The Spine, how important is it?

[Tigerdon]

From the Roar, a good defence and strong forwards are just as important.

1\. Cowboys (57.95 per cent)
12th, 7 wins, 9 losses.
1st in spine attacking plays.
5th in total attacking plays.
All run metres 23,751 (3rd)
Defensive percentage 92.81 (second)
The Cowboys have used 8 players in their spine out of a total of 29 total in 2014.
2\. Storm (55.73 per cent)
8th, 8 wins, 8 losses.
2nd in spine attacking plays.
6th in total attacking plays.
All run metres 23,389 (7th)
Defensive percentage 91.99 (7th)
The storm have used 8 players in their spine out of a total of 27 total in 2014.
3\. Panthers (55.42 per cent)
2nd, 11 wins, 5 losses.
4th in spine attacking plays.
10th in total attacking plays.
All run metres 23,798 (second)
Defensive percentage 90.58 (12th)
The Panthers have used 7 players in their spine out of a total of 25 total in 2014.
4\. Tigers (54.29 per cent)
10th, 8 wins, 8 losses.
10th* in spine attacking plays.
14th in total attacking plays.
All run metres 22726 (13th)
Defensive percentage 89.87 (16th)
The Tigers have used 8 players in their spine out of 27 total in 2014.
5\. Raiders (53.44 per cent)
15th, 5 wins, 11 losses.
5th in spine attacking plays.
9th in total attacking plays.
All run metres 22,115 (16th)
Defensive percentage 91.71 (8th)
The Raiders have used 8 players in their spine out of 26 total in 2014.
6\. Sharks (53.18 per cent)
16th, 4 wins, 12 losses.
15th in spine attacking plays.
15th in total attacking plays.
All run metres 22,214 (15th)
Defensive percentage 92.33 (5th)
The Sharks have used 13 players in their spine out of 29 total in 2014.
7\. Rabbitohs (50.20 per cent)
Pos fourth, 9 wins, 7 losses.
8th in spine attacking plays.
7th in total attacking plays.
All run metres 22,994 (10th)
Defensive percentage 94.19 (1st)
The Rabbitohs have used 9 players in their spine out of 27 total in 2014.
8\. Knights (50.00 per cent)
14th, 5 wins, 11 losses.
13th in spine attacking plays.
13th in total attacking plays.
All run metres 23486 (6th)
Defensive percentage 90.42 (13th)
The Knights have used 8 players in their spine out of 27 total in 2014.
9\. Titans (48.21 per cent)
13th, 7 wins, 9 losses.
16th in spine attacking plays.
16th in total attacking plays.
All run metres 22,855 (12th)
Defensive percentage 90.42 (15th)
The Titans have used 11 players in their spine out of 29 total in 2014.
10\. Dragons (47.88 per cent)
9th, 8 wins, 8 losses.
12th in spine attacking plays.
11th in total attacking plays.
All run metres 22,954 (11th)
Defensive percentage 92.58 (4th)
The Dragons have used 9 players in their spine out of 27 total in 2014.
11\. Sea Eagles (46.43 per cent)
1st, 11 wins, 5 losses.
6th in spine attacking plays.
4th in total attacking plays.
All run metres 23,071 (9th)
Defensive percentage 91.65 (10th)
The Sea Eagles have used 7 players in their spine out of 26 total in 2014.
12\. Warriors (45.66 per cent)
6th, 9 wins, 7 losses.
3rd in spine attacking plays.
1st in total attacking plays.
All run metres 23,638 (5th)
Defensive percentage 91.50 (11th)
The Warriors have used 6 players in their spine out of 28 total in 2014.
13\. Eels (45.55 per cent)
11th, 8 wins, 8 losses.
7th in spine attacking plays.
3rd in total attacking plays.
All run metres 22610 (14th)
Defensive percentage 90.39 (14th)
The Eels have used 7 players in their spine out of 29 total in 2014.
14\. Broncos (45.24 per cent)
7th, 8 wins, 8 losses.
10th* in spine attacking plays.
8th in total attacking plays.
All run metres 23671 (4th)
Defensive percentage 91.66 (9th)
The Broncos have used 5 players in their spine out of 25 total in 2014.
15\. Bulldogs (42.73 per cent)
3rd, 11 wins, 5 losses.
14th in spine attacking plays.
12th in total attacking plays.
All run metres 25,007 (1st)
Defensive percentage 92.92 (second)
The Bulldogs have used 10 players in their spine out of 26 total in 2014.
16\. Roosters (41.87 per cent)
5th, 9 wins, 7 losses.

 

[Masterton]

That's just silly. I'm not doubting the importance of defence, but judging a team by the percentage of attacking plays done by the spine is close to irrelevant. It's the QUALITY of the spine that makes a difference.

Still, interesting stats. What this really shows is the teams that have attacking alternatives, especially Roosters and Bulldogs with their ball-playing forwards.

 

[Tiger_Watto]

I feel a good functioning spine is more important than having class players in the spine.

We need to understand RL is forever evolving and yesterdays importance can sometimes shift to new factors that contribute to a teams success.

Rugby League needs to acknowledge that players 1-15/17 are all just as important to a teams structure as to the 1-13 who start each week… Taupau is a perfect example how important he is playing from the bench!

 

[Masterton]

That's just silly. I'm not doubting the importance of defence, but judging a team by the percentage of attacking plays done by the spine is close to irrelevant. It's the QUALITY of the spine that makes a difference.

Still, interesting stats. What this really shows is the teams that have attacking alternatives, especially Roosters and Bulldogs with their ball-playing forwards.

 

[happy_tiger]

Your spine don't need to be the best players in the NRL , but it does have to click

Penrith and NZ are proof of that , you need a good mix of players for it to gel