A 318 metre haul in a brilliant fullback cameo saw Joseph Manu dominate the count in the Round 16 VB Hard Earned Index Team of the Week.
Manu’s colossal effort while filling in for Blues skipper James Tedesco in the Roosters’ 18-16 victory over the Knights – which included six tackle busts and six offloads – resulted in an Index score of 110, 14 clear of the next best for the round.
The Kiwi is joined in the Team of the Week by fellow Roosters Daniel Tupou, Nat Butcher and Jake Turpin.
Manu was on a mission
Tupou clocked 20 runs for over eight metres on the wing, while Butcher thrived in his move to the front row, with an Index score of 92 helped by making eight decoy runs alongside 18 carries and 41 tackles.
Eels lock J’maine Hopgood had the round’s second-best Index score with 96, while a round-high 14 line engagements saw Ryan Matterson included after returning to the halves for Parramatta in the absence of Mitchell Moses.
Matterson is one of three Parramatta players in the team along with Andrew Davey and is listed in the halves with Sharks No.7 Nicho Hynes, who put the disappointment of being dropped from the Blues behind him to guide Cronulla to a 48-10 win over the Bulldogs.
Birthday boy Hynes bounces back
The 88-minute thriller played out between the Cowboys and Panthers was always going to produce some big metrics from players, and it was a massive effort off the bench from Lindsay Smith that headlined the Penrith representation.
The prop put his hand up for 19 carries along with making 35 tackles in an hour-long stint and is joined in the Team of the Week by centre Tyrone Peachey and fellow big men James Fisher-Harris and Matt Eisenhuth.
For the Cowboys, winger Kyle Feldt – who had 21 runs for gains of over eight metres – and forwards Griffin Neame and Jason Taumalolo made the cut.
Knights rookie Dylan Lucas marked his second start at NRL level with a selfless showing that included a round-high 12 decoy runs, along with 53 tackles with just one miss. The other Newcastle player included was veteran centre Dane Gagai, who registered nine tackle busts on his way to an Index score of 68.
VB Hard Earned Index: Round 16
1. Joseph Manu (Roosters) – 110 points
2. Kyle Feldt (Cowboys) – 69 points
3. Tyrone Peachey (Panthers) – 77 points
4. Dane Gagai (Knights) – 68 points
5. Daniel Tupou (Roosters) – 68 points
6. Ryan Matterson (Eels) – 76 points
7. Nicho Hynes (Sharks) – 52 points
8. Nat Butcher (Roosters) – 92 points
9. Jake Turpin (Roosters) – 49 points
10. James Fisher-Harris (Panthers) – 75 points
11. Dylan Lucas (Knights) – 81 points
12. Andrew Davey (Eels) – 81 points
13. J’maine Hopgood (Eels) – 96 points
14. Lindsay Smith (Panthers) – 83 points
15. Griffin Neame (Cowboys) – 80 points
16. Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys) – 77 points
17. Matt Eisenhuth (Panthers) – 77 points
Stats for the VB Hard Earned Index and Team of the Week are provided via Fox Sports.