Brits Down Under: Hastings heroics, Thompson stars in defeat and Gildart features in NSW Cup
The sixth round of the NRL season is in the books and we again look at the performances and stats of the NRL’s British contingent.
Jackson Hastings
After missing three games due to suspension, Hastings returned with flourish with what was undoubtedly his best game since returning to the NRL. The former Salford and Wigan man was the Tigers’ star man as they put together a highly spirited win over a tough Parramatta side to earn them their first win of the season. The 26-year-old slotted the game winning drop goal to seal an incredible win for Michael Maguire’s side as well as putting together a starring performance. Overall, Hastings pulled all the strings for the Western Sydney side as he recorded 14 carries, 95 metres, 21 post contact metres, two offloads, one try assist and 19 tackles.
Watch: Jackson Hastings nails drop-goal to claim first Wests Tigers win
Tom Burgess
The 29-year-old again started at prop for South Sydney over the weekend. His Rabbitohs side comfortably saw off Canterbury with a 36-16 win. Now, despite only seeing 27 minutes of action, Burgess still made an impact in a short space of time. He had nine carries, 89 metres, 39 post contact metres, three tackle breaks and 20 tackles to his name. It now seems to be a recurring theme for the England international this season as despite not seeing a high number of minutes throughout games, he is still able to show his effectiveness with his size and powerful ball carrying proving difficult for teams to control.
Luke Thompson
The Bulldogs had no answer for the Rabbitohs attack on Friday. They found themselves on the end of a fifth defeat in six games. Despite their continued struggles as they look to rebuild, Thompson has certainly been one of their shining lights so far this year. That was again evident here. The former Saints man racked up the most tackles in the game by any player with a mammoth 55 whilst recording the third most metres by a Canterbury player with 132 from 15 carries.
Ryan Sutton
Sutton was back again at loose forward for Canberra after featuring mainly in the NSW Cup so far in 2022. The Raiders again struggled for consistency in attack. They failed to capitalise on a 12-0 half time lead to allow North Queensland to score 18 unanswered points and come away with an 18-12 win. In 53 minutes of action, the 26-year-old took 10 carries for 85 metres and 32 post contact metres whilst putting in a solid defensive effort with 37 tackles, the fourth most by a Raiders player.
Elliott Whitehead
The Canberra captain played the full 80 minutes in the loss to the Cowboys. But even in defeat, Whitehead again showed his toughness and class with another steady effort. The 32-year-old had eight carries, 52 metres and 22 post contact metres. He again showed his tireless work ethic defensively. He made the third most tackles throughout the game by a Raiders player with 40. Throughout the first six games, the former Bradford and Catalans star now has the third most tackles (158) and fourth most offloads (8) by a member of his side.
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George Burgess
The former Wigan prop forward started off the bench in the Dragons win over the Knights on Sunday. The 29-year-old saw 21 minutes of game time. He had a steady game with five carries, 36 metres, 12 post contact metres and 12 tackles.
Harry Rushton
The Raiders’ New South Wales Cup side may have been on the end of a 28-20 defeat to the North Sydney Bears, but it did not stop Rushton from furthering his cause for that first NRL call up with another exceptional performance. The 20-year-old had the most tackles in the game with 47. He recorded the second most metres by a Canberra player with 159 metres from 15 carries. The former Wigan youngster also had 81 post contact metres and two tackle breaks to add to another big game.
Oliver Gildart
After starting the first five games of the season for the Wests Tigers in the NRL, Gildart found himself dropped from the weekends match day squad against Parramatta. Michael Maguire decided on a substantial reshuffle of the side. However, the 25-year-old would feature in the NSW Cup for the Western Suburbs Magpies. Despite the Eels seeing of the Tigers feeder side with a 40-10 win, it was rather strong showing from Gildart. The former Wigan centre rediscovered some form, tallying the second most metres (122) by a Magpies player whilst recording 14 post contact metres, a linebreak, a linebreak assist and a try assist.
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