Top 10 halves in NRL

[DIMEAST]

How would you rank the top 10 halves in the NRL?

1. Thurston

2. Johnson (most naturally talented player in the nrl, has now learnt how to lead and direct a team)

3. Cronk

4. Foran

5. DCE (overated, played crap the second half of this year once his team mates gave up on him, and has done nothing at rep level yet)

6. Hunt (could be higher and will be if he picks up where he left off)

7. Pearce

8. Widdop

9. Soward (finished the year well but cant rank him higher just yet)

10. Mullen

HM: Marshall, Maloney, Keary, J Reynolds, Brooks

 

[rabbitohs95]

Johnson has to prove in 26+ rounds in the NRL that he's the second best half in the game. You can't base it off one test match against an unbelievably injury ravaged Aussie team.

He definitely has the potential though.

 

[DIMEAST]

Johnson has to prove in 26+ rounds in the NRL that he's the second best half in the game. You can't base it off one test match against an unbelievably injury ravaged Aussie team.

He definitely has the potential though.

Based of the majority of 2014 also when he wasnt injured

 

[Tommy Smith]

Cronk and Foran are ahead of Johnson at present.

As a Roosters fan I'm excited to see if Pearce can maintain the form he showed in the last two months of the season - where he was arguably second only to Thurston.

 

[Charlie124]

No way is Johnson a better all round player than Cronk or DCE. He might be flashy and show brilliance at times, but hes way too hot and cold to rank higher than the other two (and probably more on that list) consistent performers.

 

[DIMEAST]

Bar the world cup final where his forwards got dominated, Johnson has outplayed Cronk in every head to head game for the past year or so. DCE, while a very good player is overhyped and relies too heavily on his quality team mates. Johnson has had a mud pack to play behind for two years.

Pearce was awesome at the end of the year but I just cant see him backing it up

 

[Rhyno]

How would you rank the top 10 halves in the NRL?

1. Thurston

2. Johnson (most naturally talented player in the nrl, has now learnt how to lead and direct a team)

3. Cronk

4. Foran

5. DCE (overated, played crap the second half of this year once his team mates gave up on him, and has done nothing at rep level yet)

6. Hunt (could be higher and will be if he picks up where he left off)

7. Pearce

8. Widdop

9. Soward (finished the year well but cant rank him higher just yet)

10. Mullen

HM: Marshall, Maloney, Keary, J Reynolds, Brooks

Put Sandow at #8 and Mullen drops out of the top 10

 

[roostersrule2]

1. Thurston, easy pick for No. 1, without doubt the games best half.

2. Cronk, doesn't have the instinctive nature of a lot of other halves but is very precise in what he does.

3. Foran, tough and skillful. Epitomises Manly's game plan but would suit any club.

4. DCE, had a crap second half of the year, but oozes class on and off the field.

5. Pearce, has always been a solid club half but stepped it up last year and eclipsed that this year. If he can keep it up he could potentially take the top spot in a few years.

6. Hunt, like Pearce has stepped up this year and had capitalised on the promise he showed in the 20's.

7. Johnson, the most talented person in the NRL, (now that Hayne's gone) has the potential to be a great but just isn't consistent enough. I love watching him play however.

8. Widdop, Dragons best player this year and arguably the signing of the year. One of the few to leave Melbourne and be a bigger success.

9. Soward, really good this year, back to his best but his bad game in the Preliminary cost them a GF spot IMO.

10. Can't choose one really, one of either Mullen, Marshall, Keary or The Reynolds's.

 

[WaznTheGreat]

I wonder if any of you actually watched the NRL this season,Chris Sandow was Parramatta's best player(even more so than Hayne),he is much better than the Sowards and Widdops of this world.

 

[Kiwi]

1. Thurston, easy pick for No. 1, without doubt the games best half.

2. Cronk, doesn't have the instinctive nature of a lot of other halves but is very precise in what he does.

3. Foran, tough and skillful. Epitomises Manly's game plan but would suit any club.

4. DCE, had a crap second half of the year, but oozes class on and off the field.

5. Pearce, has always been a solid club half but stepped it up last year and eclipsed that this year. If he can keep it up he could potentially take the top spot in a few years.

6. Hunt, like Pearce has stepped up this year and had capitalised on the promise he showed in the 20's.

7. Johnson, the most talented person in the NRL, (now that Hayne's gone) has the potential to be a great but just isn't consistent enough. I love watching him play however.

8. Widdop, Dragons best player this year and arguably the signing of the year. One of the few to leave Melbourne and be a bigger success.

9. Soward, really good this year, back to his best but his bad game in the Preliminary cost them a GF spot IMO.

10. Can't choose one really, one of either Mullen, Marshall, Keary or The Reynolds's.

I am fairly close to this. I would drop DCE below Pearce and Hunt on this year's form and swap Pearce and Hunt. Pearce had a great second half to the year but started very slowly, Hunt only had a minor form slump for a few games when Hook got sacked. I would also put Sandow in 8 and drop Widdop and Soward down one.

