Tackle Busts

When an attacking player running the ball breaks an attempted tackle by the opposition's defence. 

Along with post contact metres, tackle busts are a good indicator of the power and strength of players when running the ball. Therefore, the players who typically dominate this NRL stat are strong but also fast, with outside backs usually racking up the most tackle busts in a game of NRL footy.

Example: “James Tedesco starred with the ball in hand, making 12 tackle busts against the Bunnies.” 

For punters, tackle busts are a key statistic to pay attention to. Players who can regularly break tackles often create opportunities for their team in attack, with tackle busts creating a disorganised defensive line that will inevitably lead to linebreaks and then tries.

Team tackle busts can also give a sense of how threatening a team is in attack, and whether they have the calibre of players to put on points with ease.

Benchmark: A player who makes 5 or more tackle busts in a single game can be considered difficult for opposition players to defend against.