With State of Origin Two taking all the headlines and attention, one could be forgiven for forgetting about the NRL this weekend right? Wrong. Talking of wrongs and rights, our 2024 NRL Round 17 Tips Predictions & Stats Preview will have something for everyone and everything.
Each week we offer up a quick preview glance for each match, throw in a bunch of barely interesting stats, and mix in a pinch of opinion, some spicy tips and you have a rugby league soup with probably more than one could ever need or want. It’s all you can eat NRL stats.
2024 NRL Round 17 Tips – This Week’s Matches
Here are our tips for the week ahead. How did we get to here? By going through all the visuals and stats below.
Fri 7:50 pm – Bulldogs v Cronulla
Sat 3:00 pm – Warriors v Brisbane
Sat 5:30 pm – Newcastle v Parramatta
Sat 7:35 pm – Melbourne v Canberra
Sun 2:00 pm – St George Illawarra v Dolphins
Sun 4:05 pm – Penrith v North Queensland
Sun 6:15 pm – Roosters v Wests Tigers
2024 NRL Round 17 Tips – This Week’s Tips
Bulldogs by 6
Warriors by 8
Parramatta by 12
Melbourne by 18
Dragons by 4
Penrith by 4
Roosters by 12
BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 23: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 battles with Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes and George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W15 during the race start for the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 23, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images)
The F1 circus continues the seemingly never-ending yo-yo across the continents to land back in Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix, a race won by Max Verstappen without too much trouble. Talking of yo-yos, here is our 2024 Spanish F1 Grand Prix Result Summary which covers both races and anything else of interest.
This 2024 Spanish Grand Prix Result, Lap by Lap, Review & Summary gives you just enough to catch up with. With just a hint of cynicism, bias, opinion and colour. The perfect bite sized review for those who couldn’t be bothered, or don’t have enough time.
Didn’t see the race live? Don’t have time to watch the whole race? Here’s where we capture the laps where stuff happened. We write these live as we go, sort of like a minute by minute for the football, but marginally more interesting.
Setting the scene – So the 2024 season continues to evolve and qualifying is no longer the domain of Max Verstappen as Lando Norris pips the Red Bull for pole position. McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri may well have been a threat too but slid wide on the second last corner of his last lap and starts 9th. Mercedes put behind them sabotage claims over Lewis Hamilton to qualify 3rd and 4th with the sabotagee ahead of George Russell. The next two rows are a bit of a surprise with Ferrari slightly off the pace and the Alpines now surprisingly quick in 7th and 8th. Sergio Perez continues to underwhelm qualifying 8th but dropping to 11th after receiving a penalty from the Canadian GP for driving his busted car back to the pits. Talking of the pits and underwhelming the latest upgrade for the RB team has seen them plummet to the second slowest car with Daniel Ricciardo 18th, one place behind Yuki Tsunoda. We figure that means it’s Ricciardo 1 Villeneuve 1 now.
It’s a long drag down to the first corner, and there is usually one or two cars eliminated on the first lap. Stand by for who. Or who else other than Lance Stroll. Race day weather is hot and windy. Who will that favour? We will find out soon.
GRID (Starting Order) – NOR VER HAM RUS LEC SAI GAS OCO PIA ALO
Lap 1 – Lando Norris makes a good start from pole position, Max Verstappen makes a better start, and George Russell makes the best start and sweeps through on the outside to take first. Lando Norris drops to third, his team mate is up to 8th with Nico Hulkenberg the big mover and up three places. All the drivers make it through the first lap without issue. Amazing start and first corner move from George Russell though, from fourth on the grid. Replays show the Mercedes driver took advantage of Norris pushing Verstappen onto the grass which cost them both, one only temporarily.
ORDER – RUS VER NOR HAM LEC SAI GAS PIA OCO HUL
Lap 3 – Red Bull come over the radio and advise Max Verstappen that the best time might be now to overtake George Russell and Verstappen duly obliges by passing the Mercedes into turn one at the start of lap 3 and half a lap later he’s already more than a second ahead. Well, this could be a boring race.
Lap 4 – Carlos Sainz overtakes Charles Leclerc, which appears to make Leclerc a little unhappy as they were close to touching. Sainz is also unhappy for the same reason. Maybe we’ll see some Ferrari intra-team hate.
ORDER – VER RUS NOR HAM SAI LEC GAS PIA OCO HUL
Lap 7 – In back of the grid news Guanyu Zhou overtakes Yuki Tsunoda for 16th, making the RBs the second worst car of the race as well as qualifying. Further ahead Fernando Alonso is 14th in his home race, after losing out at the start. A little further ahead of that is Sergio Perez making little impression in 11th. The midweek news that Perez’s contract is not two seasons but a one season plus an option for the team for the second makes more sense. Or more sense than giving two seasons. And less sense at re-signing him at all.
Lap 10 – Max Verstappen is 2.5 seconds ahead of George Russell and looking ominously confident. Behind that McLarens are beginning to pressure the cars in front with Lando Norris on Russell’s tail and Oscar Piastri glued to the Alpine rear of Pierre Gasly. Meanwhile the pitstops have been with Kevin Magnussen, Yuki Tsunoda and Guanyu Zhou.
Lap 12 – Sergio Perez overtakes Nico Hulkenberg for 10th. And secures himself a Championship point. For now. He pits on lap 14 and drops to 15th.
ORDER – VER RUS NOR HAM SAI LEC GAS PIA OCO PER
Lap 15 – Kevin Magnussen gets a five second penalty for a false start, which will result in a zero net effect on his point scoring today.
Lap 16 – George Russell and Carlos Sainz pit for tyres. The Ferrari pit work is three seconds faster and the cars exit the pit lane almost side by side. Mercedes have thrown away some advantage of the early stop and undercut. Lewis Hamilton pits a lap later and ends up behind Sainz.
