Official Briton Nikora

[Tatus]

I rate Tieg above Nikora but in fairness Nikora made the 2nd most tackles in our team behind Brailey and our attack seem to want to go down the left with Mozza a bit more than the right. (don't blame them trying to avoid Ramien)

Still Nikora needs to go looking for work with the ball and in attack not just hang out waiting for the odd pass to come his way. I would say fatigue hurt him but he has form phoning it in some weeks

Not sure looking for work applies in our team. There seem to be designated runners for each spot of the field. Of course if the majority of the play is on the left, he’s not going to come running out of position to take a run.

 

[CrazyMatt]

dragons want to pay him 600k he is all theirs

Only issue is there’s not much on the open market to replace him. If Nikora and Wade go we’ll probably have to dip into that market and hope we get lucky.

 

[Thresher]

100%. No way is he worth that. 450k would be my top dollar for Nikora.

That's a bit generous. 448k is as far as I'd go.

 

[bort]

Not sure looking for work applies in our team. There seem to be designated runners for each spot of the field. Of course if the majority of the play is on the left, he’s not going to come running out of position to take a run.

I reckon he could find a chance or two.

Wilton got the ball 3 times in the 7 tackle set Burg pointed out earlier.

Sure play was more left side focused, but here is Wilton is taking the centre field hit up from the left and Nikora is the deepest man on our whole team...



In saying that he did make our second most amount of tackles. Although back to Wilton... made our third most with twice the runs Nikora had

 

[BurgoShark]

Not sure looking for work applies in our team. There seem to be designated runners for each spot of the field. Of course if the majority of the play is on the left, he’s not going to come running out of position to take a run.

"Looking for work" doesn't apply in any NRL team, and shouldn't in a Rugby League team at any level. It's a legacy of back when players were not put in channels, guys like Bradley Clyde and Wayne Pearce were lauded for being the first man back, and wingers were told to have a run to give the forwards a rest.

These days players are in channels and players have a specific job to do in each situation. E.g. when the opposition kicks, the forwards are told to walk (not run) back onside, and the back 5 are told that their job is to get the ball back to the forwards.

Learn your job, do your job, and if the bloke next to you is struggling, help him do his job. That's modern footy.

These days "go looking for work" is just something that bad coaches tell their players, and pain in the arse Mums and Dads yell from the side-lines. A well-coached player in a well-coached team doesn't need to go looking for work. He just needs to know his job and be ready to do it - and the work will come to him.

(the above set shown by bort is from a 20m tap btw, so doesn't count as a "walk back" situation).

 

[Sir Chadley]

Sorry Burgo, just slightly off topic in your post above, what is going to happen when Wade returns, assuming Wilton continues to play well?

The majority on here would probably say drop Nikora but Wilton and Wade play on the same side of the field so it is logical that Wilton is the one that gets dropped. Or can he play equally well on the right?

 

[BurgoShark]

Sorry Burgo, just slightly off topic in your post above, what is going to happen when Wade returns, assuming Wilton continues to play well?

The majority on here would probably say drop Nikora but Wilton and Wade play on the same side of the field so it is logical that Wilton is the one that gets dropped. Or can he play equally well on the right?

You already know my answer to the first bit...

For the second bit, imo Wilton is "at home" on the left, but is very capable on the right. He was left edge coming through all the way from 15 - but has spent plenty of time at centre, right edge and middle since 2019. He even played rep games at right centre.

 

[bort]

And we def played away from him that set but it stood out to me how deep he was. Doesn’t look interested in getting involved.

Watch it through and he stays real deep when ball does kind of come his way too. Must love a deep run up…

Good chance he will take less runs than left edge most games, and make more tackles, as teams will often direct play to their left.

 

[BurgoShark]

And we def played away from him that set but it stood out to me how deep he was. Doesn’t look interested in getting involved.

Watch it through and he stays real deep when ball does kind of come his way too. Must love a deep run up…

Good chance he will take less runs than left edge most games, and make more tackles, as teams will often direct play to the sus defender

ftfy

 

[snowman]

Briton Nikora: "I have never heard any links to the Tigers, know nothing about it"

also briton nikoa

 

[BurgoShark]

That could be Gary Sweet.

Nice work snowman

 

[bort]

ftfy

Well, sus defender and on the other teams stronger passing side.

I would assume on average right edge players make more tackles than left edge players

 

[BurgoShark]

Well, sus defender and on the other teams stronger passing side.

I would assume on average right edge players make more tackles than left edge players

Maybe. “Work over one back rower” is a known tactic though. I’ve had that conversation with a former Titans assistant.

Could be that you have formed this “teams attack left more often” opinion based on 3 years of teams targeting Nikora. It could also be a league-wide thing. I don’t know. E.g. 2016 you would assume teams targeted Maloney on the left.

