Fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck set new standards with his phenomenal metre-eating form last season and he’s continuing in exactly the same vein with the Vodafone Warriors.
In his first three outings for his new club he has hit the 200-metre mark each time to average 217 metres a game, right on a par with what he achieved when he was named the 2015 Dally M fullback of the year.
Tuivasa-Sheck opened up with 200 metres from 14 runs in his Vodafone Warriors debut against Wests Tigers on March 5 followed by 205 metres from 25 carries against the Brisbane Broncos on March 11.
In his first appearance for the club at Mount Smart Stadium he went up a level again with 247 metres from 25 runs against Melbourne on Sunday to give him a total of 652 metres already this season. Easily the busiest player on the field (Ben Matulino and Jesse Bromwich were next best with 19 carries) he also made seven tackle breaks and had a clean defensive sheet.
Topping the tackle count against the Storm was Bodene Thompson with 52 while Simon Mannering – 55 tackles in each of the first two rounds – finished with ‘only’ 40 tackles this week. Thompson and Mannering both had no missed tackles.
While the Vodafone Warriors suffered a heart-breaking 14-21 defeat, they again showed improvement in a number of statistical categories.
They finished ahead in line breaks for the first time this season (4-1) and also headed their opponents in the missed tackles department for the first time, coming up with just 17 misses to Melbourne’s 27 (they missed 20 against Brisbane and 32 against Wests Tigers). In other numbers they made slightly more metres than Melbourne and had more total runs as well as off loads.
STATISTICS | v MELBOURNE STORM, MOUNT SMART STADIUM | LOST 14-21
Team Stats:
Penalties | Vodafone Warriors 9, Melbourne 7.
Completions | Vodafone Warriors 26/35 (74%), Melbourne 34/38 (90%).
Total runs | Vodafone Warriors 179, Melbourne 162.
Metres gained | Vodafone Warriors 1331, Melbourne 1320.
Dummy half runs (metres) | Vodafone Warriors 11 (78), Melbourne 10 (63).
Line breaks | Vodafone Warriors 4, Melbourne 1.
Tackle breaks | Vodafone Warriors 27, Melbourne 17.
Kicks (kicking metres) | Vodafone Warriors 16 (402), Melbourne 21 (569).
Tackles Made | Vodafone Warriors 328, Melbourne 326.
Missed tackles | Vodafone Warriors 17, Melbourne 27.
Offloads | Vodafone Warriors 16, Melbourne 11.
Errors | Vodafone Warriors 9, Melbourne 4.
Individual stats:
Runs | Vodafone Warriors: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 25, Ben Matulino 19, Ryan Hoffman 16, Tuimoala Lolohea 15, Simon Mannering 14, Solomone Kata 12, Jacob Lillyman 12, Jonathan Wright 11, Shaun Johnson 10. Melbourne: Jesse Bromwich 19, Cameron Munster 17, Marika Koroibete 15, Young Tonumaipea 15, Tohu Harris 12, Will Chambers 11, Tim Glasby 11, Kenny Bromwich 10, Jordan McLean 10.
Metres gained | Vodafone Warriors: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 247, Ben Matulino 142, Ryan Hoffman 123, Solomone Kata 100, Simon Mannering 95, Jonathan Wright 90, Jacob Lillyman 90. Melbourne: Marika Koroibete 163, Jesse Bromwich 150, Cameron Munster 135, Young Tonumaipea 118, Will Chambers 114.
Tackle breaks | Vodafone Warriors: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 7, Solomone Kata 7, Tuimoala Lolohea 6. Melbourne: Cameron Munster 4, Will Chambers 3.
Off loads | Vodafone Warriors: Ben Matulino 4, Jazz Tevaga 3, Simon Mannering 2. Melbourne: Will Chambers 4, Jesse Bromwich 4.
Tackles made | Vodafone Warriors: Bodene Thompson 52, Simon Mannering 40, Jazz Tevaga 33, Shaun Johnson 31, Blake Ayshford 27, Jacob Lillyman 23, Jeff Robson 20. Melbourne: Cameron Smith 41, Dale Finucane 39, Kevin Proctor 35, Jesse Bromwich 30, Jordan McLean 26, Tim Glasby 26, Will Chambers 21, Kenny Bromwich 20, Cooper Cronk 20.
Missed tackles | Vodafone Warriors: Bodene Thompson 0, Simon Mannering 0, Ben Matulino 0, James Gavet 0, Jonathan Wright 0, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 0, Tuimoala Lolohea 0, Nathaniel Roache 0. Melbourne: Jordan McLean 0, Felise Kaufusi 0, Christian Welch Nichol 0.
Supports | Vodafone Warriors: Simon Mannering 13, Solomone Kata 12, Ryan Hoffman 10, Jeff Robson 10. Melbourne: Blake Green 15, Tohu Harris 13, Young Tonumaipea 11, Marika Koroibete 11.
BUY TICKETS NOW | VODAFONE WARRIORS v NEWCASTLE
