BEING a rugby league player takes all sorts of dedication, courage and skill.
To make it to professional takes all that and more besides, with League Express’ latest feature paying homage to those players.
Here are five of the best halfbacks in Super League (for argument’s sake, halfbacks include both stand-offs and scrum-halves).
5. Jake Clifford – Hull FC
A signing that ticks all the boxes for Hull FC, Jake Clifford is being tipped to take Super League by storm in 2023. After signing from Newcastle Knights in the NRL, Clifford is tasked to leading a revolution at the Black and Whites alongside former Castleford Tigers man Jake Trueman. Although one of the brightest young halves in the NRL, Clifford fell out of favour at Newcastle last season which is very much Hull’s gain. Still only 24, the halfback has the prime of his career still in front of him – and he could yet realise that with the Airlie Birds.
4. Marc Sneyd – Salford Red Devils
It is testament to Marc Sneyd’s character that he achieved his first England cap as a 31-year-old following a stellar season for hometown club Salford Red Devils in 2022. The marksman destroyed Super League defences with his wicked kicking game and the ability to choose the right pass when it mattered, allowing fellow halfback Brodie Croft to exploit defences throughout the year. Now Sneyd will be expected to kick on for Salford in 2023 and produce the form that earned him two Lance Todd trophies in two years for Hull FC.
3. George Williams – Warrington Wolves
If his club form had been on a par with his World Cup form, then George Williams would have been higher up on this list. However, after an inconsistent season with the Warrington Wolves, he has to settle for third. That being said, despite Warrington being dire for the majority of the 2022 season, Williams did stand out for his effort and attempts to create some magic out of nothing. Going forward into 2023, the former Wigan Warriors man will be tasked with striking up a partnership with new recruit Josh Drinkwater.
2. Brodie Croft – Salford Red Devils
A halfback taking Super League by storm for the Salford Red Devils brings back memories of Jackson Hastings. However, Brodie Croft perhaps took that to another level in 2022, carving a reputation for himself as one of the most dangerous runners of the ball in recent seasons. The former Brisbane Broncos halfback won the Super League Man of Steel after helping the Red Devils to within 80 minutes of the Grand Final and has since been linked with a move back to the NRL. However, Salford director of rugby Ian Blease has outlined his determination to keep Croft at the AJ Bell Stadium and rightly so.
1. Jonny Lomax – St Helens
How this man has yet to win a Super League Man of Steel award beggars belief. Looking through all the Super League teams, there is perhaps no one as consistent as St Helens star Jonny Lomax. Even throughout 2022 – when he ruptured his bicep – Lomax did his duty for his beloved club, playing through the pain barrier for most of the second half of the year before missing out on the World Cup at the end of it due to that injury. The 32-year-old has played his entire career with Saints, registering almost 300 appearances, and, he will prove key to the club’s chances of winning yet another Grand Final in 2023.
