Category: North Queensland Cowboys

Chances are if you ever seen a Holden Cup match you’ve seen at least one player bag multiple tries in that match. The competition is known for its high scoring matches. Take Round 1 of this season for instance, where 11 players scored two tries in a game, 2 others got hat tricks, while one player ran in four tries.

So, since 2008, which players have the best strike rates when it comes to scoring tries in the NYC? The strike rate forumla is: tries scored, divided by games played giving you a number of how many ‘tries’ per game.

Here are the top NYC strike rates. A player must have played at least 20 NYC games and finished their NYC eligibility to qualify.

James Roberts South Sydney (2010-12), Penrith (2013), 35 tries in 32 games, Strike rate = 1.09
Possibly the fastest man currently in the NRL, Roberts made his NYC debut at 17 for the Rabbitohs in 2010. He scored 4 tries in their 64-18 preliminary final win over the Raiders, which included this amazing length of the field try. Literally, length of the field. He backed up his try scoring exploits in his rookie year with a hat trick in Round 1 of the 2011 season and finished his NYC career with a hat trick in the Panthers’ 2013 Grand Final win. Sacked from both Souths and Penrith for disciplinary issues, Roberts is now with the Gold Coast Titans where he’s still scoring tries.

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, 4 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 played 4 NRL games in 2013. He missed the entire 2014 season through injury.

John Sila Canterbury (2012-13), 42 tries in 33 games, Strike rate = 1.27
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. He currently plays for the Wests Tigers’ NSW Cup side.

Ben Barba Canterbury (2008-09), 38 tries in 26 games, Strike Rate = 1.46
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, now at the Sharks after a stint with the Broncos, became the first (and so far only) NYC graduate to win the Dally M Medal.

PLAYER	TEAM(s)	YEAR(s)	TRIES	GAMES	S/R
Ben BARBA	Canterbury	2008-2009	38	26	1.46
John SILA	Canterbury	2012-2013	42	33	1.27
Matt DUFFIE	Melbourne	2009	25	22	1.14
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
Halauafu LAVAKA	Penrith, Parramatta	2012-2014	32	31	1.03
Dale COPLEY	Brisbane	2009-2011	39	39	1
Josh DUGAN	Canberra	2008-2009	25	25	1
Marika KOROIBETE	Wests Tigers	2011-2012	28	28	1
Anthony MILFORD	Canberra	2012-2013	20	20	1

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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.
• 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.

Best of current NYC players?

• Wests Tigers winger Obed Karwhin is in his first year of NYC and currently sits on 12 tries in 8 games, a strike rate of 1.5. Karwhin has two hat tricks in 2015, one of which was on debut.
• Gideon Gela-Mosby is in his first year of NYC with the Cowboys and has 23 tries in 16 games, for strike rate of 1.44. With 7 games and finals still to play, Gela-Mosby is a chance at breaking Jake Mullaney’s season record of 29.
• Manly’s Tom Trbojevic started 2015 with 7 tries from his first two games. After spending time in the NRL, Trbojevic has 10 tries in 6 games for the year and 30 tries in 24 games for his career. A strike rate of 1.25.
• Josh Cullen-Minhinnick has scored two hat tricks for the Storm in the past two seasons and has a strike rate of 1.2, with 18 tries in 15 games.
• Brisbane’s Jonus Pearson is sitting on a 1.17 strike rate after scoring 14 tries in 12 games this season.
• Canberra winger Lachlan Hurst has scored a try a game so far in his NYC career, with 28 tries in 28 games for a strike rate of 1.