Brisbane forward Payne Haas was a man on a mission to start the 2022 Telstra Premiership, helping pave the way for the Broncos' stunning upset over the Rabbitohs in Round 1 with a powerful effort.
The representative prop was the standout for his side as they chalked up a shock win over last year's Grand Finalists, and his efforts didn't go unnoticed — instantly taking him top of the VB Hard Work Leaderboard with a stunning 109 points.
In addition to his 38 tackles, Haas made 14 runs on the night that went for more than eight metres (as well as seven further runs on top of that), while chalking up four offloads as well. With just one missed tackle and no handling errors, it was a near perfect night for the young prop as he finished with a total of 187 metres.
Penrith duo Dylan Edwards and Isaah Yeo weren't far behind Haas in the Round 1 Index, as they each accounted for 95 points in their side's win over Manly.
Edwards made a stunning 20 runs that were more than eight metres, while Yeo — who himself made nine runs of more than eight metres — accounted for 17 line engagements, which was well clear of any other player inside the Index's top 20.
Tyson Frizell equalled the Penrith pair with 95 points of his own following his side's shock win over the Roosters, while Patrick Carrigan — who ran for a game-high 190 metres against the Rabbitohs — finished in fifth with 87 points.
Newcastle centre Dane Gagai (76 points) was the only outside back other than Edwards to finish inside the top ten, with Luke Thompson (86), James Fisher-Harris (82), Hudson Young (78) and Josh Papalii (74) rounding out the top 10.
To learn more about how the VB Hard Index is awarded, click here.