Now it is season over for the Canberra Raiders, we will be reviewing all 30 players who pulled on a green jersey in first grade in 2022. We'll start with the fullbacks, and Xavier Savage.
It was another year of huge steps forward for Xavier Savage.
At the beginning of 2021, Savage was newly arrived in the national capital and just out of high school. He started the year in the Raiders' SG Ball squad and went on to win a premiership with that Under 19s team. After the SG Ball Grand Final, he became a regular in the Raiders' NSW Cup team. He made an unexpected NRL debut in the Round 15 clash with the Dragons - an unofficial debut, as he was illegally used as an 18th man. He went on to make an official debut in the Round 17 match against the Sea Eagles at fullback, before starring in the Round 18 win over the Sharks. Sadly, that was his last match of the season. He suffered a shoulder injury which required surgery.
But not bad for his first season in green.
Savage started 2022 in NSW Cup, playing the first five weeks in "reggies" at fullback. He scored four tries and averaged 138 running metres per game. It puzzled commentators and fans, that Savage wasn't being given more opportunity in first grade, particularly as Jordan Rapana started the season on suspension. There was probably a combination of reasons for it. He was still coming back from shoulder surgery. And the coaches wanted to give him more time at fullback in the lower grade, to bring him into first grade gradually.
He made his first NRL appearance of the year off the bench in the Round 6 loss to the Cowboys. He played a handful of games on the wing or off the bench - scoring a try in the Round 11 win over the Rabbitohs. After that game, Ricky Stuart explained his approach this way:
"He scored a great try, I know, I kept hearing, everyone keeps telling me. There's so much social media out there about getting Savage on. Xavier is in the learning process and there are other young fullbacks out there making mistakes I don't want Xavier to make. He's got a great teacher in front of him in Charnze and he'll keep learning the way he is now then be better for it."
But the next week, Stuart selected Savage at fullback, with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad injured - and Savage held onto the No. 1 jersey for the rest of the season. He was no doubt still learning his trade in the role. He had some handling errors in him under the high ball, and he was still learning which lines to run and how to organise and position himself in defence. But he improved significantly each week. And he offered something that the Raiders were seriously lacking - speed and potential threat in attack.
It is likely that Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad's decision to seek an early release, so he could closer to his sons in New Zealand, also played a part in the coach's change in thinking. The Raiders agreed to CNK's release in early July - and it was then clear that Savage was the future at fullback. There was no turning back from that point. Savage had to be given as much time in the No. 1 jersey as possible.
In 2022, Xavier Savage was equal fourth in the try scoring stakes (7) at the club - though he was a fair way off the benchmark fullback, Clint Gutherson, in that department (15). He also ranked third in try assists (8), behind Jamal Fogarty and Jack Wighton (both on 10). He is still developing his ball playing game, but he has shown he has good quick hands. Savage ranked second at the Raiders for running metres gained per game (134), behind Joe Tapine - and was among the top five regular fullbacks on that score. Other Raiders backs made more tackle breaks and line breaks - ranking fifth in both. But when he did get through the line, he could certainly put the foot down.
Defending at fullback is one of the most difficult jobs in rugby league. Savage's tackle efficiency was the lowest at the club and he ranked sixth for try causes (11). He's still developing physically, so time will help there. But to put things in perspective, there are some big name fullbacks with worse try causes per game - like Gutherson, Ponga, Brimson, Papenhuyzen and Mitchell. He was in the top five fullbacks for errors - and ranked second at the club behind Jack Wighton. But his error count fell over the course of the year.
I rated Savage an average of 5.6/10 over the season, with his season rating reflecting his good contribution to the season. I awarded him a "7" in five games, with his best performance probably coming in the Round 13 win over the Roosters. In that game he scored a try, while producing a try assist, a line break, three tackle breaks and 203 running metres. He topped 200 running metres four times, produced a season high 236 metres in the Round 14 clash with the Broncos.
Savage did not win the club's 2022 Rookie of the Year award on Meninga Medal night. That award went to Brad Schneider - and Schneider had very good claims. But Savage did take out our Fans' Choice Rookie of the Year vote.
In August, the Raiders extended Savage's contract by two years to the end of 2025. It was a wise decision to do that well before November 1 - when he would have become a free agent for 2024 - as the 20 year old has huge potential. He originally hails from Cairns, and clubs in Queensland would no doubt be keen to have him on board. He needed to be locked up quickly. For a young man, he has a level head. He knows that he still needs to grow as a player.
"There's a lot of trust there and I appreciate that from the club," Savage said, when his new deal was announced.
"There is a little bit of pressure now, but I'm going to handle that pretty well. I feel like I'm more mentally tough than I was 12 months ago and I will be even tougher 12 months from now. Come April-March when the season starts next year I'll be ready to go."
I'm looking forward to seeing him take more big strides in 2023.
How did you rate Xavier Savage's 2022? Do you agree with our rating? Tell us below.
Xavier Savage 2022: 6/10
2022 Statistics: (Stats from Fox Sports Lab)
Games: 19
Average minutes: 69
Points: 28
Tries: 7
Try assists: 8
Try contributions: 2
Total try involvements: 17
Total kicks: 6
Kick metres: 50
Forced line drop outs: 3
Total runs: 250
All run metres: 2539
Average runs per game: 13
Average metres per game: 134
Kick return metres per game: 55
Average metres per carry: 10
Tackle breaks: 39
Offloads: 7
Line breaks: 6
Line break assists: 7
Tackles: 39
Average tackles per game: 2
1 on 1 tackles: 9
Missed tackles: 14
Average missed tackles per game: 0.7
Ineffective tackles: 5
Tackle efficiency: 67 per cent
Try causes: 11
Errors: 25
Penalties conceded: 0