Lap 18 – Max Verstappen pits, Lando Norris takes the lead for the first time in this race. No worries on the Red Bull pitstop, it’s quick and he exits fourth behind Oscar Piastri. Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz are arguing over 6th and almost touch. The Mercedes gets past the Ferrari into turns one and two on lap 19 but Sainz claims there was a touch and Hamilton runs him wide. Sainz would know about both. Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc is the other front runner not to pit yet with the McLarens. A pit stop will cost Lando Norris 22 seconds and drop him to seventh, so a one-stopper may be on the cards now for both McLarens.
ORDER – NOR LEC PIA VER RUS HAM SAI GAS OCO PER
Lap 22 – Max Verstappen breezes by Oscar Piastri who must take offence as he pits at the end of the lap and drops behind Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg and lands 11th. Which is upgraded to 10th when he easily passes the Hulk.
Lap 23 – Lando Norris pits at the end of lap 23 and comes out behind Carlos Sainz. Temporary leader Charles Leclerc thinks that is a decent idea and pits a lap later and splits the Alpines on his return. That means all drivers have now pit and all drivers that started are still in the race.
ORDER – VER RUS HAM SAI NOR GAS LEC OCO PER PIA
Lap 26 – Lando Norris is showing some race pace now, setting fastest lap/s and breezing past Carlos Sainz and closing overall to Max Verstappen. Norris thinks he can win, and who are we to argue about that from our lounge at quarter to midnight. In other fast McLaren news Oscar Piastry rises to 9th after passing Sergio Perez into turn one. And gets Ocon a few laps later. If McLaren go longer on this second stint it could be an exciting finish.
Lap 32 – Lando Norris overtakes Lewis Hamilton for third place without a hint of sabotage. George Russell is only just up the road too. Piastri passes Gasly for 7th a few laps later. McLarens are on the move.
ORDER – VER RUS NOR HAM SAI LEC PIA GAS OCO HUL
Lap 35 – It’s a ding dong battle between Norris and Russell. Norris goes around the outside of Russell around the outside of turn three only for Russell to sneak back around the outside of the next corner which leads to the inside of the next. But Lando Norris settles the argument for good up the inside of turn six after that and keeps the position by the end of the lap. George Russell pits a lap later with Carlos Sainz.
Lap 42 – Back markers now in the way of the leaders which adds a potential another level to this race. Down the field a lot of the upper/lower midfield and below are making the second stops.
ORDER – VER NOR HAM LEC PIA RUS SAI PER GAS ALO
Lap 44 – Lewis Hamilton puts on a new set of softs for the last stint. As does Max Verstappen a lap later. They end up 7th and third respectively. This gives Lando Norris his chance and he starts flying. As do Russell and Verstappen as the fastest laps are recorded.
Lap 47 – Piastri pits and drop from 5th to 8th. More importantly Lando Norris pits from the lead and drops to second just in front of George Russell as they go through the first corner. So 18 laps to go and we have the stage set for Norris to chase Verstappen for the win.
ORDER – VER NOR RUS HAM SAI LEC PER PIA GAS OCO
Lap 51 – Lando Norris is six seconds behind Max Verstappen but eight tenths quicker on the lap. A big finish is coming. George Russell is struggling on his hard tyres and Lewis Hamilton overtakes him after spending a few laps on his tail to take third place.
Lap 55 – The Norris to Verstappen gap has stabilised and it looks like there won’t be a grandstand finish. Searching for other action, the Ferraris are getting close and Sergio Perez made a third pitstop to overtake some midfield cars. Charles Leclerc eventually gets in front of Carlos Sainz and chases George Russell.
Lap 58 – Hold the phone, if you were holding one, Lando Norris sets fastest lap and has cut the lead to Verstappen to under five seconds (4.7).
Lap 61 – Five laps to go and the lead is 4.3 seconds. So close and coming down but not quick enough.
Lap 65 – The Norris-Verstappen gap is down to 2.7 seconds so there’s still hope, but maybe Max is playing.
FINAL LAP – Norris gets into No Cigar territory and Max Verstappen holds on for victory. Lewis Hamilton gets some 2024 joy with a podium at a track he’s dominated in the past. Charles Leclerc pressures George Russell but falls short. Sergio Perez steals 8th place from Pierre Gasly on the final lap.
FINAL ORDER (Across the line) – VER NOR HAM RUS LEC SAI PIA PER GAS OCO
Here we go through the field and highlight the very best (Great) of the race, and the plodders, the over-ambitious, the out of luck, and simply hopeless (Grape).
These points get added to our Driver of the Season scores. points for a great nomination, and -5 for the worst or grapest driver in the pack. Then it is +2 /-2 for honourable or dishonourable mentions.
THE GREAT-EST – LANDO NORRIS
Takes his second pole position with a lap he describes as a piece of art. Loses his lead at the start but an alternative strategy keeps him at the front of the battle for most of the race. His late race charges are becoming something to look forward to on race day. Norris is a bit like a modern day Nigel Mansell, without all the moaning. And tremendous moustache. He looks clearly the next best behind Max this season, and more race wins are coming.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
MAX VERSTAPPEN – Has to settle for just a win and not a win from pole. He was trumped at the start by George Russell but didn’t take long to assert his authority and sail off into the distance.
ALPINES – Have gone from slowest car in the field to solid point scoring machines. Not many points as they aren’t that fast but at least they are scoring and not running into each other.
LEWIS HAMILTON – Appears to overcome sabotage by beating his team mate on race day and secure the final podium.
THE GRAPE-EST – FERNANDO ALONSO
Missed Q3 at his home race. Pushed wide at the first corner and needs to take the escape lane. Spends most of his afternoon in the non-points section of the midfield, and behind Lance Stroll.
DISHONOURABLE MENTIONS
WILLIAMS – The slowest car for a lot of the weekend, and Alex Albon was barely faster than Logan Sargeant. And he runs wide trying to overtake Yuki Tsunoda late in the race ruining any potential joy for him and the team.
