Extra time effort sees McInnes impress in Hard Earned Index

Author: NRL.com
Timestamp: Mon 1 Aug 2022, 07:01 PM

Sharks lock Cameron McInnes marked his return to Cronulla’s starting side with a busy performance in Saturday's golden point victory over the Rabbitohs, clocking a score of 100 on the VB Hard Earned Index for round 20.

Selfless efforts were a feature of McInnes’ 79-minute stint at PointsBet Stadium, with seven decoys and five supports to go alongside his 48 tackles, ranking him second to only Canberra colossus Joseph Tapine, who topped the round with 104.

Tapine, who produced 13 tackle busts plus 13 carries for more than eight metres in the Raiders' win against the Titans, topped the Index for the second week in a row and he now has a 42-point lead at the top of the overall leaderboard.

They can't stop Joe

The effort required in the Sharks v Rabbitohs match, which went for 86 minutes before Nicho Hynes kicked the winning field goal, is reflected in the Index data, with Rabbitohs forwards Tevita Tatola and Cameron Murray both making the round’s top five with scores of 98 and 96 respectively.

Roosters ace Joey Manu showed no signs of lingering impacts from the calf injury which saw him miss round 19, contributing 13 runs which gained over eight metres and busting through 12 tackles on his way to an overall score of 83, the best among backs for round 20.

Bulldogs players dominated the Index Team of the Week, led by centre Aaron Schoupp's 76-point showing which included eight tackle busts and 14 runs of over eight metres.

Canterbury-Bankstown hooker Jeremy Marshall-King, half Kyle Flanagan and winger Jacob Kiraz were the other Bulldogs to stand out among the rest in their positions.