This is the thirteenth instalment of 2019 in review. As usual, now the Raiders' season is over - the best for 25 years - we are reviewing all 26 players who pulled on a green jersey in first grade this year. So far, we've looked at Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Nick Cotric, Jarrod Croker, Joey Leilua, Jordan Rapana, Jack Wighton, Aidan Sezer, Josh Papalii, Josh Hodgson, Sia Soliola, John Bateman and Elliott Whitehead.
Joe Tapine made 17 appearances for the Raiders in 2019, a little over half the Green Machine's matches. In his first five games of the year, he started in the second row or on the bench - before transitioning to lock in Round 13. His season was significantly affected by injury. He suffered a thumb injury which saw him miss Rounds 3 and 4... and then left the field in his comeback game against the Eels with serious ankle ligament damage. That kept him sidelined until the Round 11 loss to the Cowboys. He also missed the final three games of the regular season with a rib injury.
Tapine missed a month of football in 2018 due to suspension - but he didn’t miss a game for the Raiders due to suspension in 2019. He was sin binned in the remarkable Round 22 win over the Storm, after throwing a punch, but only fined for the offence. He was charged for a chicken wing in the Week 1 finals game against the Storm, but avoided a ban after an early guilty plea. An incident in the Grand Final saw him suspended for a week - but that suspension was served in the end of season representative matches.
With a shift to the middle - and with three games affected by injury/sin binning - Tapine spent less time on the field. He averaged just over 45 minutes game time per match in 2019, compared with almost 80 minutes in 2018. That saw all of his numbers drop this season. He scored just one try (six in 2018) and posted only three try involvements (seven in 2018). His running metres per carry dropped (8.6, ranked equal fifth amongst the Raiders forwards), as did his average metres gained per match (73, ranked seventh). His tackle breaks fell from 59 in 2018 (ranked first amongst the Raiders forwards) to 21 (ranked fifth). His line breaks fell from seven in 2018 (ranked equal first amongst the Raiders forwards) to to two (ranked equal fifth). His attacking and running statistics were mostly outside the top 20 NRL locks.
Consistent with his lower minutes, his defensive numbers fell as well. He made just over 21 tackles per game (ranked sixth amongst the Raiders forwards), compared with 31 in 2018 (ranked fourth). However, his tackle efficiency rate improved (92 per cent, compared with 86 per cent in 2018). His average missed tackles fell (1 per game, compared with over three in 2018), while his try causes fell from 12 to just one. His line break causes fell from 19 to just two. The shift from the edge to the middle no doubt helped those numbers. Tapine's tackle efficiency rate was not far from the benchmark amongst NRL locks and he was amongst the best locks for fewest try and line break causes per match. His average tackles per match were low, compared to his NRL peers at lock.
Tapine's error count was very low, and the number of penalties he conceded fell too (from 18 to 11). That was still relatively high on a per match basis amongst the Raiders forwards (equal second with Elliott Whitehead, behind Josh Hodgson).
Through the year I rated Tapine an average of 5.9/10 - with his overall rating below reflecting a fair bit of time on the sidelines. His ratings in a number of matches were impacted by his early departure through injury - and there was at least one match in which he had not returned from injury to full fitness. I rated him an "8" in one match, the Round 20 victory over the Warriors in Auckland. In that fixture he scored a try and made 18 runs for 172 metres, 66 post contact metres, 1 line break, two tackle breaks and 25 tackles for an 89.3 per cent tackle efficiency rate. That was the only match in which he registered points in Fans' Choice Player of the Year voting. However, he also performed strongly in the Round 17 win over the Dragons, the loss to the Roosters in Round 21 and the Grand Final. I was probably a bit harsh not rating him an "8" in more than one match.
Tapine was selected in the New Zealand squad for the Kiwis' end of season Test matches - but missed the Test against Australia at Wollongong due to suspension. He started at lock in both Tests against the Great Britain Lions - and got the bragging rights up against Josh Hodgson, Elliott Whitehead and John Bateman. He performed particularly strongly in the second win over the Lions, breaking the 100 metres gained mark and making nearly 40 tackles.
I think Tapine has more impact in the second row, particularly in attack, and the shift to lock has blunted that. But his defence did benefit from the move into the middle this year. His 2019 was probably not as strong as 2018. But the more I think about it, the more I believe that the Raiders team as a whole was better for shifting John Bateman into the second row and Tapine to lock. I've got to admit, I wasn't at all convinced of that at the start of the year, quite the contrary. But you've got to hand it to the coaches on this one.
How did you rate Joe Tapine's 2019? Tell us below.
Joe Tapine's 2019: 5.5/10
2019 Statistics: (Stats from Fox Sports Lab)
Games: 17
Average minutes: 45.2
Points: 8
Tries: 2
Try assists: 0
Try contributions: 1
Total try involvements: 3
Total kicks: 0
Kick metres: 0
Total runs: 144
All run metres: 1242
Average metres per carry: 8.6
Average metres per game: 73
Tackle breaks: 21
Offloads: 6
Line breaks: 2
Line break assists: 1
Tackles: 364
Average tackles per game: 21.4
1 on 1 tackles: 11
Missed tackles: 17
Average missed tackles per game: 1
Tackle efficiency: 92 per cent
Try causes: 1
Line break causes: 2
Errors: 4
Penalties conceded: 11
Sin bins: 1
