Mr 99 per cent: ‘Terminator’ Twal flying under the radar at Tigers
April 20, 2022 — 6.30pm
Alex Twal’s teammates have started referring to him as “Terminator” after the Wests Tigers forward’s latest robotic showing against the Parramatta Eels that solidified the 25-year-old as the most efficient tackler in the NRL.
By no means a superstar or a player who earns huge plaudits, Twal’s 46 tackles off the bench without a miss in the Tigers’ drought-breaking 21-20 win over the Eels on Monday is even more impressive when you consider the Parramatta product also churned out more metres (166) than anyone on the field from 18 hit-ups.
“He’s the Terminator,” said fellow Tigers bench player Jock Madden, who was behind Jackson Hastings when the new No.7 kicked the match-winning field goal to seal his team’s first victory of the year.
“Alex is a workhorse and cleans up all the scraps. He’s a bloody great player. The stats he comes up with are quite incredible for a big man.”
When it comes to tackling efficiency, no one in the NRL has better numbers than Twal this year, who has missed just two of 200 tackles. He’s the Tigers’ Mr 99 per cent.
No player in the top 50 for total tackles has been more accurate than Twal, who prides himself on the tough stuff that goes largely unnoticed.
Penrith’s Isaah Yeo and Brisbane’s Payne Haas are next best on the list with 97.9 per cent tackle success rates, ahead of Paul Vaughan (97.3 per cent) and Damien Cook (96.9 per cent).
“I pride myself on making sure I do my job,” Twal said. “It’s early days in my career, but I feel I’ve built my game on being reliable. I really take it personally.
“When times are rough, you’ve got to fall back into your defence principles and make sure your teammates trust you.
“Growing up I wasn’t the most talented kid. I didn’t really base my game off making loads of line breaks and doing all this fancy stuff. I based it off being a hard worker and making sure every morning I wake up and I come to training and give my best and do my best. I think I’ve forged my career on that.”
Teammate Joe Ofahengaue, who was also one of the Tigers’ best forwards in their first win of the season, was full of praise for Twal ahead of the clash against South Sydney on Saturday.
“I love to call him a robot because he just goes through his business with no emotion on his face,” Ofahengaue said. “It’s crazy. He’s not going to miss tackles. He’s not the guy to come straight out of a line and hit anyone. He’s the guy who will cover your arse every time.”
Knocking off Parramatta has certainly eased tension after a horror start to the year which yielded five straight losses.
“Big relief getting a win on the weekend,” Twal said. “I thought it was one of my better performances. Just happy to do my job for the team.”
Ofahengaue said backing up the Easter Monday miracle has been the focus this week.
