fore mentioned Lewis and Dragons captain Ben Creagh. Creagh made his debut on the wing before quickly switching to the centres and then eventually the back row. As I mentioned, Lewis has played just about everywhere and has done so at the highest level. These two just edge out Chris McQueen who is a top tier player but not a renowned workhorse.
The centres were probably the most hotly contested positions with plenty of centre/back rowers running around in the NRL. In the end I went with Matt Gillett and Simon Mannering based purely on their representative honours and their performance workhorse wise whilst playing in the forwards. Other players in contention were Beau Scott, Alex Glenn and Tohu Harris.
Five eighth was a tricky position to fill. Whilst the position of lock and pivot are interchangeable as ever in today’s game it’s hard to find players who played number 6 and progressed to become a genuine workhorse. Luke Lewis was of course the first that came to mind but I felt there had to be someone else I was overlooking. Braith Anasta and John Sutton were considered but neither look particularly comfortable when in the back row let alone as workhorses. Greg Bird and Paul Gallen are two players who definitely classify as workhorses and although they have played five-eighth at one time or another neither of them started there. Then I remembered Wade Graham and Mitch Aubusson. In the end I went with Graham who pushes Lewis to the wing and squeezes Chris McQueen out of the team.
Finally there’s the halfback and it’s hard to go past Ray Thompson. Thompson was forced into the hooking role at the beginning of last year following the arrival of Robert Lui and has ripped in with some really good workhorse numbers. Although injury has affected him this year (and every year) he, along with Matt Gillett are the only two players in my backline that scored double workhorse tries last year.
So, how did I go? Who did I miss? If you think I got it wrong be sure to leave a comment or hit me up on Twitter @geoffadams81,
WORKHORSE OF THE WEEK:
Adam Cuthbertson:
The Workhorse Watch has been keeping its eye on Cuthbertson in recent weeks high lighting his high stats per minute score in Round 5. He hit pay dirt on Sunday, registering a round high 70 involvements. His double workhorse try takes his 2014 tally to 6 which is equal to his total number of workhorse tries for last season. If he’s still on your competition’s free list then you’re not doing it right.
Also it’s great to see some fresh faces in the Workhorse Pack of the Week. What makes it better is the fact it wasn’t a split round or one that was affected by Origin. Well done to Kurt Gidley and Mitch Rein who made double workhorse tries and qualified for their first team of the week honours.
Meanwhile bad luck to Jamie Buhrer; the Manly back rower/hooker made 35 tackles and 20 runs for 153 metres. Some NRLCEOs may be wondering where his double workhorse was. As he was playing in the second row he must have 60 involvements to qualify. Had he been named at hooker then the 50 or more involvements would have kicked in. Then again had he played hooker I doubt he would have made 153 metres. The ruling on if he comes off the bench (and where he might play either back row or hooker or perhaps both through the course of the game) was a bit of a grey area but after I sought clarification the NRLCEO powers that be state “if he comes on as a replacement hooker, he needs to satisfy hooker criteria. If he comes on as anything else, he needs to satisfy back row criteria.”
WORKHORSE PACK OF THE WEEK (Round 9)
8. Adam Cuthbertson: 52 tackles + 18 hitups = 70
9. Kurt Gidley: 48 tackles + 10 hitups = 58
10. Josh McGuire: 42 tackles + 15 hitups = 57
11. Ashley Harrison: 45 tackles + 13 hitups = 58
12. Trent Merrin: 47 tackles + 7 hitups = 54
13. Shaun Fensom: 44 tackles + 15 hitups =59
14. Mitch Rein: 46 tackles + 11 hit ups = 57
15. Andrew McCullough: 56 tackles + 10 hitups = 66
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
Guess whose back in the No Cigar Club? That’s right… Our mate Tim.
Jesse Bromwich: 25 tackles + 14 hitups = 39
Matt Gillett: 25 tackles + 14 hitups = 39
Tim Mannah: 23 tackles + 16 hitups = 39
STATS PER MINUTE
Chris Houston. What a machine! The Knights forward had 40 involvements in just 26 minutes for an SPM of 1.54, the highest we’ve had this season. And it’s not like he was on his own and tackles were there for the picking. He had two teammates that had enough involvements to score doubles and make the team of the week. Remarkable!
Tyson Frizell had the second highest SPM of the week tallying 36 involvements in just 28 minutes (1.29SPM). Nigel Plum and Sam Kasiano had a strong SPM of 1.16 on the weekend with both having 29 involvements in 25 minutes. But I wouldn’t be looking at any of those guys to recruit in order to give you a lift over the Origin period.
Enter David Fifita. One of the most prolific workhorses in the NRL goes down with an ankle injury and you’ve got an exact carbon copy waiting in the wings! With no Andrew Fifita and with Paul Gallen set for Origin duties David’s inclusion last weekend could not come at a better time. He had 26 involvements in 24 minutes on Monday night (1.08SPM) and whilst 2 games with 24 minutes of game time in each does not a workhorse make, the variable factors of opportunity, work rate and pedigree are all very favourable: Worth a punt.
If he’s fallen back to the free list, Martin Kennedy might be worth a look too. Kennedy has copped some flack in internet land ever since it was announced that Ben Hannant was on the outer at the Broncos. People pointed to Hannant’s superior numbers but overlooked the fact that Kennedy gets half as many minutes. On Friday he played just 19 minutes but had 24 involvements (1.26SPM). I’m not sure what to make of rumours that Hannant will be at a new club within weeks or of Anthony Griffin’s strategy to only playing Kennedy for such a short time and then this week drop him, but what I do know is Origin is just around the corner and Kennedy won’t be running around in Queensland Cup on those weeks. Also some food for thought, Jarrod Wallace had 29 involvements in 27 minutes (1.07SPM) for the 8th best SPM of the round last week.
What’s happened to Boyd Cordner? In round 8 he played 80 minutes and had just 32 involvements (0.40SPM) and last week he only had 23 involvements (0.29SPM) despite playing the full game. He’s making great metres when he does run but his overall involvements have really dropped off? Anyone know why?
JUST QUICKLY
- Thanks Benji for finally making a decision and putting an end to my sleepless nights
- Full credit to the medical staff at all NRL clubs, the rate of recovery from last week’s injuries was superb
- If you’re a girl named Victoria Bitter, VB’s name on a shirt promotion is not so much of a big deal
Geoff Adams
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