Five Key Stats
Games | 27
Tries | 6
Tackles | 1062
All Running Metres | 2367
Try Assists | 8
Best Match of the Season
Semi-Final | Raiders 22 defeated Panthers 12
Whitehead stepped up when the Raiders needed him most in the semi-final victory over the Panthers, running for 152 metres and making 37 critical tackles.
Summary
The Raiders successful English recruitment continued in 2016 with the addition of Elliott Whitehead.
Whitehead made his foray into the NRL after six years in the English Super League. Expectations were high for the rampaging backrower, especially after the success of his English teammate, Josh Hodgson.
With temperatures nearing 40 degrees, it was a tough start for Whitehead in the Raiders first two home games.
Injuries to both of the Raiders halves then saw Whitehead shift to five-eighth for a couple of matches, a position he had never played before, but handled admirably.
As the season wore on Whitehead became more and more comfortable with the pace of the NRL, and also began to form a lethal combination with 'Leipana' outside of him. Rapana and Leilua owe a lot of their tries to Whitehead, who possesses great hands and footwork for a forward.
Whitehead finished the season as the Raiders leading tackler and ranked third highest for the stat in the NRL. Incredibly, he also played the most minutes in the whole of the NRL, missing just two minutes through concussion in Round 13.
Alongside Hodgson, Whitehead is a key member of England's international side, after making his debut in 2014. 2017 is a shaping up to be another huge year for Whitehead, as he looks to build on his stellar first season in the NRL.
