SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 16: Martin Taupau of the Sea Eagles passes during the round 14 NRL match between the Manly Sea Eagles and the St George Illawarra Dragons at Lottoland on June 16, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Apologies for the recent break from the weekly format readers but we are back in action now with a new layout and another cracking week of footy to cover. Let me know if you prefer the new format or the old in the comments and I’ll get By the Numbers back to being a weekly review in addition to the Special Editions (Dragons mid-season review coming soon).

Raiders 22 
23 – The Raiders ran in 3 tries in the first 24 minutes for an ultimately unassailable 24-0 lead. The Green Machine ranks 5th in scoring on the year at 20.5 points per game.

76% - The Raiders completion rate on Thursday night, slightly down on their 79% season rate which ranks 3rd best in the comp.

defeated

Sharks 20
66 – Cronulla managed just a 66% completion against the Raiders, down on their mediocre 76% rate on the season, 3rd worst in the NRL
14 – The Sharks error count against Canberra continuing their season long issue with costly turnovers. The Sharkies have now committed the 4th most errors this season.

Titans 20    
54% - The Titans had more of the ball than the Warriors (54% to 46%) and completed their sets at an exceptional 89% but lacked the finishing to defeat the Warriors.
3 – Penalties conceded by the Gold Coast, well down from their season average of 6.7.
305 – Total points conceded by the Titans this season, 3rd worst in the NRL (Eels 306, Dogs 338).

defeated by

Warriors 24
91.3% - the Warriors effective tackle rate in Rd. 14, a big step up from their 10th rank this season to date.
12 – Offloads for the Kiwis, nearly double the Titans total (7). NZ continue to use 2nd phase play, ranking 5th in 2019 with 10.9 per game.
587 – post contact metres for NZ, a 29.9% increase on their season average 411.5 (12th)

Cowboys 26  

31 – Missed tackles by the Cowboys on Friday night. The Cows are the 5th worst on the season at 31.4 per game.
212.8 – Run metres per game for Jason Taumalolo, best in the NRL regardless of position and an incredible 36.7 per game more than the next best forward (David Klemmer, Knights, 176.1)
5 – Home losses with just 3 wins for North Queensland. Concerning for Cowboys not to be able to take advantage of home field this season.

defeated by

Wests Tigers 27
13 – In stark contrast to the Cows, the Tigers missed just 13 tackles in the game. Wests are 1st this season missing just 20.4 per game.
14 – Ineffective tackles for the Tigers. Ranked 2nd in the NRL with just 12.7 per game, their tackling efficiency is markedly improved from 2018 where they ranked 12th in effectiveness and dead last in missed tackles (38.3)

Storm 34
345 – Total points scored by the Storm on the season to date. Melbourne have scored 19 more than 2nd place Rabbitohs, who have played an extra game on the Storm, and damn near double the lowly Bulldogs tally (176).
48- Tackle breaks against the Knights. Melbourne ran hard all night against Newcastle, a strength of the team with a league leading 33.4 tackle breaks per game.
defeated

Knights 4
58% - The Knights really struggled to complete their sets against Melbourne, completing at just 58%. The Knights rank 5th in completion rate on the year at 78%
17 – The error count by the Knights, a season high for a club averaging just 9.1 per game.
5- Despite the belting on the weekend the Knights currently sit 5th on the ladder, their highest ladder position after 14 rounds since 2002 (4th

Rabbitohs 18
16 – The Bunnies error count Saturday night, well up on their season average of 10.9.
1,335 – Souths run metres, down 277.5 on their season average. Only one Rabbitoh forward, Dean Britt (118), managed over 100 metres – and he started on the interchange!
30 – Damien Cook was held to a season low 30 run metres by the Panthers who were much improved in controlling the ruck this week in restricting the elusive Cook.

defeated by

Panthers 19
4 – The Panthers have won 4 on the trot after starting the season 2-8
5 – Penalties conceded by Penrith, 2.9 down on their league worst average. This contributed to the rare occasion this year where the Panthers had more sets than their opponent (40 v 35)
445 – Receipts by the Panthers against the Bunnies, 59.3 up on their season average and testament to their willingness to spread the ball and move it through the hands.

Eels 38  
1,929 – The Eels ran all over the Broncos on their way to 1,929 metres, bumping their season average up to 2nd in the NRL at 1,611.6.
17 – Parra played freely with 17 offloads, 6 above their average and ramping up their scoring by 11.8 over their season average (22.2).
5 – Parra have 5 wins and 2 losses at home with a reverse split away with 2 wins & 5 losses. Parra need to improve their away form to play finals.

defeated

Broncos 10
10 –The Broncos coughed up 10 errors in the rout, contributing to their 77% completion rate The Broncos rank 12th in the comp this year for completion rate and 11th in possession % (47.1).
27 – ineffective tackles by the Broncos along with 33 missed tackles continued the Broncos season long struggles with slowing their opposition. Brisbane ranks 2nd worst for ineffective tackles on the year.

Sea Eagles 34 
58% - The Sea Eagles dominated possession against the Dragons with a whopping 58% at Lottoland on Sunday. Manly are tied for 4th on the season (50%) for possession rate.
2,008 – Manly ran wild on Sunday, topping the round with a massive 2,008 run metres, 419 metres up on their season average which sits 3rd in the NRL
21 – Manly had an eye-popping 21 offloads the Dragons, with Sironen (5), Tapau (4), Turbo Tommy (4) and Fainu (3) leading the way. Manly now leads the NRL in offloads per game at 12.0 per game.

defeated

Dragons 14
47 –The Dragons whiffed on 47 tackles in their poor showing against Manly. The Dragons were forced to make 385 tackles, 55 more than their average, with the fatigue clearly showing in the 47 missed & 29 ineffective tackles.
2 – The Dragons carried just 2 traditional forwards (Lawrie & Leilua) on their bench against Manly. Yes, I bang on about this, but seriously... Enough already Dragons. Robinson (Hooker) & Field (Half) were the other interchange players and the extra minutes the starters had to play clearly contributed to the defensive lapses.

Roosters 38
6 – The Tri- Colours broke the Dogs line 6 times on Sunday, continuing the Roosters strong season for linebreaks (6th).

7 – The 7 tries that the Roosters ran in against the Dogs moved them up to 2nd in the comp at 3.9 tries per game.
42% - Latrell Mitchell struggled with his kicking game again on Sunday, converting 42% (3 of7) kicks. The Roosters continue to leave points on the field each week, converting just 75% of their kicks this season, 4 worst in the NRL, and a clear area in need of an upgrade.
defeated

Bulldogs 12
41 – The Bulldogs missed 41 tackles against the Roosters, an area they continue to struggle with. Averaging 34.4 missed tackles per game leaves them ranking 3rd worst in the comp this season.
89% - The Bulldogs continued to complete their sets at an elite rate, 89% against a strong Rooster defence. On the season the Dogs are tops in the game at an 80.1% completion rate but continue to struggle to score points, dead last with 12.6 per game. If they continue this scoring rate they will end up down with the 2016 Knights (2017) for the worst scoring output of the decade.

All Stats courtesy of NRL.com

Thanks as always for reading. Remember to give your feedback on the changed layout in the comments and as always, best of luck to your club on the weekend.
Trust in the Data

Scoop

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