ENGLAND star Herbie Farnworth is set to continue taking the NRL by storm according to his Brisbane Broncos teammate Corey Oates.
The Lancashire-born centre’s form was a big plus during a World Cup campaign that ended in the disappointment of the 27-26 golden-point semi-final defeat by Samoa, in which he scored two tries.
Farnworth, called up for last year’s tournament by Shaun Wane, marked his England debut in their opening group game, also against Samoa, with a try in a 60-6 victory.
The 23-year-old also played in the 42-18 win over France and 46-6 quarter-final success against Papua New Guinea.
That followed ten tries in twelve appearances for Brisbane last season, taking his overall figures for the Queensland club to 19 (plus 14 goals) in 53 since making his debut in 2019 after coming through their under-20 programme.
Winger Oates, 28, scored 20 tries in 22 games as the Broncos narrowly missed out on the play-offs, and formed a potent partnership with Farnworth before the younger of the two was sidelined by a bicep injury.
“Herbie has done really well in the last 18 months is going to be a massive talent if he keeps his head on,” said Oates.
“I think he’s been a really, really big improver for us, and he’s going to keep improving.
“He’s got a lot more to offer and he knows that and he’s working hard.
“For him and me as an edge combination, we have got a lot to work on, just finishing those half-a-dozen tries that we probably didn’t do last year.
“We are trying to get that completion on the finishes, trying to get that to a high percentage.
“Herbie has come back confident (from the World Cup). I’m really happy for him and how he went (for England).”
Meanwhile former Huddersfield hooker Danny Levi, who made four World Cup appearances for Samoa, has signed for Canberra Raiders on a two-year deal.
The 27-year-old played 30 times for the Giants last season after 112 games in the NRL for Newcastle Knights, Manly Sea Eagles and Brisbane.
This article comes from this week’s issue of League Express. You can take out a subscription by going to https://www.totalrl.com/league-express/
