Australia has been raving about the performances of Sam Burgess and James Graham this season, and for good reason. But there are several other English players in Super League who could be a hit in the NRL.
Apart from the Burgess bunch at Souths and Graham at the Dogs, the English influence in the NRL has grown in recent years.
Gareth Widdop is at St George Illawarra and this season he was joined by the underrated prop Mike Cooper.
Sam Tomkins had a decent start to his NRL career at the New Zealand Warriors, while Lee Mossop didn’t have much luck in an injury-plagued 2014 at Parrammatta.
Next year the Pommy push is growing.
Hull KR hooker Josh Hodgson is off to Canberra, and should do well, while his Rovers teammate Greg Eden has signed with the Broncos. Hull FC winger Ben Crooks is also joining the Eels in 2015.
It’s hard to see Eden getting much game-time at Brisbane, with their thousand fullbacks, while Crooks is only 21 and has potential. Hodgson is probably the pick of this new trio, a creative and smart hooker, and is a canny buy for Ricky Stuart.
But apart from these three there are several others in the Old Dart worth a look.
Chris Hill
Named in the Super League team of the year, Hill is a tough, hard-running prop in the Adrian Morley mould. He was ranked fourth in carries in the competition and second in metres.
Hill’s hard as nails, has played Test footy for England and has a huge engine. At 26 he is the perfect age to give Down Under a try.
Daryl Clark
He’s only 21 but Clark has been in the top-three best players in Super League this season. Able to play a variety of positions, Clark is one of the reasons Castleford has enjoyed such a good campaign.
He sets up and scores tries – with 10 assists and 13 tries – but also gets through a fair amount of work and can slot in the backrow. Quick out of dummy half and good with an offload, Clark could make the grade easily in Australia.
Zac Hardaker
Another youngster – he’s only 22 – Hardaker is a huge talent. He can play across the backline but fullback is his position for Leeds and he has scored 53 tries in 106 games for the Rhinos. Tall, strong and elusive, the Featherstone Rovers junior has also played for England.
Hardaker has had his problems, being kicking out of England’s World Cup camp for drinking and being banned this season for homophobic abuse, but if he can get his head right he would be an asset for an NRL club.
James Roby
Has just led St Helens to a minor premiership and a grand final appearance. At 28 and with 11 seasons in Super League under his belt, James Graham’s former teammate is a class act. Roby directs a lot of Saints’ attacking play, always seems to find his way over the line and has a strong passing game.
He’s already played 28 Tests, seven for Great Britain and 21 for England, and has achieved just about everything there is to achieve in the UK. A no-brainer for an Australian outfit.
Elliot Whitehead
A left-field selection, Whitehead has been brilliant in 2014. The bustling back-rower joined Catalans midway through last year and has been outstanding for the Dragons. Able to bust tackles and put teammates through holes, the 25-year-old has managed 18 tries himself and five try assists this season. He’s also not afraid of getting his hands dirty, topping the tackle count for Catalans.
Whitehead helped the Dragons go on a unlikely run to one game away from a Super League grand final and his form has just been rewarded for an England call-up. He’d relish the tough environment in the NRL.
Follow John Davidson on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
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