RB – New upgrades have had a negative effect and the RBs were the second worst car for most of the weekend. At least the lack of speed can’t be blamed on Daniel Ricciardo as both drivers are slow. Although the Australian goes on a bit of a run of overtaking towards the end, but 15th isn’t where they want to be.
SERGIO PEREZ – Almost a permanent fixture in our disappointments. Misses Q3 and hangs around the upper midfield for most of the race. A bit of a waste of the best car really.
FERRARI – Not a great race day or qualifying. Hard to think this was a car dominating Monaco not so long ago.
Was it a good race, loads of action, a tense ending, a surprise result or DNF, or just a big, fat, snooze-fest?
We rate the big race itself, so we know which races to go back and watch in the off season or one to simply remember the winner for the post season quiz nights.
ON TRACK ACTION – 7 / 10
A decent amount of overtaking and tyre strategy to keep one interested throughout, despite Max Verstappen being a little hard to catch in front.
ANY SURPRISES? – 2 / 5
The Red Bull still won is no surprise, but George Russell’s start certainly was, and was the Alpine’s improvement in pace.
SEASON IMPORTANCE – 4 / 5
Another win to Max Verstappen isn’t important, but the pace of the McLaren and in particular Lando Norris is. Norris took pole and was the second fastest on track during the race, so if he can win some of the next few races it may put some Championship pressure on Max Verstappen.
ENDING 6 / 10
Lando Norris’ pursuit of Max Verstappen gives enough laps plenty of interest. But it always seemed inevitable that the Red Bull would hang on.
OVERALL RATING 19 / 30
Not bad for a Spanish Grand Prix really.
2024 F1 Season Power Rankings
Stay tuned for our Power Rankings from the race soon as it is currently being calculated and will be ready on Monday.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: Actor Michael Emery, Director Nate Dushku,Writer Amnon Lourie and Intimacy Coordinator Brooke M. Haney take part in SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations "Birder" at SAG-AFTRA Foundation Robin Williams Center on June 20, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
An actor from a popular drama has put their job in jeopardy after a massive outburst on social media.
“It all started when I was browsing TikTok. I’d just started an account and I thought I’d search for our show and see what our fans were saying. It was a huge mistake,” said Malcolm.
“I’m all for constructive criticism, but most of the people on there were OBSESSED with the show, talking about hypothetical situations in the show, and carrying on like their lives revolved it. It was ridiculous! It like these people forget it’s just a fictional TV show.”
In his now deleted video, Malcolm called out the “sad, bored, desperate megafans who have nothing better to do than make stupid videos about a stupid TV show and pretend like it’s real life,” and “I’m just an actor and it’s just a TV show. I could move onto any show I wanted and it wouldn’t matter. The other actors, directors, and writers could do the same. We’re not tied to one TV show for the rest of our lives. Just write your disgusting fan fiction and get it out of your system!”
Unsurprisingly, there was backlash from the fans, with many calling him “arrogant”, “out of touch” and “one of the worst characters on the show”.
Though Malcolm’s rant has seen him suspended from the show indefinitely, with Fire Force‘s creator Peter Hugh offering an apology on the show’s official TikTok account.
“Alex Malcolm doesn’t represent the views of the Fire Force family. I love all of our fans and I love how passionate they are about the show. You know you’ve struck a chord when fans are dedicated enough to spend time making videos about our show. As for Alex, he’s been stood down from the show and we’ll assess his position later on.”
Malcolm is currently looking at different career paths, using his break from work to study copywriting.
It’s State of Origin Two time, with the second game of the series hopefully featuring fewer send offs and more action. As with any major sporting tournament or celebration The Gurgler is here to overthink and over-analyse it all with stats that may or may not matter. So talking about all that, here is our 2024 State of Origin Game 2 Stats Summary.
While the NRL is into reserve grade mode, many ask whether the State of Origin hype is worth it, but all agree that our 2024 State of Origin Game 1 Stats Summary certainly is worth the hype. We have stats, visuals, historic H2H plus we used as many stats as we think are useful to predict not only the winner, but the score. Who else offers such a service. Enjoy.
2024 State of Origin Game 2 Stats Prediction
Here’s our big ticket item before you get distracted and get sucked into the clickbait on Fox Sports – our Game 1 Predictions – which uses a lot of the stats we’ll dive into later.
2024 State of Origin Game 2 Best Bet
SAME GAME MULTI
NSW to win
Total Points Under 37.5
Margin – Tri Bet Under 10.5
Stephen Crichton to score anytime
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to score anytime
$1 pays $60 (as per Sportsbet 23/6)
2024 State of Origin Game 2 Stats Summary
Here we dive into the history and stats of the first game of the Origin series and games at the Sydney Olympic Stadium.
State of Origin Game 2 Record
NSW have Queensland covered in most Game Two Stats, particularly at Neutral venues and the MCG.
NSW also lead the Game Two H2H when Queensland win the first game of the series.
Of the 22 times Queensland have won the first game of the series NSW have won Game Two 13 times.
Of the 16 times a Sydney ground has hosted the first game of the Origin series, the team that wins game one wins the second game only six times. Flor the record of those six times Queensland did it four times and NSW twice.
NSW have won the last four Game Two matches when not played at Lang Park.
NSW have won six of the last eight game two matches when Queensland have won game one.
Does a Game 1 Winner win the Series?
Well, yes they do. Mostly. One side does do it better than the other, but here are some super stats to go with.
When Queensland have won the first game of the Series – the Maroons have gone on to win the Series 82% of the time. For NSW that win ratio is lower at 70%. (1980/81 excluded for first game/series calculations).
It’s 76% overall for a G1 winner to win the series, but that drops to 72% when the first game is played at a regular home ground (not neutral).
It’s 100% for G1 winners to win the Series since Covid in 2020.
Starting in 2006, the last seven times that the first game has been played at the Olympic Stadium, Queensland have gone on to win the series that year. Regardless of if they won the first game or not.
