The Garry Schofield Column: Where have all the English halfbacks gone?

[League Express]

AS PROUD chairman of the ‘Rugby League halfback society’, I have to say we’re at sixes and sevens when it comes to producing proper talent...

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[Pie tries]

Lomax. Dodd. Smith. Sneyd. Williams. No shortage…

[DOGFATHER]

Are you sure there isn't a shortage?

11 English SL clubs with 2 HB's required at each = 22, without including the 2nd choice players to cover injuries or a lack of form, and you can only name 5?

Some of those 5 would never be classed as a first choice at an NRL club, and should not get anywhere near playing international rugby.

[gingerjon]

The column is proof he reads this forum, then.

[Whippet13]

3 minutes ago, DOGFATHER said:

Are you sure there isn't a shortage?

11 English SL clubs with 2 HB's required at each = 22, without including the 2nd choice players to cover injuries or a lack of form, and you can only name 5?

Some of those 5 would never be classed as a first choice at an NRL club, and should not get anywhere near playing international rugby.

From an England view we rely too much on Australian players in SL, but that applies across most positions and has done for many years.

Which of the 5 do you think should not play international rugby? Lomax is quality albeit aging, Dodd considered a top young talent, Smith played for England this year and will very likely make the autumn squad, Sneyd didnt put a foot wrong in the WC, Williams is quality and a certainty for England.

[bobbruce]

We’ve seen very similar articles in the NRL about why they aren’t producing halfbacks. A lot for me goes down to players not being able to make mistakes anymore. How does a young halfback learn his trade under the spotlight that the modern game is played in. 

[Damien]

Ah, Schofield with another look how good I was compared to players now article. 

[bobbruce]

1 hour ago, DOGFATHER said:

Are you sure there isn't a shortage?

11 English SL clubs with 2 HB's required at each = 22, without including the 2nd choice players to cover injuries or a lack of form, and you can only name 5?

Some of those 5 would never be classed as a first choice at an NRL club, and should not get anywhere near playing international rugby.

You’re being silly there are cleary more than 5 English halfbacks in SL. 

[Man of Kent]

Schofield has a fair point.

We have one bona fide international class halfback plus a couple of could-bes. After that the quality drops away sharply.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Man of Kent

[Spidey]

9 hours ago, Pie tries said:

Lomax. Dodd. Smith. Sneyd. Williams. No shortage…

2/5 from Widnes. What are the rest of you doing to help this situation?

[Harry Stottle]

2 hours ago, gingerjon said:

The column is proof he reads this forum, then.

Aye, I beat him to it but he is not wrong.

[Harry Stottle]

42 minutes ago, Damien said:

Ah, Schofield with another look how good I was compared to players now article. 

If that's the case he is not wrong again, and you know it. 

It is getting on 30 years since he last played international football, who in your opinion has been better since at stand off.

[Harry Stottle]

42 minutes ago, bobbruce said:

You’re being silly there are cleary more than 5 English halfbacks in SL. 

Yes we have, but not even 5 of international consideration.

[bobbruce]

4 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Yes we have, but not even 5 of international consideration.

That is a different argument DOGFATHER was literally counting the number of halfback spots available in SL. 

[Harry Stottle]

2 minutes ago, bobbruce said:

That is a different argument DOGFATHER was literally counting the number of halfback spots available in SL. 

Sorry Bob, I thought you were going against the OP in his point about the quality of the halves we have.

[Damien]

15 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

If that's the case he is not wrong again, and you know it. 

It is getting on 30 years since he last played international football, who in your opinion has been better since at stand off.

I don't know it. That's your opinion.

It's easy to look at these things with Rose tinted glasses and heaps of nostalgia. Schofield has been doing it since he retired.

 

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

I'd understand it if he'd written this column 10 years ago (in fact he probably did and had it published then n'all ), but at the moment we've got a really bright crop of young(ish) English half-backs. Even just looking at my own club I doubt Wane will even consider Jordan Abdul and Mikey Lewis for England this season for example, and yet they were tearing up the comp until Abdul's annual injury. 

