Captain Cam and powerful Papali'i shine in Hard Earned Index

South Sydney captain Cameron Murray and Parramatta Eels forward Isaiah Papali'i led the way across the VB Hard Earned Index in Round 3 with standout performances in their respective wins.

Murray, who also clinched all three Dally M points in his side's victory over the Roosters, finished second in the Hard Earned Index for Round 3 with 93 points — narrowly behind Papali'i, who churned out a stellar 98-point total.

It was the defensive work of both players that took them top of the index, with Papali'i making 42 successful tackles while Murray made 40. The outgoing Eels forward added ten runs of eight metres or more to go with that, while Murray led the way with ten runs of seven metres or less — more than any player in the top ten.

Reuben Cotter returned from injury for North Queensland to finish third in the index for Round 3, with his 87 points clear of Titans duo Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Moeaki Fotuaika, who finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Panthers captain Isaah Yeo finished ninth for the week with 77 points, narrowly keeping him on top of the leaderboard from Hard Earned regulars in Murray and Broncos tyro Payne Haas.