Fox Sports Lab: The numbers behind Jarrod Croker’s 300 NRL games

A cult figure, he joins an even more exclusive group as just the 18th player to make 300 appearances for the one club.

Bursting onto the scene with his trademark white headgear, he played his debut game in Canberra as a winger in the No. 20 jersey in a loss to the Roosters in 2009.

With the help of Fox Sports Lab, we’ve crunched the numbers to see how the goalkicker from Goulburn became a record-breaker.

POINT-SCORING RECORDS

Croker currently sits third for most points in Australian first-grade rugby league history.

In 299 matches, Croker has scored 2,316 points since his debut in 2009. Of those points, 1,776 (76.7 per cent) have come from goals, while he also has 135 tries to his name.

The only two players in history that sit above him are Cameron Smith (2,786 points) and former Bulldogs winger Hazem El Masri (2,418 points).

Croker didn’t become the Raiders‘ first-choice kicker immediately, either. It wouldn’t be until his 23rd match that he would attempt his first conversion in place of Terry Campese, which he missed.

His first successful conversion was in his 34th match against the Wests Tigers in round 15, 2010.

In recent years, Croker’s quest to climb the overall points leaderboard has been hampered by injury.

Across 2021 and 2022, he missed 37 games due to a combination of injury and form, with his resurgence this season a welcome return.

However, Croker averages 7.75 points per game, which means he has missed out on 286 points in that time. That would have seen him comfortably jump El Masri into second spot.

Croker would have been fewer than 200 points behind Smith’s incredible mark, creating a shootout for the ages.

CROKER‘S SUCCESS EQUALS CANBERRA SUCCESS

Canberra’s two most impressive seasons in the past decade were comfortably 2016 and 2019, and it’s no surprise that those two years were two of Croker’s most productive in the NRL.

In 2016, as the Raiders made their way to second on the ladder and secured a home final, Croker ended the season with 296 points, the highest tally of his career. It’s also the fifth-highest season tally for an individual of all time.

That season saw Croker cross for 18 tries, the equal-most he has scored in a season.

He also became an imposing figure on the edge in defence. With just 1.2 missed tackles on average per game, it is the lowest season average of his 15-year career.

Croker also played 27 matches in 2019 as the Raiders marched to the grand final against the Roosters.

He finished with 13 tries, his highest tally of any of his past seven seasons, while it also signalled the first major shift in how he played.

Between 2016 and 2018, Croker averaged just under 17 possessions per game, with his run metres reaching a high of 93 per game in 2016.

In 2019, his possessions dropped to 14.1 per game, and his metres to 75 a match, but as part of a dynamic attacking left-edge that included Jack Wighton, Nic Cotric and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, his role was more frequently about putting them into space.

WAITING FOR THE WARRIORS

Ricky Stuart made headlines when he opted to rest Croker against the Wests Tigers so he could play his 300th game in front of his home crowd in Canberra.

However, it’s also a fortuitous decision in terms of his opponent on Friday night, the Warriors.

Across his career, the Warriors have been Croker’s favourite opponent to play against. He has scored 18 tries against them, four more than any other side in the NRL. His ratio of 0.82 tries per game against the Warriors is also his highest.

The Warriors were also the first team Croker ever scored a double against – achieving it in both the home and away fixtures against New Zealand in the 2009 season.

Croker’s tally of 198 points against the Warriors is his highest against any side.

However, with a win ratio of just 54.5 per cent, the Warriors have not been Croker’s favourite opponent in terms of results. That honour belongs to the Dragons who Croker has a 72.2 per cent winning ratio against (13 wins from 18 matches).

CROKER COMES FULL CIRCLE

Croker made the No. 3 jersey his own during his time in Canberra.

Standing across from him in the Warriors’ No. 3 jersey will be 20-year-old Ali Leiataua, the nephew of the legendary Ali Lauitiiti, who will be making his NRL debut.

Leiataua will be the 52nd debutant Croker comes up against across his 300-game career. And across those names are a who’s who of representative stars.

Early in his career, Kieran Foran, Josh Reynolds and Daniel Tupou all played their first game against Croker’s Green Machine.

While he also had to contend with the likes of Api Koroisau, Tom Trbojevic, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and James Fisher-Harris in their debuts.

More recently, Croker has seen David Fifita and Will Penisini in their first taste of NRL action.

Time will tell if the talented Leiataua can follow in their path, with Croker’s incredible longevity on full display again.