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Forget Jarryd Hayne, forget Greg Inglis, forget Johnathan Thurston and forget Daly Cherry-Evans, right now there is no one hotter than Jamie Soward.
Soward has been tremendous all season and in the last month and a half his football has gone into the stratosphere. He is in career best form and this was epitomised by his performance against the Cowboys in Round 23.
Constantly forcing the defensive line to stop, prop and often watch on helplessly, Soward racked up two tries, two line breaks, and an intercept that led to Matthew Wright’s stint in the sin bin and another try from the ensuing set. He also threw a brilliant 20-metre pass for Josh Mansour’s try.
Soward kicked the opposition into submission in extremely testing conditions, with torrential rain and hurricane-standard wind. His defence has stiffened up immeasurably and he tackled with vigour, including a huge shot put on Antonio Winterstein that left the Cowboys winger reeling.
But what has really stood out for me during the aforementioned period is that Soward has proved he has progressed into being a true leader and game-breaking star.
The Panthers have won five of six matches without their halfback and captain Peter Wallace, with Jamie Soward being the driving force.
During this period they have also lost Elijiah Taylor, Bryce Cartwright, Brent Kite and replacement halfback Tyrone Peachey. But despite all these injuries they have not skipped a beat.
Soward has played with flair reminiscent of Hayne or Benji Marhsall, throwing one of the best passes of the season against the Broncos in Round 18 to set up Kevin Naiqama with an audacious flick. Conversely he has also exercised superb control and calmness over his team. His acclaimed running game has returned and is better than ever and he is kicking teams to death.
Will Smith’s seamless transition into first grade can very much be attributed to Soward’s stunning form at the moment, a man playing with the flair of the fresh prince himself.
On form right now Jamie Soward is arguably the most influential and the best player in the NRL.
Looking at Soward’s extraordinary seven weeks (Round 17 to 23) he has racked up two tries, five assists, 17 goals, four line breaks, seven tackle breaks and kicked 2864 metres, including a 40/20.
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