Following Super League releasing their official Dream Team last night, I thought I’d have a go at my own here.
Super League Official Dream Team: Bevan French, Krisnan Inu, Toby King, Konrad Hurrell, Ash Handley, Jonny Lomax, Aidan Sezer, Alex Walmsley, Sam Powell, Mike Cooper, Kelepi Tanginoa, Liam Farrell, Michael Lawrence
Full-Back - BEVAN FRENCH
This might seem like an obvious choice, but picking the full-back was actually one of the hardest decisions of the whole team. Bevan French has been exceptional for Wigan and has set the season alight, with special moments such as the hat-trick against Salford coming to mind. His twelve tries and seven assists for the year show what a difficult player he has been for opposition defences to deal with. French's pace, evasion and skill have become hallmarks of his game. He has performed similarly to the way Ben Barba did two years ago for St Helens. For me, he has been the best player in the competition this season, but full-back was still a tough choice, with Lachlan Coote, who has been consistently excellent for St Helens and has eight tries and fourteen assists to his name, as well as Sam Tomkins, who has been somewhere close to his best this season for Catalans.
Winger - KRISNAN INU
One of the more surprising stars of 2020 has been Krisnan Inu. With ten tries, he is Salford's top scorer and he has been performing at a high level all year. He has shown his flair and creativity too, with plenty of ability to make things happen near the line, and since returning to the Salford side after restart, has been very consistent. As well as becoming a real leader of the Salford team, he has been one of the best goalkickers in the competition this season, striking 32 goals and missing just three times. He is out of contract now and the Red Devils will surely be desperate to keep him, though there is bound to be suitors given his performance level this campaign.
Centre - TOBY KING
Warrington's first entrant into the Dream Team is Toby King, who has improved dramatically this season and established himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet. He has worked hard on the defensive side of his game and has largely been error free, but it is in attack where he has been most impressive. Wire have struggled to fire offensively all year, but King has been a constant threat out wide, and his ability to draw a player and find a pass to his inside or outside have become real features of his game. He has been a key part of Wire's new-found ability to score tries from distance and with ten assists and two scores of his own, he can be very proud of a campaign that also saw him finish as Super League's top offloader in 2020, with 42.
Centre - ISRAEL FOLAU
Plenty of contenders for the second centre spot. I considered Zak Hardaker, who has grown into the role at Wigan, and both Carlos Tuimivave and Josh Griffin at Hull FC. I did not consider Konrad Hurrell who has somehow made it into the official Dream Team, though. In the end though, I went for someone who is a newcomer to Super League but has brought an injection of real star quality. Four tries and seven assists in eleven appearances mean that he is operating at a try involvement every match, an excellent rate. Catalans have been brilliant in attack at times, and Folau has nearly always been central to it.
Winger - ASH HANDLEY
With fourteen tries, Ash Handley finishes Super League (barring a French hat-trick in the Grand Final) as the top tryscorer. The Leeds winger has been superb all campaign and has made sure that he is right in the frame for international caps at the World Cup next year. Handley has been crucial to finishing off Leeds' attacks but also has five assists to his name, so he's not just about his own tries. As well as being the top scorer, he is also Super League's top metre-maker, which is a very impressive stat. An excellent season for the 24-year-old who beats off competition from Regan Grace, Tom Davies and Tom Lineham for a spot on the wing.
Stand-Off - JACKSON HASTINGS
This was the hardest choice of the lot. Last season, my dream team featured Jonny Lomax and Jackson Hastings in the halves, and this year, I found myself picking between the two to partner Aidan Sezer. I crowned Jonny Lomax as the best player in Super League 2019, but I've just gone with Hastings here. Lomax hasn't quite been at his astronomical level of 2019, with just two tries - although he does have a competition-high 21 assists. Hastings, who won Man of Steel last year, has grown into his role at Wigan and become a huge player for them. Nine tries and eighteen assists means that he has the most try involvements of any player in 2020 and these have been key to Wigan winning the League Leaders Shield and making the Grand Final. He has also shown flexibility, stepping into the hooker role for the playoff semi-final last week in the absence of Sam Powell and doing an admirable job.
Scrum-Half - AIDAN SEZER
Huddersfield have gone from a relegation-threatened team last year to a playoff-chasing outfit this season, and much of that transformation has been down to the signing of Aidan Sezer from Canberra Raiders. They looked a different side right from day one when they outclassed Catalans away from home, with the Australian causing the Dragons a world of problems and proving to be a fine exponent on the fifth play. Sezer has added so much knowhow and experience to the Huddersfield team and has been able to guide them around the field every time he has played. Seven tries and eighteen assists is an excellent return for a player from a mid-table club and is a measure of how influential he has been on the Giants. The number seven only signed a one-year deal in West Yorkshire and one of the first things for Ian Watson to deal with at his new club will surely be trying to secure Sezer's future.