Queensland have won the last three games at the Sydney Olympic Stadium which doubles as Game One of the series (2015, 2016, 2022). The Maroons have got on to win the series on all three of those occasions.
State of Origin Record @ MCG
NSW definitely hold the upper hand overall, but there’s a few quirks.
The only win for Queensland at the MCG was with Fatty’s 1995 side.
NSW hold the upper hand for Game Two at the MCG and Victoria with 3-1 and 4-1 respectively.
State of Origin Record @ Neutral Grounds
NSW definitely hold the upper hand overall, but there’s a few quirks.
NSW hold the overall H2H record at neutral grounds but look at that Game Two advantage – 6 wins to 1.
State of Origin Other Facts
Game Two is the lowest scoring game of the series on average.
NSW lead Qld in Game Two scoring but are even further ahead in recent seasons. The last ten seasons the Blues lead 23 points to 15, and in the last three seasons it is 25 v 15.
State of Origin Player Comparisons
Here we take the Game Two squads and compare their 2024 stats side by side.
Back to Europe for one of the traditionally most boring races of the season where overtaking and excitement will be at a premium. Talking of premium, our 2024 Spanish F1 Grand Prix Preview will give you a bit of everything without promising anything ahead of the upcoming big weekend of F1 but of the highest quality we promise.
The Gurgler’s 2024 Spanish F1 Grand Prix Preview brings some thoughts on the race itself, a few bold predictions here and there, a more than a few barely interesting stats.
Essentially a quick summary of what a casual F1 fan needs in the shortest possible time for your convenience.
By GabrielStella – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=104096308
The circuit looks like the worst attempt at drawing a person doing a sit-up or an abstract crab. It could be one of the last F1 races at the circuit too, with Madrid stealing the Grand Prix off Barcelona from 2026. So unless the track can come up with a new name for the race it might be all over. Although, it hasn’t stopped the races in Imola, Miami or Las Vegas.
It is as modern a venue as you can probably get, with a long straight, a few long sweeping corners and some technical parts in the middle. Our circuit map has the chicane towards the end, but thank goodness they have now reverted to the full pace corners to end the lap. If there’s little overtaking it may as well be fast.
2024 Canadian F1 Grand Prix Preview – Race Rating
The Gurgler does like to use some obscure drivers in our Race previews and report, so who better to use than Teo Fabi to determine a race rating system.
So before each race we give a rating out of ten for four key category that are loosely based on each letter of Teo Fabi’s surname. Don’t know who Teo Fabi is, you should.
FAST? 6/10 – It’s pretty fast in a lot of places and does provide some challenges for the driver. Mainly those in slower cars or Logan Sargeant.
ACTION? 2/10 – We truly can’t remember too many Spanish Grands Prix, so that’s not a good sign of action. Or maybe our memory is fading. Or maybe both. But aside from over-ambition at the first corners we can’t see much happening.
BIG HISTORY? – 6/10 – The Spanish Grand Prix has been around for a long time, going through a number of venues before landing in Barcelona since 1991. But despite the length of service there’s not many races folk will remember. One that does spring is mind is from the first race where Mansell and Senna drove millimetres apart down the main straight. There’s also key first wins for Max Verstappen and Michael Schumacher for Ferrari.
INCLEMENT WEATHER? – 2/10The Weather Channel says a 40% chance of showers in the morning on Sunday. Better than nothing we suppose, but it could be good for the F2 and F3 races. Hopefully it doesn’t wash the track of the rubber laid down and make tyres last ten laps.
RACE RATING 40% – Usually a race to endure not enjoy.
2024 Spanish F1 Grand Prix Preview – Stats
Want to know if your favourite driver for this weekend is a master of the track or the track is a master of them? Here then are some barely interesting facts and stats.
These visuals go back to 2000 to cover the current drivers, thanks to Fernando Alonso. The all time history goes back to 1950.
The Spanish GP has a DNF ratio of 18% since 2000, but that drops to 13% for the last ten seasons.
The Spanish Grand Prix has the highest % of wins from poles for GPs with over two races.
No one has won at Barcelona from lower than fifth. Ninth is the lowest grid slot for a podium.
Only Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri have made it to Q3 on all visits to Barcelona.
Carlos Sainz has finished every race at Barcelona in the points – nine races in a row.
All the drivers who have made more than one start at Barcelona have scored points in at least one race.
Of all the races at Barcelona, all but three of them have been won by a World Champion or eventual World Champion.
DRIVER GRID POSITION vs RACE RESULT – CURRENT DRIVERS
TEAM GRID POSITION vs RACE RESULT
HISTORIC DRIVER RESULTS
99 = a DNF. Grid position 20 is overstated as that was also used for cars starting in pitlane.
HISTORIC TEAM RESULTS
OVERALL GRID POSITION INTO RACE RESULT
99 = a DNF. Grid position 20 is overstated as that was also used for cars starting in pitlane. Results from 2000.
WIN FROM POLE RECORD
Max Verstappen will take pole, win and set fastest lap on the final tour.
Sergio Perez will qualify between 6th and 10th and finish second.
Lando Norris will finish third.
Carlos Sainz and George Russell will clash at the first corner.
Logan Sargeant will spin off at the second last corner during the race.
Fernando Alonso will qualify on the front row. Lance Stroll will be knocked out in Q1.
You won’t see either Sauber during the race.
Nico Hulkenberg will qualify and finish 14th.
ALL RACE RESULTS – SPANISH F1 GRAND PRIX @ BARCELONA
It’s time for weekly Rugby League rant of The Gurgler’s angry man Buzz equivalent known only as the NRL Donkey, who provides his NRL Round 16 Expert Tips as well as offers an alternative, slightly unhinged view full of sass of the world of rugby league and beyond for another week.
The NRL Donkey’s NRL Round 16 Expert Tips and Weekly Rant
This could easily be the biggest waste of time round for the NRL this season, and a tremendous argument for having standalone Origin and no NRL.
