Some Familiar Names, Some Not So Familiar

As NRL Grid continues to grow and emerge as part of the cultural zeitgeist of 2023, patterns and trends have begun to emerge, in particular around players that have been named and players that have been not.

Popular Responses

Who has been the player who has been the most popular response to date? None other than beloved journeyman half James Maloney. The half played 247 games across five clubs, so it is no surprise he has been heavily used by punters.

Long-serving tryscorers have also been popular with Greg Inglis (2nd), Brett Morris (3rd), Billy Slater (5th), Josh Morris (7th), and Josh Addo-Carr (9th) all in the Top 10. Veteran playmakers Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston are also among the most 10 used names, as is tackling machine Nathan Hindmarsh.

Surprising - considering code traitor or hypocrite have not been used as categories - Sonny Bill Williams has also been heavily used.

The Forgotten Ones

We have looked at the popular names. What about the forgotten ones, the ones nobody is naming, be it because they are long forgotten or because they just don’t fit?

Starting with those who have been used at least five times, there is a parade of random names, long-forgotten types, and trivia question answers.

The 10 players to have been named exactly five times include veteran Les Davidson, Isaah Yeo’s dad Justin, and Kiwi international Syd Eru, as well as trainspotter fodder Shane Neumann, Sam Joe, Warren Carney, Robbie Duffy, Dustin Cooper, and Ngani Laumape.