Brits Down Under: Whitehead grabs another assist & Farnworth racks up the metres
After round 21 we look at the performances and stats of the NRL’s British contingent as the regular season starts to wind down.
Herbie Farnworth
The 21-year-old was in fine form over the weekend despite Brisbane’s 28-20 loss to Newcastle. The talented centre bagged a try on top of recording the most metres in the game by a Broncos player with 190 whilst proving very difficult to contain as he secured 57 post contact metres, seven tackle busts and two line breaks. It has been a tough year all round for the Queensland side, but Farnworth has clearly been one of the shining lights for Kevin Walters’ side as he continues to develop and establish himself as one of the premier centres in the league.
Tom Burgess
The barnstorming prop forward has been nothing short of a machine for the Rabbitohs this season. The 28-year-old continues to be one of the cornerstones of the South Sydney forward pack with his powerful ball carrying setting him apart from most. It was a similar story in their 40-12 win over Parramatta as Souths kept pressure on Penrith and Melbourne just above them in the ladder. Against the Knights, Burgess recorded another 100-metre plus game with 112 whilst also securing 41 post contact metres, two tackle busts and 30 tackles in another big effort.
Elliott Whitehead
The dynamic second-rower again worked quietly in the background as Canberra kept their finals hopes well and truly alive with a 20-12 win over St George Illawarra. The 31-year-old worked tirelessly in defence with 32 tackles and produced a moment of class offensively with a perfectly timed grubber kick that allowed Jordan Rapana to score Canberra’s first try of the game. Altogether this season, Whitehead now has the third most tackles (504) and the third most try assists (6) by a member of Ricky Stuart’s side.
Josh Hodgson
It was another well measured and solid display from the veteran number nine as he continues to show his influence in the Canberra spine. It was nothing extravagant or flashy but just a well-balanced effort, managing the game so well and leading the side in tackles with 38 to further cement his spot as Canberra’s top tackler this year with 603, a number which also sees him have the 11th most in the entire league.
Ryan Sutton
The 26-year-old had a much quieter affair this week as he made his return from an injury that had seen him miss out the week before. It was not to be the high-octane effort we have been used to seeing as he recorded 54 metres, 14 post contact metres and 16 tackles in the Raiders’ win over the Dragons. However, there is no doubt this has been Sutton’s best year in the NRL to date, recording the second most metres (1,980) and the second most tackles (513) by a Canberra player so far this season.
