Roosters star James Tedesco is on track to smash the record for most metres gained in a season
Roosters star James Tedesco’s blistering start to the season has him on track to shatter an NRL record and add yet another achievement to his already glittering career.
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He keeps running and running – from Bondi into rugby league’s history books.
Despite sustained excellence over the past four years, Sydney Roosters fullback James Tedesco is — quite unbelievably — getting better.
And The Daily Telegraph has the key stats to prove it.
Tedesco has enjoyed a blistering start to 2020 with his one-man rampage expected to continue in tonight’s big match against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.
The NSW fullback is on track to break his personal best for individual running metres for a fifth successive season. And he is also eyeing off the most average run metres of any player in NRL history.
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In 2016, Tedesco averaged 132 metres a game. That average rose to 164 metres in 2017, then 181 metres in 2018, 187 metres in 2019 and now, after three games of this season, 232 metres. It just keeps going up.
Tedesco ran for 196 metres in round one this season against Penrith, 264 in round two against Manly and 237 last week against South Sydney.
He is averaging 232 run metres over the three games this year, well above the all-time record set by another Roosters fullback, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (215 metres), back in 2015.
And it just gets better.
Tedesco has made a staggering 535 tackle busts since 2016 – a whopping 113 ahead of his nearest rival, Canberra’s Jordan Rapana.
The Roosters fullback is averaging seven tackle busts a match this season. He made 10 tackle busts against the Rabbitohs.
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“The great players are always looking to evolve and better themselves and that’s exactly what Teddy is doing. There is no end point,” said another legendary Roosters fullback, Anthony Minichiello.
“If you think you have reached your end point, that’s when the young blokes take your mantle.
“Teddy has jumped straight back in from where he left last year and the new rules changes have fallen into his hands. His stats last week were amazing.”
While there has been debate this week over how far behind Manly’s Tom Trbojevic is to Tedesco, the Rooster is fast becoming the finest fullback of the modern era with Billy Slater now safely in retirement.
Former champion Roosters fullback Russell Fairfax was full of praise for Tedesco.
“There will be no chance I will be in the Roosters best team from now on – he will be there,” Fairfax joked. “He will take over and that’s what is supposed to happen.
“He has good skills, safe hands. The good ones learn the skills better than the others – that’s what he does.
“Teddy is a team player. He can tackle, run, kick, catch, he can do the lot. There is nothing he can’t do. He is strong and quick, has a great step, knows when to run through and around players and when to pass the ball.
“I also like the way he controls himself. He runs hard and fast but isn’t overly aggressive. I have met him too, he’s a nice bloke.
“Rugby league is 24 hours, seven-days-a-week these days. It’s different to when I was playing. They look after themselves and they get it right on the field.”
GOING PLACES
Highest average running metres (min. five matches)
Player Season Games Avg metres
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2015, 215 metres per game (27 matches)
Paul Gallen 2012, 198 metres per game (16 matches)
Paul Gallen 2015, 196 metres per game (18 matches)
John Hopoate 2003, 196 metres (15 matches)
Steve Price 2007, 195 metres (23 matches)
*Jason Taumalolo (253) and James Tedesco (232) have played three matches in 2020
TEDDY, SET, GO
Average run metres per game
2016: 132
2017: 164
2018: 181
2019: 187
2020: 232
Fox Sports Stats
Originally published as Roosters star James Tedesco is on track to smash the record for most metres gained in a season
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