 

[Card Shark]

I wonder if any of you actually watched the NRL this season,Chris Sandow was Parramatta's best player(even more so than Hayne),he is much better than the Sowards and Widdops of this world.

Welcome 'Sandowtrain'

Sandow will be back to his last few seasons without Hayne to guide your team & create wins. He is not a leader, he's a follower - only playing good when his team does, as opposed to be being the player that consistently makes his team play good.

 

[Danish]

Agree with most of the list, although I would move Foran well down.

The bloke has simply never taken control of a game of footy in his life. When Manly win, he gets praise. When they lose, its all DCE's fault. Come the final 15 minutes of a game with the match in the balance, no one is ever saying "Manly will be hoping that Foran steps up here", he simply doesn't have that big play in him to win his side a game on his own.

In saying that we are desperately lacking in good quality 5/8s in the comp these days so he is still easily in the top 3 for his position. There are just 5-6 halfbacks that are better than any 5/8 in the comp today ahead of them.

 

[Vic Mackey]

1. Thurston, easy pick for No. 1, without doubt the games best half.

2. Cronk, doesn't have the instinctive nature of a lot of other halves but is very precise in what he does.

3. Foran, tough and skillful. Epitomises Manly's game plan but would suit any club.

4. DCE, had a crap second half of the year, but oozes class on and off the field.

5. Pearce, has always been a solid club half but stepped it up last year and eclipsed that this year. If he can keep it up he could potentially take the top spot in a few years.

6. Hunt, like Pearce has stepped up this year and had capitalised on the promise he showed in the 20's.

7. Johnson, the most talented person in the NRL, (now that Hayne's gone) has the potential to be a great but just isn't consistent enough. I love watching him play however.

8. Widdop, Dragons best player this year and arguably the signing of the year. One of the few to leave Melbourne and be a bigger success.

9. Soward, really good this year, back to his best but his bad game in the Preliminary cost them a GF spot IMO.

10. Can't choose one really, one of either Mullen, Marshall, Keary or The Reynolds's.

Pretty much agree with this. I'd probably put soward higher based on 2014 though. Hodkinson rounding out the top 10. Before his knee injury he had a very good year.

 

[Galeforce]

How would you rank the top 10 halves in the NRL?

1. Thurston

2. Johnson (most naturally talented player in the nrl, has now learnt how to lead and direct a team)

3. Cronk

4. Foran

5. DCE (overated, played crap the second half of this year once his team mates gave up on him, and has done nothing at rep level yet)

6. Hunt (could be higher and will be if he picks up where he left off)

7. Pearce

8. Widdop

9. Soward (finished the year well but cant rank him higher just yet)

10. Mullen

HM: Marshall, Maloney, Keary, J Reynolds, Brooks

After Thurston , this list FAILS.

1) What is your definition of a top halfback?
Appears to me , your definition included a bit of flash.

2) a top 10 ( 15 with your HM's that excludes Adam Reynolds is FAIL.

3) Listing Johnson as having now learnt to lead a team? based on what ? the last game against a forward weak Australian team? Please . How did Johnson lead his team to the finals. FAIL

 

[natheel]

Sandow seems to be the type of player others want to play with hence why he got Parramatta players player and the players urged the coach to put him in the side earlier in the year. I think if he can have another season like this year he will be in the top 10. Towards the end of the year he got that shit out of his game where he would pull anything out of his arse and hope for the best. He was more controlling especially in that win v manly

 

[Asnito]

For everybody who's played the game this may sound silly but what seperates a half from a 5/8. I know they each control the play on different sides but why the distinction between 1/2 and 5/8?

 

[MrAnonymous]

After Thurston , this list FAILS.

1) What is your definition of a top halfback?
Appears to me , your definition included a bit of flash.

2) a top 10 ( 15 with your HM's that excludes Adam Reynolds is FAIL.

lol@souffs fans that think Reynolds is top ten :lol: I could of lead souffs to a premiership playing behind that pack.

 

[DIMEAST]

After Thurston , this list FAILS.

1) What is your definition of a top halfback?
Appears to me , your definition included a bit of flash.

2) a top 10 ( 15 with your HM's that excludes Adam Reynolds is FAIL.

3) Listing Johnson as having now learnt to lead a team? based on what ? the last game against a forward weak Australian team? Please . How did Johnson lead his team to the finals. FAIL

Not just counting the Kiwis game, this year in general his leadership and direction have developed out of sight compared to previous years.
He was injured at the end of the year and the Warriors went off the boil.

In terms of A Reynolds, I almost included him in the HMs but it was already crowded, and if I asked myself who I want in my team between him and any player on that list he comes off second best. There just aren't enough strings to his bow.

Im sorry you were so offended. Feel free to make your own list.

 

[Galeforce]

lol@souffs fans that think Reynolds is top ten :lol: I could of lead souffs to a premiership playing behind that pack.

Well DO IT ,

else you are just an a cheap anonymous boaster.:lol:

 

[ceagle]

Unless Johnson learns how to become a good defender he won't crack my top 5 ever.

On current form DCE probably deserves to be around 4 or 5 but something tells me he has been carrying an injury since Origin, he has also played a lot of footy the past few years.