Stripping down the Green Machine: One-on-one steals drop dramatically

The Raiders are no longer the masters of the one-on-one steal, with an NRL.com Stats analysis finding the tactic has increased in 2020 but with a huge shift in which clubs attempt it.

Headline writers had plenty of fun with Canberra's English hooker Josh Hodgson being the best stripper in the competition last year.

Sadly, the international No.9 suffered a season-ending knee injury in round nine but to that point he had effected just one steal in nine games, after pulling off 14 on his own in 2019.

All up the Raiders made 28 steals last year; that increased dramatically through the middle of the year but even as of round nine last year they had six.

They've pulled off just four this year; in part that could be a move away from the tactic as well as teams being more aware of it when playing Canberra.

Melbourne have also dropped off. The Storm were the second-most prolific stealers in 2019 with 19, and had five after nine rounds, but have just two this year.

On the flip side, some of the clubs that pulled off the fewest steals last season lead the way in 2020 but interestingly the tactic this year has been most common among the least successful clubs.

The Bulldogs have had the most steals this year with six, but sit last on the Telstra Premiership ladder. They managed just five steals through all of 2019.

The Cowboys effected the fewest steals of any club in 2019 with just two in 24 rounds. They have the equal second-most this year with five but are also struggling in 12th place.

It is a similar story at Brisbane – they had just four steals through 25 games last year but have already exceeded that total with five but are third last on the ladder.

Meanwhile some of the most successful clubs this season have not bothered with one-on-one steals at all.

Of the top six teams, only the Roosters (three) have more than two steals this year. The Knights have zero and Penrith one while the table-topping Eels have two.

After nine rounds of 2019 there had been 33 steals at 0.46 per game.

This year that has increased to 41 (0.57 per game) but that rate is still below where 2019 finished with a final tally of 120 (0.6 per game) for the season.

From round 10 to the grand final last year that rate was 0.67 per game (87 steals in 129 games).