This week’s poll on TotalRL.com features the seven nominees for the prestigious Albert Goldthorpe Rookie of the Year Medal award for 2015.
The seven players shortlisted for the award are: Fouad Yaha (Catalans Dragons), Jake Connor (Huddersfield Giants), Jack Logan (Hull FC), Ash Handley (Leeds Rhinos), Andre Savelio (St Helens), Matt Whitley (Widnes Vikings) and Ryan Sutton (Wigan Warriors).
All seven have accomplished great things this season, but which one deserves to win the award, previously won by the likes of Sam Tomkins, Jermaine McGillvary and John Bateman? We’ve had a look at the stats.
THE BASICS
| Name | Appearances | Tries | Try assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fouad Yaha | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| Jake Connor | 16 | 4 | 7 |
| Jack Logan | 11 | 5 | 1 |
| Ash Handley | 18 | 13 | 1 |
| Andre Savelio | 23 | 2 | 2 |
| Matt Whitley | 25 | 5 | 0 |
| Ryan Sutton | 16 | 1 | 0 |
Whitley and Savelio have been a constant presence in their respective teams, which is a testament to themselves in squads packed with quality. Handley and Connor aren’t far behind, and both have a great return in the try department, scoring or creating a great number of tries for their team.
ATTACK
| Name | Carries | Meters | Offloads | Breaks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fouad Yaha | 80 | 693 | 4 | 9 |
| Jake Connor | 126 | 914 | 11 | 5 |
| Jack Logan | 87 | 716 | 3 | 9 |
| Ash Handley | 245 | 1775 | 5 | 15 |
| Andre Savelio | 235 | 1583 | 14 | 2 |
| Matt Whitley | 267 | 1558 | 5 | 6 |
| Ryan Sutton | 137 | 839 | 0 | 2 |
Ash Handley shines in this category. In 18 appearances, he has made more meters and clean breaks than anyone else. However, Yaha and Logan have done exceptionally well whilst they’ve been on the field, both averaging more meters per carry than their fellow contenders. Savelio and Whitley have pulled their weight for their team going forward, too.
DEFENCE
| Name | Tackles | Missed tackles | Errors | Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fouad Yaha | 31 | 11 | 4 | 1 |
| Jake Connor | 260 | 32 | 19 | 17 |
| Jack Logan | 191 | 39 | 11 | 7 |
| Ash Handley | 81 | 27 | 20 | 3 |
| Andre Savelio | 400 | 22 | 6 | 11 |
| Matt Whitley | 529 | 36 | 12 | 13 |
| Ryan Sutton | 348 | 22 | 3 | 2 |
It is in defence where we can see big differences in the seven players. Viking Whitley has averaged over 20 tackles per game for his side, whilst Savelio’s defence is also impressive, averaging less missed tackles per completed tackle by quite a substantial amount. Despite playing more games than anyone else, Savelio has made far less errors than most and is generally more disciplined than the others.
Who would get your vote? Cast your vote now at TotalRL.com