But of course, because Channel Nein think they run the games, and they probably do, we’ll have Wednesday Origin forever and the NRL tanks for two months as a result. Thanks Channel Nein, good to see they are as good at bullying rugby league as they are their own staff. And reporters at airports. And contestants on “social experiment” MAFS. And while I’m on that, putting someone in a white coat and jamming in the odd comment in a reality show is not a social experiment, it is dross, bottom-of-the-barrel TV. Much like convincing people that Mr Ed actually did talk. Or that A Current Affair is anything like its title.
And, much like this week’s NRL, we’re not convinced by Channel Nein or the NRL.
Think I’m being dramatic?
Take a look at the dross, paltry offering for Round 16…..
Five games, featuring a lot of teams that will be Origin affected. Well, except the Wests Tigers.
A game in Gosford is pretty good evidence that it is Origin time. Much like a Warriors game on Channel Nein. Nothing against the Central Coast, it’s a great stadium and the area probably deserves a football team that isn’t named the Northern Eagles and reeking of Manly, plus we have a lot of time for the Woy Woy Roosters for so many reasons. And we do enjoy the giant sauce bottles down the end with no grandstand. Maybe the Titans could install those, it might make their home games more interesting and possibly increase the crowd numbers. And perhaps those sauce bottles could squirt out sauce like the flame machines when something happens. Tomato for a try, BBQ for a goal, and mustard for a penalty, because no one likes mustard. But not sure how I’ve got here, but Central Coast is great. The Leagues club is an outstanding social attraction where members and visitors can go on a winning streak.
Talking of winning streaks and bring it back to the original point of this weekend sucks, is not only the five games but some of the scheduling within that. The Gold Coast have lost a million in a row on a Saturday, so better play their game at home on a Saturday. The Wests Tigers have lost a million in a row at Campbelltown, so better play them at Campbelltown. Throw in that the Tigers have lost a million in a row v Canberra and you have some real misery for Tigers fans. The two other games on paper have key players missing, and they were always likely to have key players missing, but to ensure Round 16 stinks better put them on. It all boils down to why bother. Just take the whole week off, play the Origin on Sunday so the petty media back and forths for Origin can have their own time to shine and the NRL can offer up something better than the NRL’s equivalent of harness racing or A Current Affair. Not even Mr Smiles Daniel Ricciardo could save this weekend.
So a final up yours in the direction of Channel Nein before we move to this week’s game by game summary and expert tips.
The NRL Donkey’s NRL Round 16 Expert Tips
DOLPHINS v MELBOURNE
Melbourne are some kind of machine as they sit on top of the ladder, perhaps Craig Bellamy is some kind of NRL Terminator, eliminating the dreams of their competition. I know I would feel more comfortable hanging out with the evil Terminators than being in his coaches box when on one of those specials sprays. No wonder Victoria have had more earthquakes than usual in recent years. Dolphins then must be the good Arnie for T2 this weekend as they try and stop the team with best record at Suncorp Stadium outside of Paul McCartney and U2. Hopefully they won’t be the screaming pain-in-the-arse Edward Furlong from Terminator 2. More like Linda Hamilton. Ray Stone is the Linda Hamilton of the Dolphins.
Dolphins by 4
GOLD COAST v WARRIORS
Last week we received favourable feedback on our comparison of Gold Coast and Seventh Day Adventists, hinting that the Titans basically have a rugby league sabbath on Saturdays. It’s 13 losses in a row now, and their home record is not much better. Although, this being a Warriors game, it probably won’t be a home game for them either. So better check the away form on a Saturday…..<checks computer – hits the Any key>…..it’s only four losses in a row. And the Titans have won four of the last five v Warriors. And the Warriors are paying $1.53 and favourites paying over $1.40 have won only four of the last 19 games. We’re going to throw in an upset here to make Round 16 interesting.
Gold Coast by 2
ROOSTERS v BULLDOGS
Normally being a Roosters game, we don’t care. But this game is in Gosford and they have those sauce bottles. Bulldogs have a pretty poor record away but are now the NRL’s best defensive team. They’ll need it, the Roosters are the best attacking team. Maybe this will be the game of the weekend and month and season. Or it will be a dull, error filled arm wrestle that will have casual fans flipping over to Police Ten Seven at half time and not returning.
Bulldogs by 4
SOUTHS v MANLY
Well we called an origin performance for Souths last weekend and they duly saluted, although only one of the two musketeers made it to the Blues. Will the forgotten Cody Walker show them who’s the boss, or will he sulk and be the Tony Danza of the NRL. That is probably the key to this game without Latrell Mitchell and Daly Cherry-Evans. At least Souths aren’t last anymore and a bold finals campaign is still possible. It’ll be the most unlikely success since Gladiator.
Souths by 8
WESTS TIGERS v CANBERRA
So the Tigers play at Campbelltown where they have lost their last ten games. On a Sunday where the Tigers have lost 21 of their last 22. Against Canberra where they have lost 13 of the last 14. Only a complete Balloonhead would pick the Tigers.
Another week of five games, origin affected and teams out of form. Sounds like a bit of a waste of time yeah? Talking of something that isn’t a waste of time, our 2024 NRL Round 16 Tips Predictions & Stats Preview will have something for everyone and everything.
Each week we offer up a quick preview glance for each match, throw in a bunch of barely interesting stats, and mix in a pinch of opinion, some spicy tips and you have a rugby league soup with probably more than one could ever need or want. It’s all you can eat NRL stats.
2024 NRL Round 16 Tips – This Week’s Matches
Here are our tips for the week ahead. How did we get to here? By going through all the visuals and stats below.
Fri 7:50 pm – Dolphins v Melbourne @ Suncorp Stadium
Sat 3:00 pm – Gold Coast v Warriors @ Cbus
Sat 5:30 pm – Roosters v Bulldogs @ Gosford
Sat 7:35 pm – South Sydney v Manly Warringah @ Sydney Olympic
Sun 4:05 pm – Wests Tigers v Canberra @ Campbelltown
2024 NRL Round 16 Tips – This Week’s Tips
Dolphins by 4
Gold Coast by 2
Roosters by 10
Souths by 4
Canberra by 12
Looking for a cheat sheet for the weekend’s upcoming games?
