It’s official. Ronaldo Mulitalo is the Usain Bolt of the NRL.
The Sharks flyer has torched some of the NRL’s traditional speed merchants - including Josh Addo-Carr, Jason Saab and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow - to be crowned the fastest man in the NRL.
In the first of a three-part series, this masthead has exclusively obtained the NRL’s official GPS tracking data for the 2023 season.
Using the Telstra Tracker recordings, all 502 first-graders this year were assessed in six major statistical areas, with this masthead analysing the top three-ranked performers for each category at the 17 NRL clubs.
On the score of maximum speed, Mulitalo comes out on top, with the New Zealand Test winger going into Saturday night’s Pacific Championships final against Australia as the NRL’s sprint king gold medallist.
The Cronulla ace recorded the highest top-end speed of the 2023 Telstra Premiership at 37.18km/h, just edging out Manly rival Jason Saab (37.11km/h), with Parramatta’s Fijian flyer Maika Sivo (36.86km/h) claiming bronze.
Newcastle tryscoring sensation
Dominic Young finished fourth, clocking 36.82km/h, while Bulldogs speed demon Addo-Carr - long regarded as the NRL’s fastest man - rounded out the top five at 36.75km/h.
As a comparison, Jamaican sprint legend Bolt, the fastest human ever, recorded a top-end speed of 44.72km/h when he set the 100-metre world record with his 9.58sec dash at Berlin in 2009.
Theoretically, if Mulitalo held his top speed over 100 metres, he would clock 9.68 secs, and there is no question the Kiwi Test star could go sub-11 seconds on an athletics track
Mulitalo had an outstanding 2023 campaign, scoring 21 tries from 23 games and at just 23, the veteran of 87 top-grade games has time on his side to be the fastest man in the NRL for many years.
His New Zealand coach, Michael Maguire, says Mulitalo mixes raw speed with a fierce determination to be the best at whatever he does.
“I’m not totally surprised by that figure,” Maguire said of Mulitalo’s maximum pace.
“His speed is a reflection of his training ethic.
“He really rips in and he has been born with some handy genetics that gives him the ability to run fast.
“It’s one thing to run quick, but you have to utilise it and keep using it in an NRL game and Ronaldo does that.
1. Ronaldo Mulitalo (Sharks) 37.188km/h
2. Jason Saab (Sea Eagles) 37.116km/h
3. Maika Sivo (Eels) 36.864km/h
4. Dominic Young (Knights) 36.828km/h
5. Josh Addo-Carr (Bulldogs) 36.756km/h
6. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (Dolphins) 36.684km/h
7. Alofiana Khan-Pereira (Titans) 36.144km/h
8. Mitchell Moses (Eels) 36.108km/h
9. Jake Averillo (Bulldogs) 36.072km/h
10. Kalyn Ponga (Knights) 35.892km/h
11. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii (Roosters) 35.784km/h
12. Dylan Edwards (Panthers) 35.748km/h
13. Jahream Bula (Tigers) 35.748km/h
14. Blake Wilson (Bulldogs) 35.712km/h
15. Tyrell Sloan (Dragons) 35.676km/h
16. Herbie Farnworth (Broncos) 35.64km/h
17. Reuben Garrick (Sea Eagles) 35.64km/h
18. Fetalaiga Pauga (Roosters) 35.64km/h
19. Clinton Gutherson (Eels) 35.532km/h
20. Reece Walsh (Broncos) 35.46km/h
“‘Ronnie’ is athletic but he is a competitor as well. He just loves to win, whether it’s a three-on-three drill at training or an actual NRL game, he likes to compete and that’s what makes him the player that he is.
“Ronnie has great energy. He is a character, that’s why the boys love playing with him, but he flicks the switch when he knows it’s time to get to work.
“Unfortunately, he wasn’t eligible for Queensland for State of Origin, but I’m glad he found his way into the New Zealand system.
“He has great buy-in as a player and throws himself into whatever he does.”
The NRL’s top 10 speed demons throws up some surprises.
Dolphins, Queensland Origin and Australia sensation Tabuai-Fidow, widely considered the biggest threat to Addo-Carr, registered sixth with a top speed of 36.68km/h.
PART II: FASTEST PLAYERS AT EVERY NRL CLUB LIVE AT 6AM WEDNESDAY
Named at centre by Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga, ‘The Hammer’s’ speedy backline showdown with Kiwi rival Mulitalo will be a feature of the Pacific Championships final at Hamilton.
Titans rookie Alofiana Khan-Pereira is a new face in seventh at 36.14km/h, while Eels wizard Mitchell Moses (36.10km/h) is the fastest halfback in rugby league.
Unheralded Bulldogs utility Jake Averillo (36.07km/h) claimed the No.9 slot and will be a handy recruit for the Dolphins next season alongside Tabuai-Fidow.
Newcastle superstar Kalyn Ponga showed he has sizzling speed as well as sublime skill, rounding out the top 10 with a personal best of 35.89km/h that underpinned the Knights’ surge to the finals this season.
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