Titans captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui delivered another captains knock in Round 24 to lead his side to victory against the Knights whilst also topping the VB Hard Earned Index along the way.
Playing in his final home game of the year, Fa'asuamaleaui produced an inspired effort against Newcastle, running for an incredible 257 metres off 23 carries with 16 of those runs going for eight-plus-metres (the equal most of any player).
The Titans captain also added two tackle busts, three offloads and 30 tackles to his titanic effort, bringing him to a round high of 105 points on the Hard Earned Index.
Rabbitohs lock Cameron Murray (94 points) and Panthers prop James Fisher-Harris (92 points) were similarly important for their respective sides as South Sydney and Penrith both secured important victories in Round 24, while Dragons duo Blake Lawrie (87 points) and Jaydn Su'a (83 points) were joined inside the top 10 by Parramatta pair Ryan Matterson (86 points) and Isaiah Papali'i (84 points).
Eels teammates Clint Gutherson and Shaun Lane topped the offload and tackle busts department for all players in the round with five and 10 respectively; while the Brailey brothers topped the tackle count — Jayden (45 tackles, five missed) narrowly edging out his younger brother Blayke (44 tackles, two missed).
Papali'i might have finished seventh in voting for the round but his 84 points was more than enough to consolidate his lead on the overall leaderboard with the Eels edge holding a 72-point lead over Joseph Tapine heading into Round 25.
With Isaah Yeo in third on 1575 points and Joe Ofahengaue in fourth on 1567 points, it does appear a race in two for the overall honours — especially with Parramatta and Canberra facing must-win games for their top four and top eight hopes.
VB Hard Earned Index: Round 24
- Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (Titans) — 105 points
- Cameron Murray (Rabbitohs) — 94 points
- James Fisher-Harris (Panthers) — 92 points
- Blake Lawrie (Dragons) — 87 points
- Isaah Yeo (Panthers) — 87 points
- Ryan Matterson (Eels) — 86 points
- Isaiah Papali'i (Eels) — 84 points
- Jaydn Su'a (Dragons) — 83 points
- Cameron McInnes (Sharks) — 82 points
- David Klemmer (Knights) — 79 points
VB Hard Earned Index: Leaderboard
- Isaiah Papali'i (Eels) — 1698 points
- Joseph Tapine (Raiders) — 1626 points
- Isaah Yeo (Panthers) — 1575 points
- Joe Ofahengaue (Wests Tigers) — 1567 points
- Cameron McInnes (Sharks) — 1542 points
- Keaon Koloamatangi (Rabbitohs) — 1498 points
- Jai Arrow (Rabbitohs) — 1494 points
- Angus Crichton (Roosters) — 1481 points
- Cameron Murray (Rabbitohs) — 1472 points
- Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys) — 1455 points
