THERE is no substitute for raw pace in rugby league and the old adage ‘speed cannot be taught’ can be true of some of the flyers that we witness each week in Super League.
Following round two, the top three fastest Super League players have been revealed – and it’s great reading if you are a Warrington Wolves fan.
Not only have the likes of James Harrison, Paul Vaughan and Sam Kasiano been punching holes in opposition defences through the heart of the line, Matty Ashton and Matt Dufty have been racking up some incredible speeds to outpace their opponents in Leeds Rhinos and Huddersfield Giants.
In Warrington’s 26-16 win over Huddersfield last Friday, Ashton clocked up a top speed of 35.87km/h according to the Super League website which is the highest seen in 2023 so far.
In fact, Ashton’s speed was such that the speed clocked there would have been in the top five of pace recorded in 2022.
Not far behind is his teammate Dufty, who clocked the second fastest speed of the round during the same match, recording a velocity of 34.26km/h.
In third sits Huddersfield’s new signing Kevin Naiqama at 33.33 km/h who, despite being 34 years of age, is still very much promoting the goods in terms of pace.
