About the Analyst
Hi, my name is Kyle Panebianco, a civil engineer with a passion for rugby league.
Rugby League Background
My love for rugby league started at a young age, and I have always been fascinated by the strategy and athleticism of the sport.
I began playing rugby league in 1999 as a nine-year-old, until hanging up the boots in 2018 to focus on team management and exploring statistics.
This hobby has allowed me to combine my love for rugby league with my analytical skills, and has given me a deeper understanding of the sport.
Statistical Experience
Souths Sharks, Rugby League Mackay & Districts
In 2016, while playing local league for Souths Sharks, I noticed that the A Grade coach was recording post-match statistics by hand and thought there had to be an easier way. This led to me learning to use LongoMatch to complete a full post-game analyse for the A Grade team.
Normanby Hounds, Rugby League Brisbane
I moved back to Brisbane in 2018 to join the Normanby Hounds in the BRL. During my time with the Hounds, I moved away from post-match analysis and into the live, in game recording of statistics. I began to develop a tool to capture statistics during live games, in real time. This allows me to record data quickly and accurately such as tackles, runs, possession, error, and more. In the three years I spent with the Hounds, I was able to develop my skills and help support the team to success on the field.
Norths Devils, HostPlus Cup
In 2022, I was offered the opportunity to join the Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup, and I jumped at the chance to continue my rugby league journey at an even higher level. Under the tutelage of Rohan Smith, I redeveloped my recording tool to capture even more detailed statistics including locations of plays, running & kicking metres, starts and ends of set. The season culminated with a second consecutive Grand Final win.
Professional Background
I received my bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Queensland University of Technology in 2012 and have worked in the industry for the past 10 years. A link to my LinkedIn page can be found in the page footer.
In addition to my work as a civil engineer and my passion for rugby league, I am also an avid long distance runner and love spending time with my wife and young son.
About the Statistics
Overview
I have been collecting statistics in rugby league for the past 6 years. In that time, I have found it to be a valuable resource that can be used to analyse trends, evaluate team performance, and make informed decisions about strategy and tactics.
There are many different statistics that can be collected in rugby league, from high level stats like completions and plays used to incredibly detailed stats like metres gained by tackle, location of kicks, and set durations
Outcomes
By tracking these statistics over time, you can get a sense of how a team is performing and where they may need to improve. You can also use statistical analysis to identify patterns and trends in the game, such as which teams tend to perform better in certain situations or where the opposition has an advantage.
In addition to tracking individual match statistics, you can also use your collection of data to look at season performance as a whole. This can include analysing the team's overall tackle win-loss record, as well as more specific metrics such as how sets end and where they occur. By analysing these data points, coaches and players can get a better understanding of the team's strengths and weaknesses and how they compare to other teams in the league.
Overall, the statistics I can provide can be a valuable resource for players, coaches, and analysts looking to improve performance and make informed decisions about strategy and tactics
Methods
To capture, analyse and visualise this data, I have spent the past four years in the Brisbane Rugby League and Queensland Cup competitions developing my tools and methods:
Determine the specific statistics to collect: This includes scoring methods, possession (both minutes and plays), set completions, set types by location (Get Out, Good Ball, Red Zone etc.), plays used (including start and finish location of every play), attacking (hit ups, metres gain, kicking metres), set start and end methods, and error types
Develop a plan for collecting data: This involved working with Luke Srama and Rohan Smith to understand their areas of interest to develop a system for manually collecting data from live games, in real time.
Build the tool: Once I had determined the specific data points to collect, I was able to begin building the tool. This involve designing a layout, developing formulas and macros to process & analyse the data, and creating visualisations to display the data.
Test and refine the tool: Since initially developing my system, I have recorded over 150 games. I continue to develop and improve all aspects of recording and reporting to ensure accuracy and unmatched insights into each game.
Overall, developing a tool to collect and visualize statistics in the Brisbane Rugby League and Queensland Cup competitions has required a significant amount of planning, development, and maintenance efforts.
I hope to share the fruits of these efforts with you and your team.