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Mike Meehall Wood is a rugby league writer, Celtic supporter and cricket tragic. He has written extensively about rugby league for publications in the UK and Australia, and about sports more widely for Forbes, VICE, LADbible and more.
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The NRL’s hip drop drama has gone into overdrive with Latrell Mitchell binned in Souths’ 42-26 win over Parramatta – while Joe Ofahengaue was…
Why do we ever doubt them? The Panthers went to the Shire as outsiders and walked back to the sheds for half time 28…
James Tedesco has provided Michael Maguire with a handy reminder of his Origin credentials with a superb showing as the Roosters blew out the…
Manly can be one of the most entertaining teams in the NRL to watch, and one of the most confusing. Once again, they have…
Valentine Holmes may well join the list of Origin outs after being binned for a hip drop in the Cowboys’ 42-28 victory over the…
Manly coach Anthony Seibold has picked out the increased pace and duration of the NRL in 2024 as a key factor behind the spate…
All good things come to an end - and that includes Bayern Leverkusen's epic unbeaten run, which is over after 51 games following a…
In many ways, sacking the coach is the easy bit. Sure, you have to go and break the bad news to someone you’ve worked…
Parramatta CEO Jim Sarantinos has denied that star recruit Zac Lomax has a clause that could allow him to backflip on his deal following…
The end of Round 11 might not seem the obvious place to stop and take stock of the rugby league world, but it is…
Magic Round delivered big time. Some smart-alec columnists - can't think who - suggested that it might be an injury-riddled series of blowouts, but…
Just when you think the Wests Tigers have done everything to sabotage themselves, they find another way to lose. This 24-12 defeat to the…
The story of State of Origin so far has been the injuries in the NSW camp, but a scare has gone through the Queensland…
The Warriors have pulled off one of the upsets of the season, downing the reigning Premiers Penrith 22-20 at Magic Round despite missing a…
From the sublime to the ridiculous. It’s a fair assessment of Saturday at Magic Round, where one of the games of the season, a…
Tomorrow morning we’ll see Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Uysk dispute the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world in the heat of Saudi Arabia, and…
Michael Maguire's start to life in the NSW hot seat has been wrought with bad luck - and it only got worse at half…
The NRL has a strange relationship with its referees. Everyone loves chatting about officiating, of course, but that’s all sports everywhere. In the grand…
Park for a minute that most rugby league fans think that the Roosters losing out on a player is hilarious. Park again that most…
The annual pilgrimage to Brisbane has become one of the most anticipated weekends of the year for NRL fans. Eight matches, three days, one…
Kevvie Walters got 15 minutes away last year and there’s not been an English coach since 1997.
An alternative way to think of it is that a third of the last 12 Premierships have been won by coaches who got their start in the UK, so if you can’t get Craig Bellamy or Ivan Cleary, your next best bet is the Super League…
Four coaches who should be in the mix to replace Arthur - and the absolutely worst candidate who already is
I think the performances of the Wests Tigers in just about every other season of their existence tell you how much of an outlier 2005 was.
I’d say they were the last gasp of the entertainment era, too: 2005 saw three SL teams top 1,000 points. Only one side (Warrington 2011 under Tony Smith) have done it since.
End of an era: Are we seeing a new style of rugby league tactics developing before our eyes?
Promote the football, back up. His coaching tree in the UK is massive and, at least in the media, gets a much fairier treatment back home to here. As a coach he was miles ahead of pretty much everyone else tactically.
End of an era: Are we seeing a new style of rugby league tactics developing before our eyes?
I learned from the best
End of an era: Are we seeing a new style of rugby league tactics developing before our eyes?
Walsh and DCE would kick every week for other clubs. Both are near enough 90% this year when Reyno/Garrick haven’t been available. Walsh did kick at Wahs.
Nicho currently top of NRL among regular GKers at 93%, Api next best among Origin at 86%. Both better than Cleary (82%) and Holmes (who has been dreadful, 74%).
Critta yet to attempt one for Dogs but was 84% last year at Panthers and 82% the year before, so no slouch. Lomax is rubbish though, career sub-80% kicker.
Five and a kick: Why the Blues should pick their team around Nicho Hynes - and why time is up for Arthur
‘Makes me sick how far we done fell’: Me, a Manly supporter, watching another lead slip.
NSW turmoil continues as Turbo's hamstring goes again and Manly chuck away another lead in Dolphins disaster
I wish there was a stat on organisation but there isn’t really. Edwards might well be excellent at it but from what you hear from people, it might be Tedesco’s best quality.
Fullback to the future: Why Madge’s No.1 choice for Blues jersey will define how his side plays
Every player plays injury all the time pretty much.
I’d love him not to play at all (as someone who cares if Manly win, but doesn’t give a stuff about NSW) but it won’t factor in for a second. If he’s playing for Manly he’ll be playing for NSW.
Fullback to the future: Why Madge’s No.1 choice for Blues jersey will define how his side plays
No worries, always have spare stats to throw in so might as well share em.
Fullback to the future: Why Madge’s No.1 choice for Blues jersey will define how his side plays
Is this my burner account?
