NRL player stats deal to deliver unprecedented detail for fans

Who is the fastest? Who hits the hardest? Could Tom Trbojevic’s hamstring injury been avoided? All the big questions can be answered with a new deal to provide unprecedented access to NRL player stats.

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The debate will soon be over.

Is Josh Addo-Carr the fastest player in the NRL? Or is it Jimmy “The Jet’ Roberts, or even rising star Bronson Xerri?

Who hits the hardest? And could Tom Trbojevic’s hamstring injury been avoided?

The NRL — and every footy fan — are about to have their eyes opened to performance analysis, which could provide host broadcasters Fox Sports and Nine with never-before used statistics and data, live during matches.

How does James Roberts compare to the NRL’s flyers? Picture: AAP

The GPS tracking device, placed in a small pouch beneath every player’s jersey, is already being used by some clubs, coaches and trainers to manage player workloads and injury prevention.

But never before have TV networks and fans had access to this level of data, which can measure how far a player has run, how fast the player has run and the intensity of collisions.

The possibility of giving supporters access to the data has emerged after the NRL signed a three-year deal with Catapult Group, a world leader in delivering performance analytics and sports science.

The Catapult Sports devices give unprecedented live stats of a players performance.

Catapult was born out of a partnership between Cooperative Research Centres and the Australian Institute of Sport in the late 1990s.

The goal of that partnership was to address the fundamental questions in sports performance and help Australia deliver their gold medal target at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

Since then, Catapult has grown from a small Australian start-up into a global category leader in elite sports technology boasting contracts within the NFL, NBA and English Premier League.

Now it’s the NRL’s turn.

Soon we’ll know just how quick Addo-Carr really is. Image: Will Russell/Getty Images

“This is a milestone agreement for the NRL. For the first time in the NRL’s history we will have an understanding of the league wide demands of the game in order to optimise performance and mitigate risk of injury,” NRL head of football Graham Annesley said.

The company’s executive chairman, Adir Shiffman added: “We feel we are really well positioned as the only technology platform in sport to drive performance and fan engagement outcomes for the NRL, and we look forward to working on this unique partnership.”

The data could also become vital towards the NRL’s ever-evolving policing of concussion.

The deal with the NRL coincides with the release of Catapult’s newest wearable technology solution, Vector, which will be launched in mid-2019 and deployed to teams for the 2020 NRL season.

The data relies on positioning system technology which isn’t available at every NRL venue — but is installed at ANZ Stadium, Suncorp Stadium, AAMI Park, the new Bankwest Stadium and Perth Stadium.

Catapult are hoping to work with the NRL in rolling out additional infrastructure at other venues so that every club and match has access to the data.