Prop - ALEX WALMSLEY
Someone who you can make a genuine Man of Steel case for is Alex Walmsley. The St Helens prop has been a beast this season and has been the standout forward in Super League. When Luke Thompson left for Canterbury Bulldogs mid-season, there was some concern that Saints would lose a lot in the forwards, but in Walmsley they have got a player who makes you feel like he is two players, such is his ridiculous strength and dominance. Prop forwards rarely go over for tries, but Walmsley has crossed for nine tries this season, which for a prop is absolutely insane. The nine tries show how impossible he has been to stop near the line though, and with three assists too, he has shown plenty of handling skills. An absolute monster of a player.
Hooker - SAM POWELL
If you'd told me at the start of the season that my Dream Team hooker would be anyone other than Daryl Clark or James Roby, I'd have been surprised. But Sam Powell has been magnificent this season for Wigan and definitely the best number nine in the league, for me. He is the second highest tackler in the league this year, with 705, which is very impressive. It is how good he has been offensively that has shone most, though. Powell has proved to be a major threat from dummy-half this season with eleven tries, making him Super League's fourth-highest scorer in 2020. Eleven tries is a lot for a hooker, but Powell has majorly risen his level this season. As mentioned earlier, there are some great hookers in the competition, with Roby and Clark the main two, but Powell has put himself in the conversation with his performances this year. P.S why is Paul McShane in the official Dream Team?
Prop - MIKE COOPER
Finishing off the front row is Warrington's stand-out player of 2020, Mike Cooper. The prop forward has been in impeccable form all season and has taken his game to a new level. So much of Wire's game is based on offloads and Cooper is Super League's second highest offloader in the league, getting the ball away 37 times. His one try in 2020 came in arguably his best performance of the season, a win over Hull FC, where he led a depleted forward pack to victory - one of the five times he completed eighty minutes during the season. An outstanding prop who is finally starting to get the recognition he deserves after a wonderful individual season.
Second Row - JAMES BENTLEY
James Bentley has gone from young bench player to established first-teamer this season, consistently being picked in the second row. He is only 23 but looks like a star in the making for St Helens, appearing 15 times this season and scoring three tries. Bentley's most impressive stat is his 160 marker tackles and he has proven to be an important part of the St Helens team as Kristian Woolf has looked to make St Helens a more physical and defensive team. Bentley is yet another example of St Helens finding future first team stars by promoting from within - Tommy Makinson, Jonny Lomax, Mark Percival, James Roby, Luke Thompson to name just a few from the current team. Bentley beats off competition from Ben Currie and another second rower, who makes my bench, for a spot in the starting thirteen.
Second Row - LIAM FARRELL
One of the most consistent players in Super League for the last decade or so and surely one of the best second rowers Super League has ever seen, Liam Farrell is an absolute must-have in this year's Dream Team. Six tries and five assists is very good for a second rower, and most Wigan fans would consider Farrell to be one of their main men as they won the League Leaders Shield this season. Quite simply, the Englishman is good in all departments, with a good try involvement rate, 676 tackles, making him the third most-regular tackler in the league this season and 2384 metres made - the second highest in the league. Farrell can be described as an ultimate rugby league player with very few, if any, weaknesses. It's good that he's on the Man of Steel shortlist because it's about time he got some recognition for his years and years of high-standard performances.
Loose Forward - MICHAEL LAWRENCE
Rounding off my starting thirteen is Michael Lawrence at Huddersfield, who has had a very good season at the West Yorkshire club. Lawrence may not have a try involvement to his name, but he has been absolutely essential to Huddersfield's improved defence this season. With a mountainous 749 tackles, he is Super League's top tackler for 2020, meaning that Danny Houghton's run of winning that award finally comes to an end. An extremely consistent player this season, the 30-year-old makes the team ahead of St Helens' Morgan Knowles and Hull FC's Joe Cator, who is on my bench.
Interchange - LIAM WATTS
Injuries have meant that Watts has been limited to just twelve appearances this season, but he has still been a crucial player for Castleford every time has taken to the field. Despite his lack of gametime, he has managed to make the top ten in Super League for offloads. A terrific prop who is right in the Walmsley and Cooper bracket - those three are the best in the league by a distance.
Interchange - JAMES ROBY
He turned 35 yesterday, but James Roby is still going strong and has been in fine form for St Helens this season. The Super League legend has two tries and eight assists in 2020, despite only appearing thirteen times. He averages nearly 9.5 metres per carry, a hell of a return. Roby made his 500th Saints appearance this year and good luck to them replacing him when he finally does call it a day.
Interchange - JOE CATOR
One of the most impressive young players in Super League this season has been Hull FC's Joe Cator. The loose forward is someone who has benefitted from the six again rule and the faster pace to games, becoming a real livewire since the competition restarted in August. He is only 22, but is already showing bright signs and managed an important playoff try against Warrington.
Interchange - KELEPI TANGINOA
And finally, we have Kelepi Tanginoa, who has appeared in every single Wakefield match this season and has been immense in the second row for them. Six tries is a good figure, as is his count of 1901 metres. The 26-year-old Australian was named in the official Dream Team and it was a close call between him and Bentley for who started and who was on the bench.
@ALooseWire
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