NRL 2022, Isaiah Papali'i, Parramatta Eels, VB Hard Earned Index data from Round 21

Papali'i powers past Tapine to reclaim top spot in Hard Earned Index

Author: NRL.com
Timestamp: Mon 8 Aug 2022, 08:00 PM

Eels forward Isaiah Papali'i delivered a dominant performance to move past Raiders prop Joseph Tapine and reclaim top spot on the VB Hard Earned Index leaderboard after Round 21.

In a strong performance from the Mitchell Moses-less Eels to top the Sea Eagles at home, Papali'i's showing was one of several standout efforts from the blue and gold with teammates Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Shaun Lane featuring alongside the Kiwi international as the top 10 scoring players of the round.

Lane, with 19 total carries, three offloads, six tackle busts and 24 tackles without missing, topped all players in Round 21 with 94 points — narrowly leading the way from Panthers skipper Isaah Yeo (90 points) who had 37 tackles without missing as Penrith toppled Canberra despite missing three of their biggest name players.

Roosters fullback James Tedesco led all players with 16 runs of eight plus metres en route to 85 points — narrowly edging out teammate Angus Crichton to finish in the top five players of the round — while Wests Tigers forward Joe Ofahengaue was the only player in the top ten to come from a losing side, finishing with 86 points.

Ofahengaue produced four offloads (second in the round behind Tevita Pangai jnr's five) as well as 18 runs and 37 tackles in his side's clash against the Knights, which saw Newcastle centre Dane Gagai record a round-high 14 tackle busts.

The Tongan international's continual efforts in a losing side this year have seen him continue to climb the overall VB Hard Earned Index leaderboard, with Ofahengaue now sitting in third position behind Papali'i (1490 points) and Tapine (1482) — the latter of whom could miss time after picking up a rib injury in Round 21.

Should Tapine miss this week's game, Papali'i's lead on top of the leaderboard may be too tough to overcome for the chasing pack, with only Cameron McInnes (1296 points) and Yeo (1322) in contention after the fourth-placed James Fisher-Harris (1315) accepted a two-week suspension from the Match Review Committee.