VB Hard Earned: Dominant day for Eels lock

Eels lock Nathan Brown was determined to make up for lost time in his return from suspension in round nine, racking up one of the biggest scores of the season in the VB Hard Earned index.

Brown's index score of 122 was based off 55 tackles and 266 metres from a massive 28 carries, leaving him just a point behind the season-high score of 123 shared by Cam McInnes and Isaah Yeo.

The tense 10-4 win by the Eels on Sunday produced plenty of hard work, with Knights trio Kurt Mann, Mitchell Pearce and Aidan Guerra also making the VB Hard Earned team of the week.

Dragons prop Paul Vaughan produced an index score of 91 for his 237 metres from 23 carries and 37 tackles in what was the Red V's best performance of 2020.

The VB Hard Earned team celebrates the true toilers of the game who don't always get the credit.

Each round players receive a VB Hard Earned index score that is 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.

Raiders prop Josh Papalii did his best in a narrow loss to the Storm, with 183 metres from 22 runs and 30 tackles.

The Roosters' big win over the Cowboys generated some big numbers for Angus Crichton, James Tedesco and five-try hero Matt Ikuvalu, while the Wests Tigers' reshuffled backline earned veteran Chris Lawrence a nod in his return to centre and a spot on debut for rookie winger Reece Hoffman.

Sea Eagles lock Jake Trbojevic's score of 100 would usually be good enough for a spot in the week but for Brown's heroics, however, it was enough to push him to the top of the overall leaderboard for the first time, leapfrogging Payne Haas and Isaah Yeo.