I watched a replay of the Super League grand-final earlier today, and like last week’s NRL decider, it was both entertaining and close, with just two points in it at the end.
I was interested to note that five Australia-born players took the field in the game, Lachlan Coote, Kevin Naiquama and Sione Mata’utai for St Helens, and James Maloney and Josh Drinkwater for Catalans. All but four of the points scored in the match came from these players.
It made me wonder how many Australia-born players are actually playing in the ESL, and could any of them still make it in the NRL?
Well, according to my unreliable maths, there are 36 Australian born players spread across the 12 Super League clubs. Interestingly, two-thirds of them are backs. Most of the Aussies look like they’re well past it now by NRL standards.
I reckon only the following few could make a successful return to the NRL if they so desired: Sione Mata’utai, Jackson Hastings and Bevan French.
Anyway, just for fun, here’s a team of Australian-born expats currently playing in the ESL. Their ages are in brackets.
1. Lachlan Coote – St Helens (31)
Coote last played in the NRL with the Cowboys in 2018, and since heading to the UK has won three back-to-back premierships with St Helens, been a prolific point scorer for the club, and gained selection in the Great Britain team.
2. Bevan French – Wigan Warriors (25)
A freakish attacking player who can handle both fullback and wing, French is a prolific try-scorer having crossed for 61 tries in his 81 top level games. He last played in the NRL with Parramatta in 2019.
Bevan French is a star for Wigan. (Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)
3. Kevin Naiqama – St Helens (32)
Left the Wests Tigers in 2018 and has just won his third championship, scoring two tries in the final.
4. Shaun Kenny-Dowall – Hull KR (33)
Last played in the NRL for Newcastle in 2019 and has been a consistent performer for the Rovers over the last two seasons.
5. Ricky Leutele – Huddersfield Giants (31)
His last full season in the NRL was with Cronulla in 2018, and since then he’s had just the odd game with both the Toronto Wolfpack and the Melbourne Storm due to Covid interruptions. He hasn’t locked down a permanent spot in the Giants team as yet.
6. James Maloney – Catalans (35)
Left the Panthers at the end of 2019 for the sunny south of France and has been one of the Catalans’ most influential players over the last couple of years. Now retired from the big time.
7. Jackson Hastings – Wigan Warriors (25)
One time NRL problem child who found his feet in England after leaving Manly and the NRL at the end of the 2018 season. He won the “Man of Steel” award in 2019 and gained Test selection for Great Britain in the same year. About to return to the NRL with Wests Tigers so I guess anything could happen.
8. Matt Prior – Leeds Rhinos (34)
A rock solid performer who played his last game in the NRL for Cronulla in 2019 and who has settled in well at Leeds.
9. Nathan Peats – Leigh Centurions (29)
Finished his five-year stint with the Titans in 2020 and has spent the last four games of the 2021 season on loan from Leigh to Huddersfield.
10. Korbin Sims – Hull KR (29)
The former Dragon began his stint in the ESL in 2021 and spent the latter half of the season playing from the bench.
11. Brad Takairangi – Hull KR (32)
A versatile performer who played with Parramatta in 2020 before heading to the UK, where he has spent his time playing in the backline for the Rovers.
12. Joel Thompson – St Helens (33)
Reliable performer who last played in the NRL in 2020 with Manly.
13. Sione Mata’utai – St Helens (25)
Just finished his eighth season in the top grade and is still only 25. Mata’utai has transitioned from baby faced winger to a hard-running and crash-tackling back rower/centre and he was an important part of St Helens’ 2021 championship win. Last played in the NRL in 2020 with Newcastle.
Sione Mata’utia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
14. Josh Reynolds – Hull FC (32)
Reynolds can attract a bit of controversy and was probably happy to leave Wests Tigers for the ESL after the 2020 season.
15. Jason Clark: Warrington Wolves (32)
A wholehearted player who was cut by South Sydney at the end of the 2018 season, and he’s been a solid performer for the Wolves since joining them in 2019.
16. Darcy Lussick: Salford Red Devils (32)
Played his last game in the NRL for Manly in 2018 and joined Salford in 2021 via the Toronto Wolf Pack. Has hardly set the ESL on fire playing just a handful of games off the bench for the Red Devils.
17. Pauli Pauli – Salford Red Devils (27)
Left Newcastle and the NRL at the end of the 2017 season and joined Salford during the 2019 season, originally on a loan deal from Wakefield Trinity.
So that’s a pretty ordinary squad in my book, and they were the best of a bad bunch. It reinforces the idea that the ESL is treated like a retirement home by a lot of players from the NRL, and the fact that these players can get a run at all, doesn’t say much for the overall standard of the ESL.