Here’s as much information that we could cram into one size fits all visual.
Plus our famed barely interesting stats all in the one place for this week of fewer games.
DOL v MEL – Melbourne have a better record at Suncorp Stadium than the Dolphins, and every other team (76% v next best Brisbane @ 59%). But Dolphins are second for away teams at Suncorp Stadium (67%) but still a long way behind the Storm away (83%).
DOL v MEL – But for all of Melbourne’s great record at Suncorp Stadium they have only won four of their last nine there.
DOL v MEL – Melbourne have won 10 of their 12 matches on a Friday at Suncorp Stadium, but did lose 26-0 to Broncos last start.
DOL v MEL – The Storm have won 24 of their last 26 games on a Friday v Qld opposition. Plus 13 of their last 14 away on a Friday v Qld opposition. Finally 34 of their last 38 v Qld sides on any day.
DOL v MEL – Dolphins have lost all three games at Suncorp Stadium on a Friday.
DOL v MEL – Dolphins record v non Qld sides since their first game last season is W12 L15. This season that has improved to W6 L3.
GCT v WAHS – Gold Coast have lost 13 Saturday games in a row.
GCT v WAHS – Gold Coast have also lost 10 games in a row on a Saturday at home.
GCT v WAHS – Gold Coast have won four of their last five v Warriors including an upset in Auckland earlier this season. Plus two wins in a row on a Saturday v Warriors.
GCT v WAHS – The Warriors won the game at the Gold Coast last season, but it was three losses in a row for the Titans before that.
GCT v WAHS – Warriors have won their last two Saturday away games, which includes a trip to Townsville.
ROO v BUL – Roosters have won their last four at Central Coast Stadium, including their last start v Bulldogs by 25-24. Plus their last four starts there on a Saturday.
ROO v BUL – Bulldogs have a respectable W7 L4 record in Gosford. Roosters record is W9 L10. It’s W4 L2 on a Saturday for Bulldogs.
ROO v BUL – Bulldogs won their last away game v Newcastle but lost ten in a row before that.
ROO v BUL – Bulldogs have won their last two Saturday games. Plus four of their last five v Sydney clubs.
ROO v BUL – If you exclude Penrith, Roosters have won 20/23 v Sydney teams at home since 2020.
SOU v MAN – Souths have won three games in a row for the first time since May 2023.
SOU v MAN – Souths have won seven of their last eight v Manly with the loss being the last start in Las Vegas.
SOU v MAN – It is seven home wins in a row for Souths over Manly with the last loss coming in 2017. It’s four in a row at home on a Saturday v Manly with a last loss in 2009.
SOU v MAN – Manly’s away record this season is W1 D1 L4.
SOU v MAN – Manly have won just two of their last 15 at the Sydney Olympic Stadium.
WTI v CAN – Canberra have won 12 of the last 13 games v Wests Tigers. This includes the last seven away games. And seven of the last eight on a Sunday. Plus the last two games at Campbelltown, but those two games aren’t the problem for the Tigers……
WTI v CAN – Wests Tigers have lost their last two Sunday games by the same score 24-12.
WTI v CAN – Wests Tigers have also lost 21 of their last 22 games on a Sunday.
WTI v CAN – Wests Tigers have lost ten in a row at Campbelltown. It’s only six in a row there on a Sunday.
WTI v CAN – Canberra have lost four in a row away on a Sunday.
WTI v CAN – Only the Warriors (8.0) have a worse average points scored record at Campbelltown than the Tigers (13.8).
2024 NRL Round 16 Stats Extra – Central Coast Stadium
Since we’re headin’ to Gosford, let’s check out the records of the teams that have played there.
2024 NRL Round 16 Helpful Betting Stuff
Here’s a few betting things to enhance your tipping.
Note, that 15/19 favourites between $1.40 and $1.90 have lost in the past four rounds….
Another weekend of NRL action featuring more Bunker gold, a drought buster and drought lengthener from the same game plus Origin players getting their last shot. But which players were the best of the best you ask? We’ll let the stats do the talking and separate the Wheat/Chaff to present the NRL Round 15 Team of the Week & Player Stats.
First we have our Team of the Week, which takes some of the key player stats from the weekend and using various scoring methods come up with the best players in their positions from the latest round of the NRL.
Then there’s additional player stats from this weekend and some bite sized points of interest.
We’ve used the stats for each position and picked the best starting 13 players from the most recent round, the stats and points assigned are explained at the end.
On top of the best starting 13, we also include the best four interchange players of the week. Seeing who has provided maximum impact from the bench.
Plus when we can be bothered we throw in the players we thought were great but the stats did not with Gurgler’s Choice.
2024 NRL Team of the Season…so far
Here is the above but for all rounds.
2024 NRL Round 15 Player Stats
Want to see which players topped the key stats for the latest round of the NRL this weekend?
Dylan Edward’s 278 run metres on his return from injury was above his season average, so no problems there. Read on for our key player comparisons for the fin al word on some Origin selections.
Bryce Cartwright’s six offloads equals his status as best single game/player effort this season along with three others who have done it once – Angus Crichton, Soni Luke, J’Maine Hopgood.
Jahrome Hughes’ seven combined assists equals the player/round top score for 2024. Along with four other players we’re too lazy to tell you who they are.
2024 NRL Season Player Stats…so far.
Same as the above stats, but this is for the 2024 season.
2024 NRL Season Player Comparisons
NSW FULLBACK
For the final time before Origin Three here is the Edwards v Tedesco story for 2024. Edwards is big on run metres but the former NSW captain has the edge in creation.
NSW HALVES
A contentious decision this one, with a number of any players making a case. Well, except for poor Nicho (who we love) he was always going to carry his second consecutive losing can for NSW. Jarome is going to good to be not considered so we left him out.
