VB Hard Earned Team of the Week: Fisher-Harris back to work

The VB Hard Earned award is back for 2020, highlighting and celebrating the true toilers of the Telstra Premiership who sometimes don't get the plaudits.

Each match, players receive a VB Hard Earned index score, calculated by doubling their total runs and adding a point for every tackle, offload, decoy, support, charge down and tackle break.

Negative plays lower the index score. One point is taken off per missed tackle, while errors and penalties cost four points. Being sin-binned results in eight points being subtracted.

This season, a Team of the Week will be announced after every round based on the hardest-working players in each position per the index.

It's no shock to see reigning VB Hard Earned king James Fisher-Harris sit atop the rankings after round one with an index score of 100.

The Panthers back-rower made 161m from 19 carries, ran nine decoys and 16 supports and completed 38 tackles in an 80-minute effort to help his team shock the Roosters.

And that was after a hampered pre-season as he recovered from pectoral surgery. Talk about not missing a beat.

Fisher-Harris's Penrith teammate Api Koroisau was also enormous, setting the standard for dummy-halves.

Koroisau's playmaking around the ruck was lauded on his Panthers return but his index score of 77 proves he didn't shirk any tough stuff either.

Notably, Koroisau made a round-high 59 tackles and collected 110 run metres from 10 carries.

Another standout was Sharks halfback Chad Townsend, who was busy in a losing side against the Rabbitohs to record a score of 71, thanks largely to 16 runs (including line engagement runs) for 111m.

Townsend also had 23 supports and 18 tackles.

Known for his flashy footwork and ball-playing finesse, Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga nabbed a place in the Team of the Week with a score of 78, again showing he has heart to match his flair.

That was on the back of 26 runs for 234m in a 20-nil win against the Warriors.