[Dunbar]

Sorry, I just don't buy into this narrative at all.

Two of the top three sides in Super League – and probably favourites to walk out at Old Trafford – have young English halfbacks in Lewis Dodd and Harry Smith.

Schofield makes a nod to this with the comment “That means coaches have to take the plunge and sometimes persevere with youngsters in the belief that they will come good, which we have seen St Helens and Wigan do, although they are in the minority.” but then doesn’t bother naming them but does of course name drop Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer and reach into history for Alan Hardisty and Keith Hepworth.

The focus of his article is that we are not ‘producing proper talent’ in the halves but he doesn’t name Harry Smith, Lewis Dodd, Mikey Lewis, Jake Trueman or Will Pryce who are all under 24. 

None of the above are named in an article that laments the fact we are not producing talent… note, this is not about the lack of world class halfbacks, it is about a lack of talent.  That is clearly not the case.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Dunbar

[DavidM]

https://www.zerotackle.com/halves-graveyard-why-nrl-clubs-fail-young-halves-161248/amp/

[Harry Stottle]

47 minutes ago, Damien said:

I don't know it. That's your opinion.

It's easy to look at these things with Rose tinted glasses and heaps of nostalgia. Schofield has been doing it since he retired.

 

He may not be everyone's cup of tea Damien in what he writes, as far as I'm concerned it has nothing to do with rose tinted glasses but expierience of being there watching players perform, and yes, in my opinion I would say he is the best International 6 we have produced since I started watching this game and that covers 60 years - from that take away the first 10 years, until I became aware of the complexities, intricacies, subtleties and difficulties in playing the game.

Some will disagree that period includes Millward, Murphy, Holmes, Hanley, Myler(Tony), McGuire, Long, Pryce. etc.

[Harry Stottle]

26 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

The focus of his article is that we are not ‘producing proper talent’ in the halves but he doesn’t name Harry Smith, Lewis Dodd, Mikey Lewis, Jake Trueman or Will Pryce who are all under 24. 

Perhaps he does not rate them as highly as you do Dunny. Of those 5 how often has Pryce played in the halves, even his coach sees him in other positions, Smith, Dodd and Trueman in my opinion are not of International quality as yet, Lewis could provide something different and for me at the present time offers  ore than the other 4, but I doubt he will be selected.

It's sport, we all have opinions. Even Mr Schofield is allowed one, but you wouldn't think so.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Harry Stottle

[Harry Stottle]

16 minutes ago, DavidM said:

https://www.zerotackle.com/halves-graveyard-why-nrl-clubs-fail-young-halves-161248/amp/

Option 2 of the solution speaks volumes, those who can't hold down NRL spots can transfer to SL and become stand outs in our comp.

[StandOffHalf]

This reads to me as Schoey (I LOVE him!) bashing Frawley and looking back with rose-tinted glasses upon his time.

Dodd, Smith, Lewis, Williams, Connor (who's misjudged by going back to Hudds IMO) are all good ball players.

[bobbruce]

Schofield backs up what we said last week when you look back at multiple players careers. You then go and say look players are rubbish today because that 21 year old isn’t as good as those players all added together. Even the players he said were about in his era cover at least 23 years from 1979 -2002. I won’t include the years Bobby Goulding spent in the lower leagues. 

Edited September 14, 2023 by bobbruce

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

29 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

He may not be everyone's cup of tea Damien in what he writes, as far as I'm concerned it has nothing to do with rose tinted glasses but expierience of being there watching players perform, and yes, in my opinion I would say he is the best International 6 we have produced since I started watching this game and that covers 60 years - from that take away the first 10 years, until I became aware of the complexities, intricacies, subtleties and difficulties in playing the game.

Some will disagree that period includes Millward, Murphy, Holmes, Hanley, Myler(Tony), McGuire, Long, Pryce. etc.

Schofield isn't fit to lace Roger Millward's boots, as a player or frankly as a bloke.