Because with very few exceptions players from the UK make great Ron Massey Cup players.
e.g Ryan Sutton, paying him way more than his talent level.
I hope Gus has learned his lessons. By never pay big money for Englishman again.
*Unless they are proven in the NRL.
This is a myth. It’s a player by player basis.
Are they good due to their work ethic or because of the extra space/defensive mindset of the esl?
Yes, many fail. More in the sense they don’t add big value as opposed to playing well.
But let’s look at the facts.
Possibly best Center in the NRL- English
Possibly best winger in the NRL- English
John Bateman - 2nd rower of the year in his first season
Burgess brothers. Sam would make the best nrl team of the decade
Gareth Ellis - tigers legend
Elliott whitehead - raiders legend
George Williams- one of the best halves in the nrl when here
Adrian Morley - roosters legend
Josh Hodgson- top 3 nrl hooker upon arrival until 2/3 years ago
And let’s not forget the kennels favourite ever bulldog forward - James Graham !
Not sure what else England needs to do to convince ppl. It’s a relatively big pool of players.
There are guns there that would be earmarked for future nrl success
Everyone’s chasing Jack welsby for example
PS. Let’s not forget St Helen’s beat Penrith this year yo.
You can argue they weren’t cooked sure, but you can’t say they didn’t want the world title because they ass was in tears after the game.
And undercooked or not u can’t tell me Penrith lose to a NSW cup team ever