Player Review: Nathan Friend

Player Review: Nathan FRIEND
Age: 31 | NRL Debut: 2002 | NRL Career Games: 152

2012 Recap:
A badly broken jaw cost him the middle of the season, just as he was warming into his new digs in Auckland. His tackle counts topped 40 on 11 occasions from his 17 starts, with 65 against the Sharks in Round 22 and 53 against the Broncos (the game in which he busted his jaw) in Round 9 the two standouts.
Provided steady service to his big men and the halves but due to injuries to Friend and Kevin Locke, the Vodafone Warriors’ spine (Friend, Shaun Johnson, James Maloney and Locke) never quite hit their straps as expected.
Though he only produced three try assists for the year, Friend’s slight of hand near the line is going to produce far more points for the team in the future.

2012 STATISTICS:
Games: 17
Tries: 2
Assists: 3
Runs/Metres: 4.5 for 34.2m per game
Tackles: 41.9 per game
Line Breaks: 2
Line Break Assists: 4
Tackle Breaks: 13
Offloads: 0
DT Points: 708 @ 41.6 ppg

What games did you think Nathan Friend stood out in this past season? Let us know in the comments below.

2013 Prospects:
His dislocated shoulder required surgery after the Round 24 loss to the Panthers, and the club hopes he will be 100% by the time the pre-season rolls around. A healthy Nathan Friend is a major boost to the Vodafone Warriors’ chances of returning to the playoffs in 2013...

Next Up: Konrad Hurrell.