Are rocks and diamonds players worth the hassle?

MOST teams have a player who can win or lose them a game depending on the day, but is it worth it to carry such rocks and diamonds style players?

Manu Vatuvei scores during the ANZAC Test Match between Australia v New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. Pics Adam Head

WE’VE all got them, either in our SuperCoach teams, our NRL teams or our sixth division touch footy side.

Rocks or diamonds. Boom or bust. All or nothing.

The kind of guy who throws the ball and can send it one of two places — on to the chest of somebody to stroll over untouched, or on to the chest of some chump in the grandstand.

The kind of guy who skittles defenders with ease, only to drop the ball when he tries to play it.

Coaches have long grappled with the eternal debate as to whether these battlers are worth the risk to try and claim the reward.

We’ve pored over the stats to determine if you should be willing to put up with the pain to get the gain.

Marika Koroibete

The Good: Koroibete has a rare turn of speed and a tremendous workrate out of his own end — he had the ninth highest average metres per game last season, the seventh highest total and the most of any winger by a comfortable margin.

He also broke 79 tackles, scored 16 tries and made 23 line breaks, the third most in the competition.

The Bad: The Fijian international has had real struggles with his handling ever since he came into first grade. He made 26 handling gaffes last season and remains a work in progress under the high ball — as indicated in the Dragons’ win over Melbourne in Round 1, where he dropped an easy catch that led to a Tyson Frizell try. He’s also unstable defensively and is prone to charging in when he’s confused by the opposition.

Worth it: Yes. Koroibete is still only 23 and his addition to the Storm in 2014 gave the side some much needed speed and flash out wide. Given the quality of player around him and the team’s specific requirement for his skills, Koroibete is worth the risk for Melbourne.

Koroibete has been highly impressive for the Storn.

Manu Vatuvei

The Good: For a good chunk of the past decade Manu Vatuvei has been one of the best wingers in the world. Where some finishers use raw pace or acrobatics to dot down in the corner, Vatuvei has one speed, one move and one direction. His brute-force approach has made him the leading tryscorer in Warriors history and the only man ever to score 10 tries or more in 10 straight seasons. His 22 Test tries for New Zealand are also a record and his 146 NRL tries are the third most among active players and 12th of all time.

The Bad: Vatuvei’s hands have gotten much better as his career has progressed, but the bitter memories of his early years still remain.

He made a career-high seven mistakes in one match against Parramatta in 2008 and made six errors in a 24-16 defeat to Brisbane early last season. “The Beast” never shook his troublesome habit of putting errors on top of errors — when he makes one he seems almost certain to make another.

ON EMPTY: Is this why Luke has failed?

LEADER: Who is the real James Graham?

Worth it: Yes. Despite his reputation, Vatuvei is more prone to isolated shockers than continual rocks and diamonds performances within a single match. He’s never led the NRL in errors and despite not being a great worker throughout his career he’s still managed to average between 120 and 140 metres gained per game from 2008 to 2015. At 30 and with a lot of miles under his belt Vatuvei doesn’t have the gas of his younger days but he’s still a dangerous customer close to the line.

Tony Williams has failed to live up to the hype for Canterbury.

Tony Williams

The Good: If ever a man was built to play rugby league it was Tony Williams. He’s the size of a house, quick enough to play in the backs and skilful enough to fill in at halfback if need be. When he’s feeling it he can be almost impossible to stop — but he hasn’t been feeling it for some time.

The Bad: In the early parts of his NRL career Williams was a winger or centre and was only switched fulltime to the forwards late in the 2011 season. He then spent a suspension-interrupted campaign in the pack in 2012, his final year at Manly, before heading to the Bulldogs where he was gripped by his current ongoing malaise. He has never made more than six line breaks in a season during his time at Canterbury and has never averaged more than 106 metres per game.

Worth it: No. A closer examination of the statistical reality of Williams career shows the sheer lack of impact he’s had since switching to the back-row.

He is big and strong but does not break the line, having just 16 line breaks in 71 matches in the second row. He is swift and explosive but does not score tries, having just 10 four pointers in 71 matches as a forward compared to 28 in 43 as a winger. He has soft hands and seems desperate to be a ballplayer, but he has just 18 career try assists in 147 career games. Williams has everything a footballer could possibly ask for but steadfastly refuses to use the weapons at his disposal.

Chris Sandow had a rare gift for attacking football.

Chris Sandow

The Good: Yes, he’s not in the NRL anymore but Sandow is the patron saint of rocks and diamonds players everywhere. He always had a rare gift for attacking rugby league, surpassing 17 try assists three times and notching an impressive 17 in 16 matches last season. While his running game vanished in his final year at Parramatta he was always best when he took on the line and possessed an excellent attacking and long distance kicking game.

While his career with Parramatta ended on the worst terms possible he was the club’s sole attacking conduit for much of last season and was leading the team in Dally M voting when he left. By season’s end he was still equal 15th on the overall table.

The Bad: You can make the argument that Sandow is the worst defender of the past five years. He led the NRL in missed tackles from 2009 to 2012 and missed an incredible 154 in 2009 alone. Despite his reputation, Sandow’s error count was no higher than any other player who touched the ball as much as he did but he did have little regard for field position or game management — a chance was a chance regardless of context.

This inability to grind out a match with his kicking game and organisational skills — which he had the skillset to accomplish — restricted his ceiling as a player and his numerous off-field problems and tumultuous relationship with Brad Arthur ended up killing off his NRL career. His final match, a drab loss to Canterbury, was possibly the worst and most listless match of his career.

Worth it: In theory, a team can carry a player like Sandow. His attacking skills were close to the best in the competition in terms of pure ability but he remained a momentum player to the end of his NRL days — one mistake would usually lead to more while a good try assist, attacking kick or line break would most of the time point towards a good performance. For Sandow to excel he needed a particular environment — he needed a coach who could work him hard without alienating him, he needed a strong forward pack and he needed an organisational half who could cover the gaps in his game.

Finding those things is very difficult and Sandow himself cannot be enough. In seven seasons in the NRL he never played in a finals match. Ultimately, Sandow is a luxury that most teams cannot afford.

Originally published as Are rocks and diamonds players worth the hassle?