Last July, I posted an article about the NYC’s most prolific try scorers, and since then we’ve seen some significant movers up the strike rate list, including a new leader. A few of the competition’s best in 2015 moved into the top 10, while a number of eligible players still have a shot at joining them in 2016.
A reminder that the strike rate forumla is: tries scored, divided by games played giving you a number of how many ‘tries’ per game. Like the previous list, I set the cut off at 20 games to be eligible. Unlike the previous list, I included NYC-eligible players.
5. Matt Duffie Melbourne (2009), 25 tries in 22 games, Strike rate = 1.14
Christchurch-born winger who excelled in athletics and Australian rules as a teenager, Duffie only played one season in the NYC but made it count with 25 tries. Of those 25, he scored four hat tricks, four tries against the Warriors in Round 7 and one in the Melbourne’s NYC Grand Final victory. In 2010, the scored a try in his NRL debut and made his Test debut for New Zealand in 2011, again, scoring a try. Plagued by injuries since 2012, Duffie missed Melbourne’s Grand Final win that year and only 13 games over the next four seasons.
4. John Sila Canterbury (2012-13), 42 tries in 33 games, Strike rate = 1.27
Sila was second on the list in 2015 but has been bumped two spots. After scoring a modest 19 tries in his debut season for the Dogs in 2012, Sila had a ridiculous 2013 season in which he scored 23 tries in just 11 games. That’s a single season strike rate of 2.09. In Round 5, he scored 5 tries in a 26-50 loss to the Warriors, equalling the record for most tries in a game. A Griffith junior, Sila finished his NYC career as the Bulldogs’ leading try scorer.
3. Tom Trbojevic Manly (2014-15), 41 tries in 32 games, Strike rate = 1.28
Despite being NYC-eligible in 2016, it’s unlikely the man they call Turbo will add to his impressive try scoring rate this season. Bound for the NRL, Trbojevic had an outstanding 2015 season in which he lead Manly to the Grand Final, scoring 21 tries in 14 games along the way. He opened the year with four tries against the Eels in Round 1 and picked up four again later in the year against the Warriors. In his rookie NYC season, Trbojevic scored a cool 20 tries in 18 games, which included four against the Knights in Round 10.
2. Ben Barba Canterbury (2008-09), 38 tries in 26 games, Strike rate = 1.46
The former holder of the NYC’s best strike rate, Barba was the player to watch in the inaugural season of the NYC. Playing primarily at five-eighth for the Bulldogs, Barba finished the year with 28 tries in 20 games, scoring in all but 5 of those games. A Round 13 hat trick against the Knights was backed up by four tries the following game against Canberra. Barba without a doubt would’ve scored 30+ tries in 2008 had he not played 4 NRL games. In 2009, Barba played just 6 NYC games but still managed 10 tries. In 2012, Barba became the first (and so far only) NYC graduate to win the Dally M Medal.
1. Gideon Gela-Mosby North Queensland (2015), 39 tries in 25 games, Strike rate = 1.56
In 2015, Gela-Mosby had one of the greatest try scoring seasons you’ll ever see. Of his record breaking 39 tries, Gela-Mosby scored four tries in a game on four occasions. The Darnley Island flyer didn’t just break the single season try scoring record, he shattered it. By Round 23, he had the record and would score 10 more tries over his next five games. Gela-Mosby is still NYC-eligible in 2016 and likely to start the season in the Under 20’s competition, with a chance to add to his try scoring tally before eventually moving up to the higher grades.
Top 10 NYC strike rates
| Player | Team(s) | Year(s) | Tries | Games | S/R |
| Gideon GELA-MOSBY | North Queensland | 2015 | 39 | 25 | 1.56 |
| Ben BARBA | Canterbury | 2008-2009 | 38 | 26 | 1.46 |
| Tom TRBOJEVIC | Manly | 2014-2015 | 41 | 32 | 1.28 |
| John SILA | Canterbury | 2012-2013 | 42 | 33 | 1.27 |
| Matt DUFFIE | Melbourne | 2009 | 25 | 22 | 1.14 |
| Josh CULLEN-MINHINNICK | Melbourne | 2014-2015 | 23 | 21 | 1.1 |
| James ROBERTS | South Sydney, Penrith | 2010-2013 | 35 | 32 | 1.09 |
| Jake MULLANEY | Wests Tigers | 2009-2010 | 42 | 40 | 1.05 |
| Konrad HURRELL | Warriors | 2011 | 22 | 21 | 1.05 |
| Kevin GORDON | Gold Coast | 2008-2009 | 23 | 22 | 1.05 |
Ok, so how about the best strike rates that didn’t qualify?
- In 2013, Lindon McGrady, played his only NYC game for the Bulldogs. He scored 3 tries, giving him a strike rate of 3.
- Another Bulldog, Costner Lemafa, also played his only NYC game that year. He scored a double and finished his NYC career with a strike rate of 2.
- Manly’s Teariki Peneha, played 7 games in 2008, scoring 13 tries for a strike rate of 1.85. That includes 4 tries in a win over the Titans.
- Aquila Gela played 2 games for the Dragons in 2013 and picked up 3 tries for a strike rate of 1.5.
- Dragons winger Tom Carr ended his only NYC season in 2015 with 17 tries in 13 games for a strike rate of 1.31.
- In 2015, Wests Tigers winger Obed Karwhin scored 22 tries in 17 games, for a strike rate of 1.29, and will be looking to add to that total in 2016.
- Current Cowboys Lachlan Coote (15 tries in 12 games) and Tautau Moga (20 in 16), finished their time in the NYC with a strike rate of 1.25.
18TH MAN 