Golden point workaholics dominate Team of the Week

An exhaustive effort from Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards in the Thursday night golden point loss to the Eels saw him top the VB Hard Earned Index for Round 4, with six others from that game joining him in the Team of the Week. 

Edwards finished with an Index score of 97 after putting his hand up for 25 runs with the ball and a further seven support runs, with 17 of those carries ending in yields of eight metres or more.

On the other side of the ball Eels lock J'maine Hopgood topped the round for tackles made with 53, while teammate Ryan Matterson (48) and opposing back-rower Zac Hosking (47) weren't far behind in the tackle category. 

Dylan Brown, Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Isaah Yeo were the other players from the round's opening game to make the Team of the Week, with RCG coming up with a round high 18 carries for eight metres or more.

The other game which went to golden point last week – South Sydney's 13-12 win over Manly – saw a handful of individual standouts too, led by big numbers from Rabbitohs forwards Keaon Koloamatangi and Cameron Murray.

After switching from the edge to a middle role, Koloamatangi, who had an Index score of 89, was heavily involved in attack, running nine decoys and coming up 19 total runs.

Murray meanwhile engaged the line more than any other non-half in Round 4, coming up with 19 in a game in which he also churned through 51 tackles, with Rabbitohs No.9 Damien Cook's joining the pair in the Team of the Week. 

Another brilliant performance in a nail-biting win over the Dolphins means Brisbane big man Payne Haas makes the cut for the fourth time in as many weeks. 

An impressive club debut saw Knights wing Greg Marzhew bust through 12 tackle attempts and run the ball 17 times for over eight metres, on his way to an Index score of 92, with Bulldogs powerhouse Jacob Kiraz joining him on the other flank. 

While not enough to claim a spot in the Team of the Week, Warriors dynamo Jazz Tevaga was the best of the interchange players, coming off the pine to contribute 19 runs, eight decoys and 21 tackles in the 16-14 win over the Bulldogs. 

VB Hard Earned Index: Round 4

1. Dylan Edwards (Panthers) — 97 points
2. Josh King (Storm) — 93 points
3. Zac Hosking (Panthers) — 93 points
4. Reagan Campbell-Gillard (Eels) — 92 points
5. Greg Marzhew (Knights) — 92 points
6. Ryan Matterson (Eels) — 91 points
7. Isaah Yeo (Panthers) — 90 points
8. J'maine Hopgood (Eels) — 90 points
9. Keaon Koloamatangi (Rabbitohs) — 89 points
10. Payne Haas (Broncos) — 86 points

Stats for the VB Hard Earned Index and Team of the Week are provided via Fox Sports.