Annual NRL Forum Poll Awards 2007: Fullback

[Azkatro]

I may well be biased. I think McKinnon has been outstanding all year but I think what's significant is his *improvement* has been outstanding. If Bowen was doing nothing in particular before 2007, and he had the year he's had so far, I think he'd be getting more votes.

If you take the level of this year's improvement out of the equation I don't see how McKinnon has been a better fullback overall in 2007 than Matt Bowen. Charlie124's comments pretty much sum it up for mine.

Just thought I'd add that the one stat McKinnon is ahead of Bowen on is kick return metres, which is a huge stat, but on the stats of tries, tackles, line breaks, and line break assists Bowen is ahead. That's ignoring any stats that relate to kicking which obviously aren't worth considering because McKinnon doesn't have a kicking game.

Plus you can't ignore the fact that Bowen has single-handedly won at least two games - without any possibility of arguing the point - this year, once against the Wests Tigers and last weekend against the Raiders.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Stats from the main 3 guys

Bowen, 18 tries, 24 Line Breaks, 8 Line Break Assists, 4 Try assists, 112m per game, 161 Tackle Breaks, 20 offloads Tackles made 89 missed 42

McKinnon, 9 tries, 18 Line Breaks, 2 Line break assists, 4 try assists, 150m per game, 143 tackle breaks, 28 offloads, Tackles made 84 missed 29

Stewart , 12 tries, 15 Line Breaks, 4 Line Break assists, 3 try assists, 138m per game, 95 tackle breaks, 31 offloads, tackles made 88 missed 19

 

[Dutchy]

So much for Stewy lacking in defence

 

[Azkatro]

Good stat with the missed tackles, I wasn't able to find that on NRL.com. That puts paid to my argument about Bowen having made more tackles I guess.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

So much for Stewy lacking in defence

His tackle percentage is good but don't read too much into it.

Tim Smith only missed about 10 tackles all year in 2005 because he always went low. What this means is you make the tackle but the runner can get the ball away making the tackle worthless.

This year he's missing more but he's wrapping the ball up more too, meaning he doesn't need another defender to come in and stop the ball.

At fullback especially, you need people who can wrap up the ball because rarely do ballrunners get to the fullback without having a tonne of support runners around them.

Now I haven't seen enough of Brett Stewart to say if his low numbers of missed tackles point to him always going low but it could be what's happening.

What I do know of McKinnon though is that when he was at Parra his defence at fullback was absolutely f**king brutal. He wrapped up the ball and used to hurt blokes who made breaks and I'm sure that hasn't changed. Minichiello's defence is much the same.

It's a weakness of Burt's that his ability to wrap up the ball is pretty ordinary, but he can tackle low as well as any other first grader.

 

[petetheileet]

Cowboys defense is terrible...i can guarantee if Stewart was a cowboy he would have similar numbers!

 

[Timmah]

Leading point scorer of the NRL for mine.

Hazem El Masri? :crazy:

 

[petetheileet]

lol nah Cutler is a way better FB than El Masri!

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Hazem El Masri? :crazy:

Burt was the NRL's leading pointscorer when he got injured.

But I think you already knew that.

 

[Marshall_magic]

Stats from the main 3 guys

Bowen, 18 tries, 24 Line Breaks, 8 Line Break Assists, 4 Try assists, 112m per game, 161 Tackle Breaks, 20 offloads Tackles made 89 missed 42

McKinnon, 9 tries, 18 Line Breaks, 2 Line break assists, 4 try assists, 150m per game, 143 tackle breaks, 28 offloads, Tackles made 84 missed 29

Stewart , 12 tries, 15 Line Breaks, 4 Line Break assists, 3 try assists, 138m per game, 95 tackle breaks, 31 offloads, tackles made 88 missed 19

Those stats don't do McKinnon justice imo, every time McKinnon gets the ball, he breaks the first tackle with upper body strength, Bowen and Stewarts tackle breaks are from their speed more so than their strength and both are classified as 'Slippery'. McKinnon is also a lot more aggressive and physical that the other 2.

 

[Rovelli]

^ Yeah, I'd agree with that Benji.