The Rugby League Combine
21 Aug 2019
Daryl Clark’s try saving tackle against Hull KR in March may not be engrained into the memory of all fans and may not seem significant on the face of it – but delve a bit deeper and some illuminating facts come to light.
KR winger, Craig Hall, look destined to score a try after intercepting a loose pass, it was at this moment that the Warrington Wolves hooker recorded a top speed faster than any other recorded in the Premier League or NFL last season.
In 2018/2019, Fulham and Dutch international defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah (35.35kph), and San Francisco’s 49ers running back Matt Breida (35.55kph) recorded their league’s top speed.
PUT THE BURNERS ON ?????♂??💨
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) August 16, 2019
The Highest Speeds 🔥
Premier League star, Timothy Fosu-Mensah (35.22 kph)
NFL Star, Matt Breida (35.55 kph)@Darylclark9 against Hull KR... (35.82 kph)
???@WarringtonRLFC pic.twitter.com/hfvwSrg482
Here’s the thing: Clark is a hooker, not a player known for his searing pace, but for his work rate and tackling ability.
It’s important to understand that Clark didn’t reach this speed straight out of the running blocks, by the time he clocked 35.82kph, he had already made 16 tackles, had five carries and ran 2.5 kilometres.
The strength and conditioning department at Warrington is all about delving deeper with the support of CEO, Karl Fitzpatrick – this is the sort of data they like.
Their Head of Performance, former St Helens star, Ade Gardner, analyses in-game data and training data, including; top speeds, repeat workloads, metres covered and weight training.
The data compiled can start to reveal the full extent of the athleticism and fitness of Super League players.
Luther Burrell, former England rugby union international, has labelled his Wolves’ teammates ‘freaks’ – but Gardner can add to that quote in a bit more detail.
"It was 24 minutes into the match and Daryl had already completed 16 tackles, had five carries and covered 2,846 metres.
“Not only that, but it was on Easter Monday, just three days after we’d played against Salford.
“We have fantastic athletes in our sport capable of these amazing feats and we want to try and give people some context over what they’re capable of doing,?? he admitted.
This data is not all about Clark, his teammate, Ben Murdoch-Masila, a player synonymous with heavy, powerful, runs into the heart of defences hit a top speed which would put him in the top of the Premier League.
Ever wondered why @Moala7Akauola can hit so hard?
Deadlifts 300KG, 2.7 times his bodyweight 😳???????♂??
One of the fastest over 10 metres at @WarringtonRLFC ?????♂??💨 pic.twitter.com/ugXHxFZ79i
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) August 21, 2019
To put that data into context, Murdoch-Masila weighs twice as much as Crystal Palace fullback at 120kg (19 stone), the player he would displace in the top ten.
Another player Gardner mentioned, was Sitaleki Akauola, his ten metres acceleration is one of the fastest at Warrington, amazingly he can also deadlift 300KG, 2.7 times his body weight.
All of these drills are specific to rugby league – but what would you like to see to measure the athleticism of Super League stars?