QLD ORIGIN BENCH
Billy Slater says Selwyn Cobbo being rested for Kurt Capewell is both injury and form. It better be at least 90% injury if we can take the Qld coach seriously.
NSW HOOKER / UTILITY
Is Connor Watson going to be one of the NSW one game wonders who get selected from nowhere and then blamed when they lose? Time will tell. For now, here’s his stats to see if Api Koroisau was robbed. Connor Watson if favoured for some stats as he has played as a loose forward as well as hooker.
How the Team of the Week works
Want to know how we come up with the numbers to rank the players, the below table should explain hopefully.
Want more Player Stats? Neeeeed more NRL data and stuff? Why not try our friends at Nothing But League for bite sized pieces of NRL Stats and more every day.
Want more NRL information than just the draw, results or the current ladder? Then you are in the right place and the right time with the home of Stats and Stuff via our 2024 NRL Round 15 Results Stats Summary for the weekend that was.
Each week we compile and keep up to date a wide range of stats from the latest weekend of NRL action plus the best 2024 NRL Season Stats to help you to the top of the tipping competition, land a few responsible winners or even make your Supercoach team better. And now with a match by match summary full of all the stats you need and/or want.
It’s all stats, and never Slats.
NRL Round 15 Results
Thu – Cronulla 28-30 Dolphins
Fri – Canberra 16-34 North Queensland
Fri – South Sydney 22-12 Brisbane
Sat – Wests Tigers 18-10 Gold Coast
Sat – Warriors 24-38 Melbourne
Sat – Parramatta 18-28 Roosters
Sun – Manly Warringah 30-14 St George Illawarra
Sun – Newcastle 18-26 Penrith
NRL Round 15 Stats Season Summary
Some weekly and season stats and additional interesting visuals for the weekend that was and the season that is.
OVERALL LADDER AND FORM
WIN / LOSS RECORD BY HOME / OPPOSITION LADDER POSITION
Ladder position from previous round.
WIN / LOSS RECORD BY GEOGRAPHY / DAY / TIME
NRL Round 15 Stats Summary
NRL Round 15 Stats Summary – H2H Match by Match Stats and Stuff
All eight games with all the stats you could ever want or need with added barely interesting stats to go with. Giving you a decent wrap up of all that went on in the NRL on the weekend.
Before we go, time to acknowledge the Bulldogs, who without playing this weekend took over as the best defensive team in the NRL this season. Whilst they may have had an extra bye, it is still a decent effort, given they conceded 94 more point than second worst in 2023.
Also, interestingly there are just five teams who have currently lost more than 50% of their games, they key metric in making finals.
The Dolphins are 1/1 for games in Sydney this season after being Cronulla on Thursday night.
The Dolphins are 2/2 v Cronulla.
The Dolphins have won three in a row on a Thursday now.
For all the Dolphins bashing of not playing in Sydney, they have now won four out of their last five on the road, four of those trips were to Sydney, Auckland, Townsville and Darwin. One was at Suncorp Stadium. All in all that’s nearly 15,000kms worth of travel for that five game away run.
Almost 50% of The Hammer’s run metres came from one inspired piece of rugby league.
The loss broke a run of six wins at Shark Park on a Thursday for Cronulla.
That’s five straight wins for the Cowboys over Canberra now.
The win was the first game played between the sides on a Friday (records going back to 1998).
It’s now four wins from their last five Friday games for North Queensland.
Meanwhile Canberra have lost their last three Friday games at Canberra Stadium.
Souths have now won three games in a row, the first time since May last season.
Brisbane have now lost three games in a row and sit outside the top eight for the first time since Round 6.
Broncos have lost the last two games by the exact score of 22-12.
South Sydney have won both of their home games on a Friday this season.
The loss broke a run of seven straight away wins on a Friday.
Wests Tigers have won their last three games at Leichhardt. No wonder Albo is throwing money at them.
It was the first win at the fifth attempt to beat a Queensland side this season.
Gold Coast are now last on the ladder for the first time since Round 7.
The Titans have now lost 13 games in a row on a Saturday.
Melbourne have won 16 straight v Warriors. According to Fox League it is the NRLs longest ever winning streak for club over another.
Although a lot of games have been for Anzac Day in Melbourne, Melbourne have still won six in a row in New Zealand too.
Warriors have one draw and one loss from their Saturday home games this season.
Melbourne have won six of their last seven away games on a Saturday.
Melbourne have led at half time nine times this season for nine wins. They are also one of four teams not to loss after leading at half time in 2024. Along with Canberra, Cronulla and Souths.
Roosters have won nine of the last 11 v Parramatta.
The loss was just Parramatta’s second in 13 games on a Saturday at Commbank Stadium.
Roosters have won six of their last seven on a Saturday, five of those matches were away games.
Manly have won seven of their last eight home games v Dragons.
The away record on a Sunday for the Dragons v Manly is now W1 L4.
Dragons have lost 10 of their last 11 on a Sunday v all opposition. And eight of their last nine away on a Sunday.
Manly have won eight of their last nine at home on a Sunday. Plus they have won 17 of their last 27 games on a Sunday v Sydney opposition.
Penrith have won 14 of their last 15 games v Newcastle.
Penrith have won seven in a row in Newcastle too with a Knights last win coming in 2015.
Penrith have also won seven in a row v Newcastle on a Sunday.
The loss for Newcastle broke a run of 10 straight home wins on a Sunday.
NRL Winning/Losing Margins
Think your team is always just missing out, or manage big wins when they’re on top. The truth and stats lies in between.
NRL Round 15 Bye Summary
A quick look into how each team is doing after the bye rounds this season.
Here are The Gurgler’s 2024 Canadian Grand Prix Ratings – our way of rating the performances of the track which usually provides action and didn’t disappoint again in 2024.
