Frontline Team of the Season named
Wigan Warriors and St Helens lead the way in the 2011 Frontline Team of the Season with three players each in the statistically strongest line-up at the end of the regular Engage Super League season.
Free-scoring Sam Tomkins is the chosen full-back and is joined the backs by Wigan team-mates Pat Richards and George Carmont, who have earned their place at wing and centre respectively.
Prop James Graham, hooker James Roby and team-mate Jon Wilkin, who is selected for the second row, see Saints players dominate the pack.
League Leaders Warrington Wolves are represented by Matt King, who is selected on the wing alongside Ryan Atkins at centre. Castleford Tigers star Rangi Chase is named at stand-off, pairing up with Salford’s Daniel Holdsworth at scrum-half.
Bradford Bulls captain Andy Lynch joins the squad in the front row while Jamie Jones-Buchanan is the only Leeds Rhinos representative in the team, as he takes his place in the second row with Hull FC’s Craig Fitzgibbon completing the team at loose forward.
The Frontline Team of the Season comprises the 13 players who have achieved the best average scores for their respective positions, having played at least half of their teams games during the 2011 Engage Super League season.
The Frontline Index undertook a new look for the 2011 season, with the previous Frontline Fair Play Index that measured club discipline being replaced by a system that measures individual performances on the field. The new Frontline Index for 2011 recorded each player’s direct involvement in an Engage Super League match focusing on areas such as tackles, carries, kicks and errors.
Every involvement was given a points value depending on the importance and frequency of the action. For example a try was awarded the highest scoring value, with actions such as tackles and carries scoring smaller values. Mistakes such as handling errors or penalties conceded incurred negative values.
The player with the single most outstanding performance during the regular season will win the Frontline Index and be presented with a £1,000 cheque at the 2011 Engage Super League Man Of Steel dinner.
2011 Frontline Team of the Season
1 Sam Tomkins (Wigan)
2 Pat Richard (Wigan)
3 George Carmont (Wigan)
4 Ryan Atkins (Warrington)
5 Matt King (Warrington)
6 Rangi Chase (Castleford)
7 Daniel Holdsworth (Salford)
8 James Graham (St Helens)
9 James Roby (St Helens)
10 Andy Lynch (Bradford)
11 Jon Wilkin (St Helens)
12 Jamie Jones Buchanan (Leeds)
13 Craig Fitzgibbon (Hull FC)