Position is only the starting point
Calling two players fullbacks tells us where they usually line up. It does not tell us whether they are primarily ball-runners, creators, support players or yardage workers.
The same problem exists across halves, centres and forwards. A role-aware model needs to compare how players produce value, not just the label printed on the team sheet.
The six PTN dimensions
PTN currently organises player output into six broad dimensions.
- Playmaking, creation, kicking control and receipt involvement.
- Evasiveness, line breaks, tackle breaks and open-field running.
- Workrate, repeated involvement with and without the ball.
- Finishing, tries and line-breaking output.
- Carry, run metres, post-contact work, offloads and yardage.
- Defence, tackle load adjusted for missed tackles.
Why percentiles matter
Raw numbers can mislead when different positions have completely different workloads. PTN first compares a player with positional peers, then converts that comparison into percentiles.
A 90th-percentile Carry score means the player is exceptional for that role. It does not mean a winger and a prop should be expected to produce the same raw metres or carries.
Where PTN uses official NRL statistics, the raw inputs are identified as source data. Ratings, percentiles, model probabilities and interpretation are Play The Numbers calculations.