Fullback to the future: Why Madge’s No.1 choice for Blues jersey will define how his side plays
For me
1. Turbo
2. To’o
3. Critta
4. Wighton
5. Edwards/Foxx (actually don’t care)
6. Burton
7. Cleary
Big bodies, big boots. Play the game at QLD’s end. If Wighton doesn’t wanna do it, Mitchell to centre. If he doesn’t, Burton to centre and Luai to 6.
Fullback to the future: Why Madge’s No.1 choice for Blues jersey will define how his side plays
Sorry yes my mistake. Good job we have an edit function.
Fullback to the future: Why Madge’s No.1 choice for Blues jersey will define how his side plays
‘Can Madge can zhuzh up the Blues?’ is a headline I’ll keep up the sleeve
Fullback to the future: Why Madge’s No.1 choice for Blues jersey will define how his side plays
I’d refer you to the errors=success bit on Turbo. He makes a lot of errors but a decent chunk are while he’s trying to make something happen. Passes that don’t come off, dropping the ball close to contact etc etc.
Were it me picking the team, I’d say you could get the good bits of Edwards on a wing while maintaining the best of Turbo at FB.
Fullback to the future: Why Madge’s No.1 choice for Blues jersey will define how his side plays
Depends…if they’re returning a kick they do but there’s also all the other times. Turbo is taking around 2 more non-kick return carries per game than Edwards so it’s a difference in total yardage that’s certainly worth pointing out.
Fullback to the future: Why Madge’s No.1 choice for Blues jersey will define how his side plays
Edwards pass per run ratio os 0.79, Teddy 0.71, Turbo 0.82. So Teddy passes marginally less, but all three are fairly similar. For comparison, both QLD options are 0.95ish, so almost equally likely to pass or run.
Fullback to the future: Why Madge’s No.1 choice for Blues jersey will define how his side plays
It’s ironic because the absolutely most proven way of changing behaviour is in-game sanctions. Post-match bans are terrible for players and not great for clubs, reds and yellow are terrible for clubs and not great for players.
If you want to start driving immediate change, start sending players off and see how quickly clubs adapt.
Tackle it head on: Finucane and Lewis can teach the NRL why concussion rules have to change immediately
Have you been to Homebush?
Tackle it head on: Finucane and Lewis can teach the NRL why concussion rules have to change immediately
The top 5 of your roster win in the finals, but 18-30 are the ones that get you to the finals in the first place.
Too old, too slow: Do these two stats explain why Souths have fallen off a cliff in 2024?
Leg speed is a woolly phrase that I find very hard to back up with any numbers – but the numbers are clear that the Panthers generate far more of their yardage through backs, which does help the forwards be more impactful on the carries they have and to save their legs for line speed.
Too old, too slow: Do these two stats explain why Souths have fallen off a cliff in 2024?
Horses for courses I’d say – he prioritised culture building at Redcliffe for one, and for two, he’s not expected to win the Premiership. If you want a third, the Phins are the single most conservative side with ball in hand, likely to maximise negative possession.
Too old, too slow: Do these two stats explain why Souths have fallen off a cliff in 2024?
Returns are a pretty inconsequential part of total yards – On Sat night there were 21 distance kicks, 12 kick-offs and 4 dropouts from a total of 384 runs, so that’s just shy of 10% of all runs that were from returns, assuming that all kicks were returned and all dropouts were long (which they weren’t). Not a big chunk at all.
A fullback like Dylan Edwards might get 50% of their metres in KRM and a good winger might get 25% but the other 11 blokes get basically zero.
KRM was seen as linking to success for a bit but is now largely attributed to specifically the way that Penrith play, everyone else has different methodologies.
Statistically speaking, total yardage is about the other plays, which is why MPR is such a useful number to have.
Too old, too slow: Do these two stats explain why Souths have fallen off a cliff in 2024?
Stokes > Stakhanov
Five and a kick: Joey Manu is not the Roosters' best fullback, unless they want to run him into the ground
Turbo
Walsh
Teddy
Ponga
Manu
Latrell can’t be there on form, Edwards/CNK great yardage but not great elsewhere, Papi maybe but obvs injury prone, Hammer/Kennedy/Drinkwater just that level below, love Gutho for all his effort but he’s not the best of the best at 1.
Manu would be better than DE or CNK if he played there every week, I’d say he’s closest to Turbo in style but yet to prove over a long enough period that he’s that quality (as a FB at least, he’s best centre in the world for mine)
Five and a kick: Joey Manu is not the Roosters' best fullback, unless they want to run him into the ground
Stylistically they and the Cowboys are…not saying they are the most successful at it, just they’re just trying the most stuff. All the underlying data agrees on this.
As for the schedule…Manly are tenth and have played 5 games against teams below them, 6 against teams above…so pretty down the line centre I’d say.
Compare to Phins, who have played two teams in the current top 8 from their 10 games (Knights and Bronx, lost both) or Dragons who have played three (Phins Sharks and Roosters, lost all three combined score 118-28)
End of an era: Are we seeing a new style of rugby league tactics developing before our eyes?