He is not as good as S Johnson, B Hunt, Cleary, L Brooks ... currently top 4.
Why is he not better than these players? Because they can all play and read what is in front of them and not rely on set structures all game.
He is also not as good as M Pearce, DCE Ash Taylor or T Hodkinson.
He only has a good short kicking game, every now and then. He can kick long, right down the throat of a waiting fullback or winger. His goal kicking is slowly going downhill.He also doesn't like to take advantage of half chances when they present themselves.
The Sharks only saving grace in the halves is hopefully when Moylan comes good. Because they wont be winning any more grand finals with Chad in charge.
DCE and Taylor are the only 2 in your list with comparable short kicking games. Cleary maybe as well, but would like to see it over 3 years to judge.
Not sure how you are measuring that Townsend can't read what is in front of him. A good short kicking game requires exactly that. And he gets as many repeat sets as anyone. He is not a Thurston or Cronk in terms of try and line break assists but he is fine. He creates opportunities like an average first grade half, which is what he is, except for his short kicking which is above average.
Brooks has been "top" for like 6 weeks, hardly worth mentioning.
Hunt has only been "decent" until the last 6 weeks also.
Johnson can be brilliant, but has played 3 good games so far this year (which is good for him, though he has been injured the rest) and about that many in a whole season last year.
I am a big fan of what Hodkinson did for us in a steadying role, but clearly is not as dangerous as Townsend.
So to compare Townsend to your list over the last few years, not just in short kicking but overall, he has done way more than Johnson, Hunt, Brooks, Hodkinson and even Cleary (obviously Cleary shows a ton of potential though).
DCE is probably better, though seems capable of much worse games. Townsend doesn't have terrible lows like DCE. And DCE must be on twice the coin.
Taylor is much more dynamic than Townsend and a potential star, but also is very up and down. Even this year, he has played some brilliant games and some terrible games. Taylor is also a terrible defender and not a particularly good long kicker.
Pearce is very consistent at club level even if he is mocked for Origin form, and that is why he is selected for Origin. Comparing Townsend to a steady Origin player is a bit unfair though. Brailey, Prior, Moylan (one or two games), Bakuya, Segeyaro, Capewell, Leutele, Ramien, and Feki are not regular Origin reps either.
I'll concede that Townsend is probably not as good as these 3 though, but it depends a lot on the day with DCE and Taylor. Seriously, he is not as good as Thurston or Cronk either, but is that what we expect? He also isn't on the same sort of deal (one would hope) as Thurston, Cronk, Pearce or DCE.
Not sure why you think saying we won't win any more with "Chad in charge" unless Moylan comes good is at all profound. Which teams win grand finals with only one form half? Townsend did well in 2016, and Maloney obviously was outstanding with him. But Townsend stepped up game after game in 2016, and was "in charge" of a premiership winning team then, not sure why he couldn't be again.
