Cleary and Fay stand out in pursuit of Finals glory

Author: NRL.com
Timestamp: Wed 28 Sep 2022, 12:52 PM

Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary clocked over 10 kilometres of running on the Telstra Tracker as he guided his side to a third-straight Grand Final appearance last Saturday.

His haul at Accor Stadium put him 799 metres clear of the next best – his halves partner Jarome Luai – with playmakers occupying the top six spots in that category.

When it came to distance travelled at high speeds, there was no beating Cleary’s Panthers teammate Izack Tago, who finished the game with 623 metres of running above 20 km/h and 236 metres of sprinting (speeds above 25 km/h).

Tago crosses as Penrith extend the lead

But his maximum speed of 31 km/h wasn’t enough to get anywhere near the top, with that honour going to Latrell Mitchell, who was clocked on the Tracker at a round-high 33.7 km/h, a whopping 1.8 km/h clear of the next best, Stephen Crichton.

In a losing side, South Sydney centre Isaiah Tass’s effort stood out, with the 23-year-old ranking second in high distance running with 607 metres, and third for sprint distance with 154 metres.

As the Eels produced the upset of the season to beat the previously undefeated Roosters and book their spot in the NRLW decider, it was winger Zali Fay who led the way with a huge 80-minute effort.

The 21-year-old dominated Tracker data for the round, finishing in the top five of every category measured, which included topping sprint distance (metres > 21 km/h) with 346 metres.

In total Fay clocked up 7,447 metres of running in her side’s 24-10 win, with 762 metres of that achieved at speeds above 17.5 km/h.

In both of those categories she ranked second behind Roosters fullback Samantha Bremner – who was the round’s other individual standout – leading the way with 7,588 metres in total distance and 768 of high speed running.

Bremner achieved the top speed for the round as well, hitting 29.8 km/h, to put her ahead of teammate Zahara Temara (27.1 km/h) and Fay (27 km/h).