News broke this week that the Dolphins and other NRL clubs are set to recruit heavily from England for 2023, with the World Cup used as a shop window for Super League talent to get contracts in Australia.
It makes sense: the Super League salary cap is diminishing in real-term value, while the NRL talent pool is stretched further due to the addition of the Dolphins and frayed pathways caused by the pandemic.
Young Aussie and Kiwi players have struggled to get competitive game time with the last two seasons in lower grade curtailed by Covid lockdowns.
Super League has managed to play out two full seasons in 2020 and 2021, with young players given more chances as players were forced to isolate and teams forced to rotate due to packed schedules.
With a World Cup at the end of the year in the UK, many will be looking to make the England squad – or, if qualified, one of the other nations – and give themselves the best opportunity of catching the eye.
“A lot of clubs will use the World Cup as a smorgasbord,” said one NRL recruitment manager this week to Fox.
“I’ve spoken to some agents over there and this is all they want to talk about — having a look at their players at the World Cup.
“There will be a real push from the agents over there, they want you watching the World Cup, I’m telling you.
“I’d be shocked if a fair bit of stuff doesn’t come out of the World Cup. If the Dolphins can’t get the players, they’ll go to England.”
The players identified by News Corp were St Helens trio Alex Walmsley, Morgan Knowles and Regan Grace, Hull FC fullback Jake Connor, Leeds centre Harry Newman and Huddersfield playmaker Will Pryce.
Some of those are more realistic than others: Alex Walmsley, for example, is already 31 and unlikely to make the move at this stage, despite undoubtedly being the best prop in Super League, while Regan Grace, shorter than 1.80m and fewer than 80kg, is rapid but far too small to play as a wing in the yardage-dominated NRL.
There are some clearly outstanding talents, however, who will be at the World Cup and absolutely should be on the radar for the Dolphins.
Will Pryce – Huddersfield Giants
The recruitment manager was right on this one: Will Pryce is the real deal. At just 19, he has made serious waves in Super League, debuting towards the end of last season in a not-very-good Huddersfield Giants side and immediately providing pace and directness to their attack.
He’s got amazing genes: GB international and Super League legend Leon Pryce is his father, his uncle Karl Pryce played Super League too, and one of his relatives, Waine Pryce also made first grade and international level with Jamaica.
Will is an outside bet for the England squad – if his development continues apace, there is no reason to think he won’t be in contention – and is nailed on for Jamaica if not picked by the hosts.
Just don’t mention his Dad’s view on Australians, however: Leon once enraged the Aussie public by claiming that he preferred Blackpool beach to Bondi. Maybe Will would like the Sunshine Coast a little more.
Jack Welsby – St Helens
Jack Welsby has already achieved everything in British club rugby league and he’s only 20. He debuted at 17, became a regular at 18 and at 19 scored the winning try, after the hooter had blown, in the Super League Grand Final. Then he won the Challenge Cup and Super League double last season.
It helps that he plays in the best Super League team, St Helens, but even in elite company, he stands out. Welsby is built like John Bateman – strong, wiry and elusive – but also has ball-playing skills and a competitive streak a mile wide.
Before this season he was a centre, but has taken over at fullback after the departure of Lachlan Coote from Saints and will be looking to make the England squad in either role come October.
After that, there are few doubts that he’ll be headed to the NRL, and any team that gets him is going to be impressed.
Kai Pearce-Paul – Wigan
Wigan were largely rubbish last year, but by far the brightest light of their season was the emergence of Kai Pearce-Paul. Unusually for English rugby league, he’s from a Londoner, and a product of the London Broncos academy.
Standing at 1.96 and weighing in at over 100kg, Pearce-Paul has all the physical attributes in the world, as well as a killer offload and the ability to play both back row and in the centres.
He was named to the England Knights squad late last year for a game against Jamaica and at 21, Pearce-Paul has plenty of scope to improve his game if he was given the step up to the NRL.
Kruise Leeming – Leeds
Kruise Leeming is a hooker right out of the Josh Hodgson mould – and, in fact, he might end up overtaking Hodgson in the England pecking order.
England are stacked with 9s at the moment, with Leeming fighting for a place alongside Hodgson, former Super League player of the year Paul McShane and long-time NRL target Daryl Clark.
Leeming is 26, so older than some on this list, but has plenty of experience: over 150 Super League games for Huddersfield Giants and Leeds.
On top of that, he played most of last season as a halfback at Leeds due to an injury crisis, adding an extra dimension to his playmaking.
He’s rapid out of dummy half, vastly improved in defence and only getting better.
Jake Connor – Hull FC
Jake Connor might not be that unfamiliar a name to some NRL fans. The Hull fullback has a fair few England caps already, including a man of the match performance against the Kiwis in 2018, and seems designed for the social media age.
He’s 27 now and entering his prime, with close to 200 first grade appearances behind him, but still plenty of way to go in his career. Connor plays in the 1 at Hull FC but would make the perfect 14 at an NRL club, with the ability to play across the backline and in the halves.
He’s pure box office: fast, strong and skillful, with a pass, plenty of kicking and the ability to do the unexpected. As an option off the bench, he adds dynamism and a knack for a game-breaking play.
You might wonder why he isn’t already in the NRL, or why he can’t seem to get a gig in the current England squad at all. Well, there’s a reason.
‘Jake the Snake’ can be a loose cannon, with a penchant for winding up opponents (and occasionally himself) that makes John Bateman look like a schoolboy.
England coaches have often not trusted him, fearing that his maverick style gets in the way of the team at times. It’s easy, however, to envision a world where Wayne Bennett can deploy his skillset to perfection and shake up teams across the NRL.
The Dolphins don't particularly care about the critics writing them off.
NRL news, as it happens
NRL news, as it happens
NRL news, as it happens
NRL news, as it happens
