The games-played problem
A player can lead a season total because he has played more matches, because he has a larger role or because he is genuinely more productive. Raw totals alone cannot tell us which explanation is doing the work.
Per-game rates provide another lens by dividing output by appearances.
Rates still need context
Per-game statistics can also mislead. A bench player may have an excellent per-game rate in limited minutes, while an 80-minute player carries a completely different workload.
The strongest comparisons therefore combine totals, per-game rates, minutes and positional context rather than relying on one column.
What PTN calculates
PTN derives rate statistics from official season totals and appearances, then uses those rates as inputs to role-aware dimensions and percentiles.
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.