Its that time of year again, just past the halfway point of the NRL competition, so it's time to rank the ‘duds’ of the year so far.
noun
a thing that fails to work properly or is otherwise unsatisfactory or worthless.adjective
not working or meeting standards; faulty.
These are the players who this year have been doing well below their calibre or expectations and just aren’t performing the way their team needs them too.
With this in mind, here are my Top 5 duds of 2018:
2018 saw Bryce Cartwright leave the Penrith Panthers to join the Gold Coast Titans on a long-term four-year contract until the end of 2021, but its safe to say the first year of the deal isn’t quite going to plan for Bryce.
Once in the frame for an NSW Origin selection in 2016, Cartwright hasn’t seen any of his career-best form in 2018, only managing 763 running metres, with a mere average of 63.6 metres.
From his first 12 appearances for the Titans, he has a simple 14 offloads along with 0 tries or line breaks to his name.
Reduced minutes, inconsistencies and off-field personal issues has seen Cartwright's form drop, but the most notable question regarding his game would be his defence, only completing 190 tackles and missing 35, some turning out to be crucial to the outcome of their games.
Jack Bird is another one of those ‘big player’ signings from last year, but 2018 isn’t turning out to be the Year of the Bird.
After joining the Brisbane Broncos on a four-year deal from the Cronulla Sharks, Bird has managed just 8 appearances this season with disappointing results.
Trying to fit Bird into the team and play him into some form, coach Wayne Bennett has used Bird at centre, halfback and five-eighth, all with little effect.
He is averaging 52 run metres, with only 415 metres for the season, as well as being no help in attack with 0 tries or try assists.
Despite limited games this season, as well as injuries which have kept him out, Bird has just 13 tackle bursts and when compared to his previous form at Cronulla, there seems to be no indication he will recapture that this season.
With Parramatta sitting last on the ladder for the 2018 season, there was bound to be at least one of their players in this list.
Mitchell Moses transferred to the Eels midway through 2017 after jumping off-board the Wests Tigers bus, and at first, was loving it. But now, maybe he wants back on the bus.
Having 13 appearances for the Blue and Gold this season, Moses hasn’t quite been in the form he would’ve liked, with just 6 try assists from a playmakers position.
He has crossed the line once and but has provided a much-needed goal kicker tallying up 27 goals at a conversion rate of 75%.
Moses’s kicking game as been down this year, only averaging 206.96 metres, along with a measly total of 588 running metres.
Parramatta as a team have been poor this year no doubt, but given Moses’s talent, they really shouldn’t be at the bottom of the heap.
If it's not the Year of the Bird, it certainly is not the Year of the Dog.
Kieran Foran joined Canterbury Bankstown on a three-year deal, reportedly worth 1 million a season after leaving the New Zealand Warriors, but seems 2018 isn’t one to remember.
The former premiership winner I fear is past his career-best form if his 12 appearances for the Dogs is anything to go by.
Averaging 174.2 kicking metres thus far for a halfback is quite underwhelming, as well as having only 1 try and 1 try assist.
Foran’s running metres totals at 740 metres so far with his fantasy points dramatically down at 436 points.
Given the current sticky situation the Dogs find themselves in, reports suggesting Foran might be forced into retirement to free up space for the salary cap means he’ll end his career on a sour note.
Now, I know this will be a highly debated topic on whether Aaron Woods has been a dud this year or not, but let’s review the facts.
Woods made the transition to the Dogs this year after also jumping off the Tigers bus due to signing a four-year deal reportedly worth 3.2 million dollars.
For that type of money, you’d expect Superman, right?
Well, Wood’s hasn’t exactly delivered the high expectations he came across with.
He has played all 14 games for the Dogs this season, averaging a total of 136.6 running metres with 26 offloads.
Woods has managed 13.4 average hit ups, which also consists of 727.1 post contact metres and 390 tackles at a rate of 93%.
These numbers are quite bad for an average prop, but if the Dogs are paying top $$ for him within a salary cap they don’t have, they would be expecting just a tad more.
Also, we can’t forget that Woods wasn’t included in the NSW team either, confirming his slight slump in form.
Let’s see if Woods can finish off the year strongly, or if the salary cap dramas will push him out the door.