  This study aimed to provide a framework to evaluate team attacking
performances in rugby league using 59,233 plays from 180 Super League matches
via expected possession value (EPV) models. The EPV-308 split the pitch into
308 5m x 5m zones, the EPV-77 split the pitch into 77 10m x 10m zones and the
EPV-19 split the pitch in 19 zones of variable size dependent on the total zone
value generated during a match. Attacking possessions were considered as Markov
Chains, allowing the value of each zone visited to be estimated based on the
outcome of the possession. The Kullback-Leibler Divergence was used to evaluate
the reproducibility of the value generated from each zone (the reward
distribution) by teams between matches. The EPV-308 had the greatest
variability and lowest reproducibility, compared to EPV-77 and EPV-19. When six
previous matches were considered, the team's subsequent match attacking
performances had a similar reward distribution for EPV-19, EPV-77 and EPV-308
on 95 +/- 4%, 51 +/- 12% and 0 +/- 0% of occasions. This study supports the use
of EPV-19 to evaluate team attacking performance in rugby league and provides a
simple framework through which attacking performances can be compared between
teams.
