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Fox Sports Lab stats show Tim Lafai could be the bargain buy of the NRL next year
Simon Brunsdon with Fox Sports Lab FOX SPORTS December 07, 2015 7:25PM
ATTENTION all NRL coaches!
Are you after some cheap points in 2016? Wondering where to snatch those extra tries from without breaking the bank?
Look no further, because Tim Lafai is on the market.
The 24-year-old centre is a free agent as of last week, when he was granted a release from Canterbury on the back of Will Hopoate’s move to Belmore.
Both played centre for the majority of the 2015 season and there’s some glaring statistics that point to Lafai as the better value buy of the two.
Over the past two seasons the young Samoan international has returned 19 tries for the Bulldogs, from a total 45 appearances.
Hopoate, who has played mainly centre as well as spells at fullback for the Eels, has managed just seven tries in 38 games for Parramatta during that same period.
It’s a far cry from his pre-Mormon mission form of 2011, when a baby-faced Hopoate ran in 14 tries from 19 games for Manly, playing on the wing for a premiership side.
The Eels snagged him on a lucrative deal when he returned to rugby league in 2014, but the club failed to get the bang for their buck that Lafai now offers.
The try-scoring centre should be in hot demand for 2016 and beyond for any club looking to bolster their backline.
His value in attack is clear with a quick glance at his statistics from the past two years.
Aside from the points he’s put on the board, Lafai has also returned more linebreaks (25 to 13), more linebreak assists (10 to 7), try assists (10 to 5) and offloads (45 to 8) than Hopoate.
Hopoate also misses more tackles than Lafai, although the former wins the battle of average metres and also commits less errors.
If the Bulldogs end up paying a portion of his salary in 2016, Lafai is shaping as one of the great bargain buys of the year.
St George Illawarra, Penrith and Parramatta are thought to be leading the race for Lafai’s signature, while Gold Coast could be an option at good odds.
Dragons coach Paul McGregor hinted he would make a play for Lafai this week.
“I haven’t spoken to Tim or his management,” McGregor told The Daily Telegraph.
“Obviously my recruitment will look at that (this week) because that has only now just come about.”
The Panthers are also hunting for someone to fill the hole left by the sudden departure of Jamal Idris.
Peta Hiku could prove a big player in deciding Lafai’s future, with the Manly centre-utility also on the lookout for a new club.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...he-nrl-next-year/story-e6frf3pu-1227636963004
Simon Brunsdon with Fox Sports Lab FOX SPORTS December 07, 2015 7:25PM
ATTENTION all NRL coaches!
Are you after some cheap points in 2016? Wondering where to snatch those extra tries from without breaking the bank?
Look no further, because Tim Lafai is on the market.
The 24-year-old centre is a free agent as of last week, when he was granted a release from Canterbury on the back of Will Hopoate’s move to Belmore.
Both played centre for the majority of the 2015 season and there’s some glaring statistics that point to Lafai as the better value buy of the two.
Over the past two seasons the young Samoan international has returned 19 tries for the Bulldogs, from a total 45 appearances.
Hopoate, who has played mainly centre as well as spells at fullback for the Eels, has managed just seven tries in 38 games for Parramatta during that same period.
It’s a far cry from his pre-Mormon mission form of 2011, when a baby-faced Hopoate ran in 14 tries from 19 games for Manly, playing on the wing for a premiership side.
The Eels snagged him on a lucrative deal when he returned to rugby league in 2014, but the club failed to get the bang for their buck that Lafai now offers.
The try-scoring centre should be in hot demand for 2016 and beyond for any club looking to bolster their backline.
His value in attack is clear with a quick glance at his statistics from the past two years.
Aside from the points he’s put on the board, Lafai has also returned more linebreaks (25 to 13), more linebreak assists (10 to 7), try assists (10 to 5) and offloads (45 to 8) than Hopoate.
Hopoate also misses more tackles than Lafai, although the former wins the battle of average metres and also commits less errors.
If the Bulldogs end up paying a portion of his salary in 2016, Lafai is shaping as one of the great bargain buys of the year.
St George Illawarra, Penrith and Parramatta are thought to be leading the race for Lafai’s signature, while Gold Coast could be an option at good odds.
Dragons coach Paul McGregor hinted he would make a play for Lafai this week.
“I haven’t spoken to Tim or his management,” McGregor told The Daily Telegraph.
“Obviously my recruitment will look at that (this week) because that has only now just come about.”
The Panthers are also hunting for someone to fill the hole left by the sudden departure of Jamal Idris.
Peta Hiku could prove a big player in deciding Lafai’s future, with the Manly centre-utility also on the lookout for a new club.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...he-nrl-next-year/story-e6frf3pu-1227636963004