It’s definitely a thing a lot the non-professional level - work to 5-10m past the right upright so you can do a short shift right (the hard way) or a long shift left (the easy way).

 

[Western Sharkie]

Briton Nikora: "I have never heard any links to the Tigers, know nothing about it"

also briton nikoa

They are just good mates having a beer and a yarn about the up coming season.

 

[bort]

Maybe. “Work over one back rower” is a known tactic though. I’ve had that conversation with a former Titans assistant.

Could be that you have formed this “teams attack left more often” opinion based on 3 years of teams targeting Nikora. It could also be a league-wide thing. I don’t know. E.g. 2016 you would assume teams targeted Maloney on the left.

It’s definitely a thing a lot the non-professional level - work to 5-10m past the right upright so you can do a short shift right (the hard way) or a long shift left (the easy way).

While not a comprehensive guide as to where teams attack this graphic shows where teams score (and concede if go to graphics other tab)

NRL Try Location Analysis 2023 | NRL Stats

Discover the key NRL trends and insights with our comprehensive Try Location Analysis for NRL 2023.

www.statsinsider.com.au

 

[Sparkles]

While not a comprehensive guide as to where teams attack this graphic shows where teams score (and concede if go to graphics other tab)

NRL Try Location Analysis 2023 | NRL Stats

Discover the key NRL trends and insights with our comprehensive Try Location Analysis for NRL 2023.

www.statsinsider.com.au

I'll wait for Burgo's version, thanks Bort

 

[BurgoShark]

While not a comprehensive guide as to where teams attack this graphic shows where teams score (and concede if go to graphics other tab)

NRL Try Location Analysis 2023 | NRL Stats

Discover the key NRL trends and insights with our comprehensive Try Location Analysis for NRL 2023.

www.statsinsider.com.au

Cool - thanks. Seems like if you remove the outliers (Souths, Brisbane and David Fifita) there is a small trend of scoring down the left. Would also be interesting to see that without tries from kicks and intercepts.

I guess I’ll have to add another column to my spreadsheet for whether the edges played left or right.

 

[bort]

Cool - thanks. Seems like if you remove the outliers (Souths, Brisbane and David Fifita) there is a small trend of scoring down the left. Would also be interesting to see that without tries from kicks and intercepts.

I guess I’ll have to add another column to my spreadsheet for whether the edges played left or right.

I look forward to your left right edges stats and your try score location (accounting for try type)!

Teams that score more on right than left are Broncos (+29%), Sea Eagles (+3%), Dragons (+15%), Roosters (+7%), Warriors (+1%), Tigers (+1%).
So 6/16 score more on right than left but only two I would call statistically significant (assuming >+10% is relevant).
Meanwhile on left Raiders, Titans, Knights, Cowboys, Eels, Rabbitohs all score more than +10% on the left vs the right.
(Leaves Dogs, Sharks, Storm as having statistically insignificant leans to the left)

Titans are a confusing one... score vast majority (44%) on left, 31% middle and 25% right, but David Fifita plays right edge.
Not an exact science by any means but he scored 17 tries last season and they only scored 27/108 on right edge. TBH most of the others on their right were probably because of him too...

Now, because I've got too caught up in this, last seasons ladder
(in brackets based off if we call just 5% statistically relevant)

Storm - balanced (balanced)
Panthers - balanced (left)
Rabbitohs - left skewed (left)
Sea Eagles - balanced (balanced)
Roosters - balanced (right)
Eels - left skewed (left)
Knights - left skewed (left)
Titans - left skewed (left)
Sharks - balanced (balanced)
Raiders - left skewed (left)
Dragons - right skewed (right)
Warriors - balanced (balanced)
Wests Tigers - balanced (balanced)
Broncos - right skewed (right)
Cowboys - balanced (left)
Bulldogs - balanced (balanced)

To include the middle, teams that score 25% or more of tries in the middle finished 1st, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 16th so being good at scoring in the middle or not isn't seemingly a great indicator of success.

 

[Gumby]

he’ll end up leaving. No way will be pay anything more than 500k a season IMO.

Tigers will probably throw 2.1 over 3. Garner won’t be there next year from what I’ve heard so their plan will be
11. Nikora
12. Pappal’ii
13. Peachey

 

[Gal The Goat]

he’ll end up leaving. No way will be pay anything more than 500k a season IMO.

Tigers will probably throw 2.1 over 3. Garner won’t be there next year from what I’ve heard so their plan will be
11. Nikora
12. Pappal’ii
13. Peachey

Yeah and Tuilagi who’s now their starting back rower has told Madge he’s off to Manly.

If you could get odds on Nikora going to Tigers you would take them.

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