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The stat that gets coaches excited

David Klemmer while playing for the Bulldogs. (AAP Image/Paul Miller)
Roar Guru
5th April, 2018
45

There’s a new statistic on the block and if you’re showing high numbers, it means you’re dominating. It’s called ‘post contact metres’.

I was first heard this term when Trent Robinson mentioned it in a press conference late last year. But I’m not sure how long it’s been an analysis tool of the coaching brigade.

For those who need an explanation, ‘post contact metres’ refers to the attacking player making extra ground once the defending team has made contact with him. So how far can he keep moving forward with a multitude of defenders on his back, legs and torso.

If you’re gaining ground while the opposition is back-pedalling, you’re dominating the play and, assuming you can achieve quick play the balls, you should be dominating on the scoreboard. But this doesn’t always correlate.

You’d expect the main ‘post contact metre’ eaters to be the powerful forwards, but there are a number of backs that are impressing in this area too. The top five ‘metre eaters’ after round four were:

Jai Arrow (Titans) – 239 metres
David Klemmer (Bulldogs) – 235 metres
Jason Taumololo (Cowboys) – 234 metres
Blake Ferguson (Roosters) – 223 metres
Nene McDonald (Dragons) – 220 metres

David Klemmer of the Bulldogs is tackled by Boyd Cordner

(AAP Image/Paul Miller)

The top three are forwards and the fourth and fifth places go to wingers.

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Jai Arrow leads the way in post contact metres which is a bit surprising given his low profile. The next two, David Klemmer and Jason Taumololo, have always been hard to stop and it’s no shock to see them dominating this statistic.

The interesting thing is that many commentators have been pretty harsh on the form of Klemmer and especially Taumololo this year. But coaches will know that they are doing the key things right, even if it goes mostly unnoticed.

Coaches Trent Robinson and Paul ‘Mary’ McGregor would be pleased to see their respective wingers feature on this stat. These efforts would be helping their teams with kick returns and getting out of danger territory during the match.

Now that players are being measured by their post contact metres, the only way to truly finish a tackle is to crash ball runners to the ground. I feel this is one of the tactics that is slowing the game down. So it’s an effective tactic for teams and coaches, but not so attractive for fans.

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