Following last week’s poll in League Express, which asked who should play on the right wing for England against the Kiwis this autumn, we turn our attentions to the hookers, and who should make the cut in Steve McNamara’s side.
With Daryl Clark, Danny Houghton, Michael McIlorum and James Roby at McNamara’s disposal he has plenty of options. But which two stand out? Josh Hodsgon will also be in contention, but for now we look at the form of the four Super League based hookers this season.
ATTACK
| Name | Appearances | Tries | Try assists | Kicks in general play |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daryl Clark | 27 | 6 | 5 | 14 |
| Danny Houghton | 28 | 1 | 10 | 57 |
| Michael McIlorum | 26 | 2 | 6 | 30 |
| James Roby | 25 | 3 | 9 | 49 |
Despite substantial differences in each department, all four players are pretty evenly matched in this department.
James Roby has played a hand in one more try than Clark and Houghton despite making fewer appearances, and also made many more kicks than Warrington counterpart Clark.
At the same time, Clark has scored as many tries as the other three put together, whilst Wigan’s McIlorum is in the middle of all four areas, with his balance in both attack and defence a potentially important aspect for McNamara to consider.
The fact that Clark is totally different in his approach to the position than his three comrades, playing with speed and explosiveness, could give him the edge, although the contributions of Houghton, McIlorum and Roby for their teams are all indisputable.
EFFICIENCY
| Player | Carries | Metres | Runs from dummy half | Tackle busts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daryl Clark | 276 | 2351 | 184 | 70 |
| Danny Houghton | 258 | 1763 | 191 | 36 |
| Michael McIlorum | 203 | 1161 | 190 | 23 |
| James Roby | 336 | 2318 | 287 | 48 |
James Roby certainly comes out on top in the workload department, taking more carries and making more runs from dummy half by some distance. However, Clark again impresses, making more metres despite running with the ball on over 150 fewer occasions than Roby, and has also bust more tackles.
Houghton gets through a similar amount of work with less effect than Clark, whilst McIlorum spends more time guiding his side up the field than doing so directly.
DEFENCE
| Name | Tackles | Marker Tackles | Missed Tackles | Errors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daryl Clark | 734 | 97 | 59 | 22 |
| Danny Houghton | 1274 | 224 | 64 | 20 |
| Michael McIlorum | 648 | 84 | 75 | 15 |
| James Roby | 939 | 151 | 49 | 10 |
Despite all four impressing in this department, Danny Houghton stands out as the best. He’s Super League’s leading tackler with 1,274 and has also made the most tackles from marker, with 224.
James Roby also shines in defence, with nearly 1,000 tackles made and has missed the least amount, whilst he has also made less errors than the other three hookers.
Striking a balance between attack and defence is going to be crucial for Steve McNamara, and whilst Daryl Clark does make the most contribution going forward, he is also prone to more errors.
Who would you pick out of these four? Cast your vote at Totalrl.com
*All stats based on Super League appearances only