Our G-Power Rankings goes a little bit deeper than just points scored on the Sunday and has a slightly cooler name than most. We take on board Free Practice, Qualifying, performance in relation to teammate, fastest lap, and a few more stats that are attempting to highlight a driver outperforming the car and/or thrashing their teammate.
Plus, we have a range of stats and barely interesting facts from the 2024 F1 Season so far. Not much yet, but more to come as the season progresses. So much to read in so little time.
Here are the current overall standings for our Driver of the Year winner – the Martini Medal. Named in honour of one of F1’s most unsung heroes – Pierluigi Martini of Minardi fame.
We have the overall scores as they stand, plus a visual which shows the flow of each driver’s position throughout the season, plus a few points of interest below.
Here is the breakdown of the Driver of the Year points from the most recent race and the season so far. Remembering our ratings go across a whole weekend, so the race winner who may not have had a great qualifying or sprint race may not come out on top.
LATEST RACE RATINGS
DRIVER OF THE SEASON UPDATE
2024 Canadian Grand Prix Ratings – Teams
This is essentially using the same drivers stats but in reverse for the worst score, but taking out anything that is a H2H between the drivers.
And our annual award focuses on the other end of the grid, highlighting the worst team of the season.
Of course, the worst team of the season award needs to be named after the worst F1 team of all time. And if you want to fund out more about Andrea Moda, follow this link.
LATEST RACE RATINGS
BEST OF 2024 STATS AND DRIVER OF THE YEAR
Sergio Perez has dropped sixth to ninth in our Driver of the Season rankings over the past three Grands Prix. It’s no wonder, Perez’s average qualifying position from the past three rounds is 15th, which is ahead of only the two Kick Saubers, Kevin Magnussen and Logan Sargeant.
Whilst talking about the last three grands prix, Oscar Piastri is actually the best qualifier on average from that run at 2.67.
Just four drivers left to have not missed Q3 this season – Max Verstappen, the two McLarens and George Russell.
Speaking of George Russell, he has moved from eighth to fourth in recent weeks in our Driver of the Season.
Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas are the only drivers to have a 100% qualifying record over their team mates this season. George Russell and Alex Albon have dropped only one. Sergio Perez has beaten Max Verstappen in only one qualifying section that they have both featured in this season.
Leaving in 2025 Esteban Ocon is leading Pierre Gasly by 6-3. Ocon does lead Gasly by 1-0 in unnecessary team morale crushing intra-team race collisions.
Guanyu Zhou is the only drivers to finish higher than the grid position in every race he has finished this season.
DRIVER 2024 H2H RECORD
Beating your team mate in F1 is very important, which is why we keep an eye on the H2H stats through the season.
New for this week is the overall H2H. Which means the H2H from every session – FP and Qualifying, plus who set a faster Fastest Lap and two points for beating the team mate in the race. Note: both have to feature in same Q session for H2H point.
2024 F1 QUALIFYING STATS
Here our qualifying analysis covers just about everything we could find on qualifying.
QUALIFYING SUMMARY
QUALIFYING GRID SLOT TO % FROM POLE
QUALIFYING COMPARISON FROM 2023 SEASON to 2024 SEASON
QUALIFYING COMPARISON FROM 2023 CANADIAN GP to 2024 CANADIAN GP
QUALIFYING COMPARISON IN 2024 BY TRACK TYPE
NEW – TEAM AVERAGE GAP TO POLE BY ROUND
FIRST LAP POSITION + GRID TO RACE RESULT GAINS
Races can’t be won or lost at the first corner, well actually they can be lost at the first corner, and a good one can make all the difference. Unless you drive a Red Bull, then it doesn’t really matter.
So here are the stats on the lightning fast starters and the slow pokes.
FREE PRACTICE
Some say Free Practice is a giant waste of time, and they are probably right. Regardless here is the average position for each drivers in Free Practice this season. Each round an average of all the sessions.
FASTEST LAP
Fastest lap is only worth one point (inside the top ten) and is probably not that interesting, but still, have a visual for this season so far.
Current Race Power Rankings in Detail
2024 F1 Season Power Rankings – Points Explanation
Here’s how the points work this season. Essentially the perfect race (Win from Pole, Fastest Lap, thrash team mate, best in race etc) should amount to the perfect 100 points.
FIRST LAP GAINS +0.5pts per position gained -0.5pts per position lost.
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS – 25pts to 1pt as per World Championship – Sprint Race Points added.
BEAT TEAM MATE (RACE) – 10pts (if both finish or other driver got self inflicted DNF)
FASTEST LAP – 5pts – 1pt for top five drivers.
GRID POSITION TO RACE POSITION – formula +/- relative finish to grid
BEST OF THE REST (RACE) – 5pts to 1pt – top five non Mercedes-Red Bull drivers
QUALIFYING – 20pts to 1pt – Grid Position 1 to 20.
BEAT TEAM MATE (QUALIFYING) – 5pts
BEST OF THE REST (QUALIFYING) – 5pts to 1pt – top five non Mercedes-Red Bull drivers
GREAT/GRAPE – 5pts Great 2pts Honourable Mention -2Pts Dishonourable Mention -5Pts Grape
BEAT TEAM MATE (QUALIFYING) Time Gap – Formula for % beaten team mate by
BEAT TEAM MATE (QUALIFYING) Position – 0.5 Pts for every position team mate is beaten by. 0 points for second car.
FREE PRACTICE HERO – 10Pts to 1Pt – Average Position across all three practice sessions.
WIN FROM POLE – Bonus 5 Points
WIN FROM POLE WITH FASTEST LAP – Bonus 10 Points
DNF Not Driver or Team Fault Minus 2 Points
DNF CAUSED BY DRIVER/TEAM INCOMPETENCE Minus 5 Points
SPRINT RACE POINTS – Points 8 to 1 as handed out in the sprint race.
SPRINT RACE CHANGE – 0.5 Points per change in end position to starting position.
SPRINT RACE QUAL – Points 8 to 1 as handed out in the order of qualifying 1st to 8th.
