Maths obsessed performance analyst Kassidy Grant is breaking the NRL mould

Performance analyst Kassidy Grant is using her ‘maths obsession’ and passion for data to drive Benji Marshall’s on-field success – and breaking a few NRL stereotypes along the way.

Kassidy Grant watched Moneyball as a teenager and instantly knew she ‘wanted to be Jonah Hill’.

Not the Hollywood actor per se but Peter Brand, the baseball strategist played by Hill, who used sabermetrics to build a competitive roster on a budget, identifying undervalued players through statistical analysis of their performances.

“Both my parents were PE teachers and I had a really strong passion for both sport and maths,” Grant said.

“But I was adamant I wasn’t going to be a PE teacher. Initially, I was going down the path of being an actuary. I went to a ‘come try actuary day’ at a university but I walked away unfulfilled.

“A careers adviser then told me about sports analysis, I went home that day and was like ‘mum, dad, this is what I’m going to do’.

“They both thought it sounded like the movie ‘Moneyball’, so we watched it that night.

“That’s when I knew, Jonah Hill is who I want to be. Jonah Hill is what I’m going to be in my life.”

Wests Tigers performance analyst Kassidy Grant, at Concord Oval. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Her life is now imitating art as a full-time performance analyst as part of Benji Marshall’s coaching staff.

Every day, Grant takes ‘thousands and thousands of statistics’ collected through wearable devices, video analysis and even observation to create formulas that help improve performance.

Statistical performance analysis on recruitment targets, just like in Moneyball, is also becoming a routine practice at NRL clubs.

“I’m evaluating similar things to what he’s (Brand) analysing. I’m writing statistical formulas similar to those that he wrote in the movie, yeah it really does feel like I’m living my dream,” Grant said.

“Decision making recruitment wise is made by the recruitment team. I do provide statistical information from time to time when that’s a requirement for them but my role at the moment is supporting Benji and the coaching staff.

“My strength is producing formulas from the thousands of statistics we have access to, synthesising a lot of information into a digestible data set that is presented to the coaching staff.

“My job is to identify the statistics that correlate to on-field performance and are actionable.”

Grant (top left) in the Wests Tigers box in 2023.

As someone who loves sport and excelled in mathematics, Grant seemed destined for a career in performance analysis with an elite sports team.

“I remember being four, sitting at the dinner table and doing my brother’s maths homework and he was three years old than me,” Grant said.

“In kindergarten, I’d get sent to year two classes for maths lessons and in year five I would be on (phone) calls with the high school, doing year seven maths classes.”

While most NRL fans are enthralled by the big hits, the big plays and game defining moments, Grant has always watched the game through ‘mathematics-coloured glasses’.

It made the rugby league field a natural fit for Grant and her passion for numbers.

“I’ve got an analytical mind so when I’m watching sports, I’m looking for shapes, structures, patterns... certain sports it’s easy to see those for an individual,” Grant said.

“Rugby league is a pretty structured game. It was always one where I could see patterns developing. I could see structures. You can count the numbers... that’s where my interest peaked in rugby league.”

Despite Grant’s obvious aptitude for performance analysis, her mother, initially, wasn’t convinced.

“My mum is a massive realist,” Grant said.

“She was super supportive but said, ‘OK, how are you going to get there? There are not too many of these jobs in Australia’.

“There are 11 NRL teams in New South Wales, and I had my heart set on being a performance analyst with an NRL club.

“I made it my mission.

“I got my undergraduate in sport and exercise science and did a masters degree in sports analytics, it was the first degree of its kind in Australia, to make sure I was really qualified and could be an asset to a club.”

After impressing during an internship with the Tigers in 2021, Grant is now in her fourth season as a full-time performance analyst at the club.

While the number of women in NRL football departments is on the rise, very few are in the inner sanctum and fewer still have a seat in the coach’s box like Grant.

But the 25-year old doesn’t see herself as a trailblazer.

Grant also never worried that her gender would be a barrier to entry into a male dominated field.

“At the end of the day, it’s not really something I think about,” Grant said.

“It’s not about me, it’s about the team and how I can best help the team.

“Every day, when I come into work, that’s at the forefront of my mind, not really anything else. For me, I’m here, I’ve got a role to do, and I’m going to do that to the best of my ability.

“I’m grateful that Benji and the coaching staff have been so supportive, always fighting for me, making sure I’m involved and they value me and value my contributions.

Grant says Benji Marshall is a clear and calm presence in the coaching box.

“At the end of the day it really comes down to whether you can do your role at a high enough level that’s suitable to an elite sporting environment and whether you have the right character.

“All of those things have nothing to do with whether I’m male or a female, it’s about my ability to do my job.”

Some of Grant’s most important ‘contributions’ are made in the coach’s box on game day, where she is feeding information to Marshall in real-time to help the coach make crucial decisions and send messages to players.

“We have access to all the stats, so I’m analysing that as it comes through, feeding anything back to the coaches that might be relevant or they can use, whether it’s at halftime or sending messages down to the bench,“ Grant said.

“I’m focusing on the stats that are specific to our structures, execution and game plan. I’m providing updates on that throughout the game on how well that is going.”

Few workplaces are as high-stakes, high-pressure, or even as emotional as an NRL coach’s box.

For Grant, it’s an environment she thrives in.

“I love a high pressure environment. That’s part of why I love being involved in elite sport,” Grant said.

“I love the fact that it’s so dynamic, it’s so unpredictable it is a very high pressure environment where you do need to be locked in.”

On Sunday, Grant will enter the furnace that is the coach’s box when the Tigers take on Melbourne at AAMI Park.

In the opposite box will be Storm coach Craig Bellamy, who is guaranteed to unleash at least one tirade or blow-up which he is infamous for this weekend.

Grant predicts, this time using her observational analysis skills, that Marshall will keep his cool.

“Communication is one of his strengths, his ability to get a clear, calm message to the boys is definitely impressive,” Grant said.

“Benji’s ability to read a game is incredible also, I’ve never seen anything like it.

“He can watch one clip, and all of a sudden he’s figured out a whole game plan, shape, and structure.

“The coach’s box, it’s a very impressive environment for him. It’s an environment that he really thrives in.”

Originally published as Maths obsessed performance analyst Kassidy Grant is breaking the NRL mould