Ranking Super League’s outstanding 9 centres this season after bold Jake Wardle claims
From left to right: Peta Hiku (Hull KR), Jake Wardle (Wigan) and Nene Macdonald (Salford) in action
Jake Wardle grabbed the headlines again on Thursday evening after another eye-catching moment in a Wigan Warriors shirt.
With the reigning Super League champions toiling and trailing Huddersfield 8-0, the Warriors needed a huge moment. Wardle duly provided it with a long-range try that proved to be the catalyst for Wigan to surge to victory in the end.
And Wardle was lavished with praise post-match. Luke Robinson declared Wardle the best English centre in Super League while England captain George Williams went one step further, telling Sky Sports that Wardle was ‘the elite centre’ in the league.
Is Williams right? Here’s our rundown of Super League’s standout centres as the season approaches its final stretch..
9. Kevin Naiqama
The Huddersfield Giants man might be 35 but he is like a fine wine. Naiqama is in the twilight years of his career but he’s still got it.
A former captain of Fiji, Naiqama made his first-grade debut back in 2010 and has since made more than 250 appearances for club and country. He won three consecutive Super League titles in his three seasons with St Helens between 2019 and 2021 as well as winning the Challenge Cup in 2021. He has represented his beloved Fiji in the last three World Cups.
8. Adam Keighran
Keighran has many qualities to his game and is a sound goal-kicker. The 27-year-old was impressive in his debut season with Catalans Dragons in 2023 and he has built on that following his move to Wigan Warriors ahead of this season.
The Australian has developed into an aggressive defender on the edge and he provides a strike to Wigan’s attack. It’d be fair to say he’s one of the most accurate goal-kickers in the comp, too.
7. Ricky Leutele
Leutele has been one of the premiere centres in Super League for several years now, having first made the move over to the northern hemisphere game in 2019 with Toronto Wolfpack, scoring 20 tries in 35 games for the Canadian club.
The former Samoa international scored 20 tries in 37 games for Huddersfield between 2021 and 2022 and moved to Leigh Leopards ahead of last season, making 39 appearances for the Leopards thus far. He is an excellent attacking centre who always causes plenty of problems for the opposition.
6. Sam Wood
You could argue that Wood’s move to Castleford has been the best thing for his career. He has really come into his own at the Tigers this year, so much so that he earned his international debut for England in their mid-season win over France in Toulouse. The towering centre was in the form of his career before suffering a season-ending injury, and has quickly become a fan’s favourite at the Jungle.
5. Toby King
It’s undoubted that King is one of Super League’s top centres: and that’s evident by the fact he is currently involved in Shaun Wane’s England set-up.
King has scored 60 tries in 156 appearances for Warrington since making his first-team debut back in 2014. He’s also had loan spells with Huddersfield and Wigan, winning the Super League Grand Final with the latter in 2023. King, who was named in the Super League Dream Team in 2020, has represented both England and Ireland on the international stage.
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4. Tim Lafai
How good has Lafai been since he came to Super League? The Samoa international was working on a construction site prior to joining Salford in 2022, and his signing has proven to be a masterstroke by the Red Devils. Lafai, who was named in the Super League Dream Team in 2022, was part of the Samoa side that reached the World Cup final that year. A sensational centre who busts tackles and makes clean breaks for fun.
3. Peta Hiku
Hiku came under criticism at the start of his Hull KR career playing in the fullback role but he soon moved into his natural role of centre: and it’s safe to say he has flourished since then and has become one of the elite centres in the competition. A 16-time New Zealand international, Hiku is now one of Hull KR’s key players and consistently racks up the metres in every game he plays.
2. Nene Macdonald
Salford have arguably the best centre pairing in Super League with Macdonald and Lafai at their disposal. Like Lafai, Macdonald has proven to be a masterstroke of a pick-up from Paul Rowley’s side. The Papua New Guinea international, who has represented his country in the last three World Cups, is one of Super League’s top metre makers this season and is scoring tries like they’re going out of fashion.
1. Jake Wardle
Despite the previous eight centres being mentioned, it is Wardle who takes the top spot in our ranking of Super League’s greatest centres. The best way of describing Wardle would be that he is just a natural rugby league player, and an out and out centre. The Wigan star ticks all the boxes when it comes to ability: a tough defender who doesn’t let much past him, can create something out of nothing, possesses a lethal sidestep and has power to go with his pace.
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