Fantasy Land: How Andrew Ryan Can Make 10 More Tackles A Game Without Trying

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday May 15, 2008

Rod Allen with AAP

LARGE discrepancies in league statistics are confusing fans and undermining their research for tipping, fantasy leagues and gambling.

A brief survey of published statistics during the past three rounds shows differences of up to 25 per cent for metres gained and tackle counts between the two major league statisticians. Rarely do they have the same figures.

For example, the official supplier, NRL Stats, reported that Bulldogs captain Andrew Ryan made 40 tackles in last week's game against the Panthers, while Fox Sports Stats gave him 50 tackles. In the round-seven clash between Storm and the Cowboys, NRL Stats gave winger Mark Henry 159 metres and prop Carl Webb 103. Fox Sports reported Henry made 176 metres and Webb 131. In the same game, NRL Stats credited Dallas Johnson with 42 tackles and Brett White 26, while Fox Sports gave Johnson 47 and White 31.

The NRL website, Fairfax Media, publisher of The Sydney Morning Herald and leaguehq.com.au, Big League, Rugby League Week and all NRL coaches and clubs use the official supplier. Fox Sports Stats, the newcomer to the industry, supplies figures to Fox Sports' pay television coverage and The Daily Telegraph.

Therefore, fans choosing their players for the official NRL fantasy league get wildly different statistics if they do their research on the NRL website or websites supported by Fox Sports Stats.

The NRL admitted the differences were confusing for fans.

"It confuses them, but if people want to collect stats that is their business. All we can do is have an official stats collector and that is NRL Stats," an NRL spokesman said.

"NRL Stats works with most of the clubs and coaches and we are happy with them."

NRL Stats chief executive officer Andrew Moufarrige said he had more than 40 clients using the statistics, which were backed up and linked to video.

"We have highly trained employees with over seven years' experience that work with coaches and players," he said. "It is very confusing for the fans to see all these wild fluctuations. There should be one supplier, like in the AFL. I can't speak for Fox Sports Stats but we have been around for a long time and stand by our stats and our systems and training."

Fox Sports Stats manager Ian Collis said the differences could be explained by interpretations of tackles and metres.

"It could all come down to how you interpret tackles and how you interpret metres gained," he said. "I don't know how they do it now and it was never an issue when it was just [NRL Stats], but they could be looking at things differently than us. There is no governing body or market standard that everyone has to go by."

Collis said metres gained could be judged from either when a ball-carrier received the ball or when he made the advantage line. Tackles also were subjective when more than one player was involved. League statistics were thrown into the spotlight last week when 2UE claimed bookmakers had lost large amounts of money offering bets on live statistics.

"We don't condone any type of exotic bets on statistics," the NRL spokesman said.

? Newcastle utility Matt Hilder will miss two matches after pleading guilty to dangerous contact with Melbourne's Cooper Cronk during Monday night's 18-4 loss to the Storm, AAP reports. Hilder's was the only suspension from round-nine matches.

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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