Heyou
Roar Rookie
I thought the ref did ok apart from some offside inconsistency. There has been much written to the contrary so I read this morning and some slightly heated arguments have broken out between Dragons and Saints supporters. According to some experts and couch coaches alike, the ref required spec savers, was hopeless and the poor Dragons were ROBBED!. Can’t say as I noticed too much but it might have been prudent to have a neutral referee.
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
i still cannot get over how small the in goal areas are, ruins any chances of diving wingers chasing kicks thru as the picked fence is 3 feet past the dead ball line, no diving to flick the ball back into play like the Maroons do in Origin. Surely with the money that Man U have that they can enlarge the 2 dead ball areas, with removable seating etc if they want to keep it for the soccer.
Heyou
Roar Rookie
Yes pretty ordinary. Even the NRL has relaxed the rules in playing the ball from the ruck, although I’m not sure if its an official rule as such. It seems to be one of those new rules that just magically evolved. The refs have too much other stuff to police around the ruck without keeping a wary eye on every play of the ball, but you still need to make a decent attempt to avoid the ref’s whistle
Pete
Guest
Majority of Aussie and kiwi players in the ESL are on a retirement package or bad boy discards..
Jamil Hoppa
Guest
Pwaugh do you think any of those 3 have lived in those countries? Know the national anthems? Locate the countries on the world map? Didn't think so
Paul
Roar Guru
They've played a few of these Challenge games in Australia over the years and none have attracted a lot of interest locally and from memory, all have resulted in pretty one-sided results. The trip and the cold probably evens up the competition
Tony
Roar Guru
:crying:
andrew
Roar Rookie
It was great Tony, Alfie even scored a try :laughing:
Tony
Roar Guru
Been trying to forget actually
Nico
Roar Rookie
I think back then there was a bit more money floating around from when News Corp took over the ESL. Clubs like St Helen's and Wigan were snapping up big names from the NRL while they were still playing decent footy. You also had 14 teams in the NRL so more competition for spots. NRL expansion coupled with a reduced tv rights deal won't do much to help the ESL in the next few years
andrew
Roar Rookie
Who could forget Bennett recalling Alfie from the UK to play Origin.
andrew
Roar Rookie
Tell you one thing Snowy, the players in the Super League definitely don't play the ball properly, it's tunnel ball style over there.
andrew
Roar Rookie
Will the Panthers be playing St.Helens in the club challenge in 2022? Even though the NRL premiers have been the winning sides in the recent club challenges,I've always thought they are at a disadvantage travelling to the UK, playing the Super League champions, the Super League is a couple of rounds into their comp and it's bloody cold in February. I want to see the Super League premiers playing at cbus or Suncorp in February. They'd melt.
Tony
Roar Guru
Agree. Still great to watch, like any footy.
Paul
Roar Guru
You're posing a question impossible to answer Dwanye. Just a simple thing. The Super League salary cap is 2.1 million pounds, versus the NRL cap which is the equivalent of 5.31 million. Can you imagine what a side like the Panthers or Storm would look like, if they could only spend 40% of what they've got now? I suppose another way to look at it is to put together a best Super League squad that could meet NRL salary cap conditions then try and guess how they'd go. I reckon they'd comfortably make the top 8, maybe as high as 5th or 6th in this years comp? Remember we head over there ever year and play the Club challenge. Their teams are nearly always competitive, though how that would translate across a full season is anyone's guess.
Tony
Roar Guru
Good point Nico. It seems that mare players went to England back then while still relatively at the top of their games.
Nico
Roar Rookie
It’s not the best line-up I’ve ever seen. Compare with who they were attracting back in ’01: Renouf, Langer, Nikau, Andrew Gee, Danny Nutley, Lam, Mullins, Clyde, Dallas, Tonie Carroll, Kidwell, Matty Johns, Hancock, Dymock, Jason Hethrington – a number of which were still south of 30, Langer, Gee, Nutley and Carroll all played origin post-ESL. It’s a shame Inglis didn’t manage a couple more matches during his Warrington comeback
Paul
Roar Guru
yeah agreed though, with that new Brisbane side starting soon, guys who might have headed to the Old Dart could see themselves going around a bit longer in the NRL, especially given the huge disruption to junior footy over the past 2 years.
Paul
Roar Guru
I've watched a few SL games and have thoroughly enjoyed these matches. I find it tough to compare to the NRL mostly because the rules are different enough that it's tough to find common ground, That said, it's safe to say that the overall standard is a bit below the NRL, but that doesn't make it less appealing to fans or less enjoyable viewing. Some of the tries, ball movement and tackles are simply terrific.
Tony
Roar Guru
Yes, have to agree on Maloney.