Tackle % is on of three advanced statistics that I’ve created to look at player performance throughout the NRL season. If you’re new to the site, I’d recommend reading this post on Tackle %, which explains how it works and why I think it’s an imporant statistic for identifying high motor middle and interchange forwards.
The idea behind it is that most tackle statistics you see are just based on volume, and mainly highlight players like Jake Friend who make a massive amount of tackles or play large minutes. Most middle forwards and interchange players play limited minutes and wouldn’t ever show up on a top tackle chart.
Adjusting for minutes played and times helps identify those middle and interchange forwards who play with a high motor but don’t play huge minutes. Daniel Alvaro has been the king of this statistic previously, owning two of the three highest Tackle % rates over the past six NRL seasons, both at around 38%.
Here’s how the Tackle % chart looked for Round 13 without a minute restriction
After placing second last week, the king is in top spot again, with Daniel Alvaro making a tackle in nearly every second play the Warriors faced whilst he was on the field. Another huge effort and there’s no reason he shouldn’t be in the top seventeen at an NRL club after this season. Billy Walters, Josh King and Scott Sorensen also had a Tackle % over 40% this round.
Next we’ll look at those players who spent at least half a game on the field
Nathan Peats played a huge game for the Titans in their win over the Cowboys, playing 80 minutes and making 55 tackles for a Tackle % of 36.4%. Joe Tapine and Nelson Asofa-Solomona rounded out the top three this week.
Finally here is the season leader board for Tackle %
A trio of Titans – Jarrad Wallace, Nathan Peats and Jaimin Jolliffe) continue their stranglehold on the top three spots, with just 0.1% between Wallace and Peats for top spot. If Peats continues to play as he did on the weekend he’ll surely overtake Wallace in the coming weeks.
Jolliffe continues to impress, making a tackle on 33% of plays that the Titans are defending which is an outstanding workload for a rookie and he shows no signs of slowing down.
