Who’s Running the Team? – How important is continuity in the halves?

Across 128 verified Men’s Premiership starting line-ups through Round 16, the nine clubs have used 53 different five-eighth/halfback combinations. But the distribution is anything but even: Fremantle have used one pairing all season, while North Beach and Kwinana have each used nine.

The top three teams average 4.3 combinations each, compared with 6.7 among the remaining six. That does not prove stability causes success—but the individual records reveal some fascinating patterns.

Fremantle Roosters — 1 combination
Ishmael Leilua and Delane Edwards have started all 14 matches together, producing a 10–3–1 record. Fremantle are the only club to use the same halves pairing in every game.

Willagee Bears — 6 combinations
Despite using six pairings, Willagee have maintained one constant: Matthew Lansdown has started at halfback in 13 of 14 games.
Their principal combination of Kainoa Gudgeon and Lansdown is 7–1, scoring 412 points and conceding 110. The Bears’ variety appears to be managed flexibility around an established organiser rather than instability.

South Perth Lions — 6 combinations
South Perth have also used six pairings, with Kade McDonald, Hohepa Taiatini, Eddie Proudler and Luke-David Wells-Talamaivao rotating through the halves.
Their most-used combination—McDonald and Proudler—is 3–1, while four of their six combinations remain undefeated.

Ellenbrook Rabbitohs — 3 combinations
Ellenbrook have been relatively settled. Unawin Clarke and Chase Rye have started 11 games together for a 6–5 record.
The Rabbitohs are 0–3 when starting a different pairing—one of the clearest continuity splits in the competition.

Kalamunda Bulldogs — 6 combinations
Samisoni Langi has featured in 12 of Kalamunda’s 15 starting combinations, but with four different halfbacks.
Langi and Carl Hiko own the Bulldogs’ most-used pairing at 3–2. Their Langi–Robbie Jones combination is 2–1 with a +94 points differential.

Joondalup Giants — 7 combinations
The Giants have used seven combinations, with no pairing starting more than four games.
Lincoln Williams and Scott O’Brien are the most frequent at 2–2. Williams has appeared in six different combinations and has started on both sides of the halves.

North Beach Sea Eagles — 9 combinations
North Beach are tied for the most combinations, but may have found their answer late.
Kurtis Everett and Nicholas Prance are 3–1 across the past four rounds, scoring 120 points and conceding 62. After using eight combinations across their opening ten games, the Sea Eagles have finally enjoyed some continuity.

Rockingham Sharks — 6 combinations
Rockingham’s results contain perhaps the quirkiest split.
Crockett Henry and Sean Scott are 3–1 together. Every other Sharks combination is a combined 1–9. Their most successful pairing has started less than one-third of their matches.

Kwinana Titans — 9 combinations
Kwinana have used nine pairings in 15 games. Joshua Skinner and Lewis Samuels are the most common, starting six matches together, but remain 0–6.
The Titans’ only victory came with Skinner partnered by Tyrell West—a combination used twice for a 1–1 record.

The question is halves continuity a cause of success, a consequence of success—or simply something winning teams have the luxury of maintaining?