NRL Telstra Tracker data 2025: Josh Addo-Carr reclaims NRL’s fastest man crown, every club’s fastest player revealed
Last year he wasn’t even in the top five, but the official 2025 Telstra Tracker data reveals that a veteran winger has reclaimed the mantle of the NRL’s fastest man. We reveal the top 10, plus every club’s fastest player.
At 30 years of age, Josh Addo-Carr should be slowing down – not being revealed as the NRL’s fastest man.
Studies reveal sprint athletes reach their peak between ages 25 and 27.
The USA’s Noah Lyles was 27 when he won Olympic gold in the 100m final in Paris last year at a speed of 43.6 km/h.
Yet Addo-Carr is now officially the fastest man in rugby league, according to exclusive Telstra Tracker data from the GPS devices players wear in every game, tucked into the back of their jerseys.
After 10 seasons and 196 games, the Parramatta star has reached a top speed of 36.58km/h in the King’s Birthday game against Canterbury. Not with the football in his hands, but when he sprinted 50m across the field in an unsuccessful attempt to stop Bulldogs five-eighth Matt Burton from scoring an intercept try.
Addo-Carr’s speed was 1km/h quicker than his fastest time last year at the Bulldogs.
He puts his speed increase down to weight loss – the 7.5kg he has stripped since joining the Eels at the end of last season.
It can be a difficult balance for wingers these days. They need size and strength for the back-field carries but speed and agility for finding the tryline.
“At Canterbury I trained a lot to put muscle on,” he said, “I was doing too much in the gym and put on about 10kg. When I came to the Eels I was 97.5kg, now I’m down to 90kg.
“I just felt like my legs can only hold a certain amount of weight. The Parramatta high-performance guys and Rylesy (Jason Ryles) have been really encouraging. I guess it always helps too to be injury free.”
It has been a remarkable recovery from his tumultuous sacking at Canterbury in September last year after being caught with drugs in his system in a roadside test.
“It was sad the way I left and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind that I’d struggle to find another club,” he said. “I just had to stay positive and do the work behind the scenes.
“Then I met Rylesy and promised I wouldn’t let him down.”
It is typical of the way Addo-Carr plays the game in that he hits his fastest speed while desperately trying to chase down Burton to save a try.
“Effort is everything,” he says. “That’s what I’m trying to show some of our younger boys. I get a kick out of it.”
The data shows that the Canberra Raiders have three players in the top 10 fastest – Xavier Savage, Kaeo Weekes and Sebastian Kris.
Some might suggest that million-dollar playmakers and tough middle forwards are the most important requisite in any NRL squad, but the necessity to have speed is just as important.
Another newcomer in the top 10 is Penrith Panthers’ teenage centre Casey McLean, who is the fourth fastest in the game at 35.89km/h.
It’s interesting when you look at the top speeds around the 17 clubs and the ‘slower’ teams. Five clubs – the Newcastle, Canterbury, Sydney Roosters, Melbourne and St George Illawarra – don’t have any players who have broken the 35km/h speed.
Last year’s fastest man – Manly Sea Eagles winger Jason Saab (37.71km/h) has scraped into the top 10 at the slower time of 35.35 km/h.
Addo-Carr, the former NSW State of Origin and Kangaroos winger has scored 151 tries in a career that started at the Wests Tigers in 2016.
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