Stat Attack: Blues backs boast pace advantage
When it comes to speed out wide on Wednesday night, the Blues will hold the edge in Townsville in the State of Origin series opener.
Telstra Tracker data shows the NSW backline will boast a pace advantage in Origin I with an average top speed of 34km/h compared to Queensland's 33.2km/h.
Those figures were calculated using the maximum velocity recorded this premiership season by all seven backs for each team.
Blues winger Josh Addo-Carr will go into Wednesday's clash as Origin's quickest man after being recorded at 38.1km/h.
His Maroons counterpart Xavier Coates is the only Queenslander to get near him numbers-wise having produced a sizzling 37.6km/h.
Storm star Addo-Carr is expecting to mark Coates. The second-last time they met, in round four, the Broncos youngster memorably dashed away from a diving "Foxx" for a long-range try.
Still, the speedometer remains in Addo-Carr's favour.
"I don't worry about that [statistical] stuff too much to be honest. If the opportunity [for a footrace] arises, I'll try and take it with both hands," Addo-Carr told NRL.com after NSW training on Sunday.
"I'm just happy to be a part of that 'speedster team'. There are a lot of speedsters in the NRL and I think the NRL needs speedsters.
"I'm glad I'm one of them."
Returning Blues centre Tom Trbojevic can lay claim to being the third-fastest player (35.9km/h) while Maroon Dane Gagai (35.7km/h) is the only other Origin star to have cracked 35km/h this year.
NSW hooker Damien Cook (PB of 34.9km/h) and Maroons second-rower David Fifita (33.2) rank as the quickest forwards. Discounting Cook, that honour for the Blues would go to Tariq Sims (32.2).
Across other Tracker categories, NSW halfback Nathan Cleary has averaged the most overall distance per match (9.32km). The Panthers star is trailed by Queensland halves Cameron Munster (8.99km) and Daly Cherry-Evans (8.84km) and Tom Trbojevic (8.76km).
Cleary again tops the relative distance (metres-per-minute) category with an average of 101.7 with his Penrith teammate Liam Martin - who has frequently come off the bench - the next best (96.1).
Munster (95.3 metres-per-minute) and centre Kurt Capewell (94.6) are the best of the Maroons bunch in that area.
Making it a clean sweep for the Blues at the top of the lists, Tom Trbojevic's average of 705 high-speed metres (20km/h or more) per match this season is the most across both states.
Coates (average of 609 high-speed metres) has also proven he can sustain his speed while Queensland pocket rocket AJ Brimson (489) could pose a threat for NSW with his zippiness off the interchange.
