St Helens, Leigh Leopards, Hull KR provide 8 players in Super League Team of the Week
From left to right: Tommy Makinson (St Helens), Lachlan Lam (Leigh Leopards) and Dean Hadley (Hull KR) all star in our Super League Team of the Week from Round 20
Round 20 of Super League brought some scintillating individual displays, making our decisions for the latest Love Rugby League Team of the Week incredibly difficult.
After an entertaining weekend of action, and debates aplenty at Love Rugby League towers, here are our picks.
No fewer than six clubs are represented this week, with St Helens, Leigh Leopards and Hull KR all featuring heavily following important wins…
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1. Josh Rourke (London Broncos)
London picked up their second win of the season with a 12-10 success at home against Catalans on Sunday afternoon, and Chorley-born Rourke scooped Sky Sports’ Player of the Match medal. In just the seventh Super League appearance of his career, the full-back made 138 metres, took 20 carries in and contributed with nine big tackles in defence.
2. Tommy Makinson (St Helens)
Makinson scored a try – and kick edseven goals – as Saints returned to winning ways with a thumping 46-6 victory at Hull FC on Saturday afternoon. Making 127 metres, when the veteran winger crossed the whitewash in the first half, he became Super League’s joint-seventh-highest try-scorer of all-time, tied on 186 with Ryan Atkins.
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3. Peta Hiku (Hull KR)
KR won 22-4 at Warrington on Friday night to move top of the Super League table, and Hiku had a massive hand in the Robins’ success against his former club. The veteran Kiwi international took in 21 carries, making 184 metres as he bust through eight tackles. And with 13 tackles to his name in defence, he went on to score the try which rubber-stamped victory late on.
4. Jake Wardle (Wigan Warriors)
Wardle is Wigan’s only inclusion in this Team of the Week following their 28-14 win against former club Huddersfield on Thursday night, and he was the man that inspired the Warriors’ comeback in that game with his full length try six minutes into the second half. The centre made a total of 137 metres, and – thanks to that break – had an average gain of 20 metres, too!
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5. Josh Charnley (Leigh Leopards)
Charnley grabbed two tries as Leigh won 20-10 at Castleford on Thursday night, and could easily have had a couple more had it not been for some uncharacteristic handling errors. Nonetheless, the Leopards winger made 88 metres in the space of 11 carries, bust through four tackles and made five tackles of his own in defence.
6. Mikey Lewis (Hull KR)
With a try and an assist to his name, Lewis scooped Sky’s Player of the Match medal following KR’s win at Warrington, and it was well deserved having run the show. Outplaying counterpart George Williams, the Robins academy product tormented the Wolves all night long with ball in hand and through his boot, executing 13 kicks in-play with 61 metres to his name.
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7. Lachlan Lam (Leigh Leopards)
PNG star Lam should have had more than the two assists he ended up with to his name following Thursday evening’s win at Castleford, but the playmaker was electric throughout with the ball in hand. He made eaking everything tick for the Leopards as usual, and was unfortunate to be brought down just short of the line twice having broken through the Tigers’ defensive line.
8. Rhys Kennedy (London Broncos)
Kennedy made a whopping 42 tackles to help London come away with their win against Catalans. Only Dragons hooker Alrix Da Costa (45) made more on the day, with Kennedy’s tally of 42 including a remarkable nine tackles on the marker, halting attacks before they’d had chance to get going. A huge performance from the Australian ace.
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9. Daryl Clark (St Helens)
Clark was immense in Saints’ win at Hull FC. The try he got early on in the second half was reward for a thoroughly impressive individual performance, ending the game with 118 metres to his name, made in the space of 14 carries. With the Red V dominant throughout, the hooker made an eye-catching seven tackle busts with 11 runs from dummy-half. Superb stuff.
10. Robbie Mulhern (Leigh Leopards)
We seem to include Mulhern in our Team of the Week virtually every Monday, but he always deserves his spot, and this week is no different! In Leigh’s gritty win at Castleford, the prop made a whopping 35 tackles, including five on the marker. The England and Ireland international also took in the most carries (15) of any Leopards player, making an impressive 142 metres.
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11. Kallum Watkins (Salford Red Devils)
Veteran Watkins was the star of the show as Salford beat former club Leeds 22-16 on Saturday evening to open up a six-point cushion between themselves and those chasing the play-off spots. The Red Devils skipper, named Sky’s Player of the Match, scored two first-half tries and made 82 metres across 16 carries. He also chipped in with 16 tackles in defence.
12. Dean Hadley (Hull KR)
Team-mate Lewis got Sky’s Player of the Match medal, but Hadley’s showing in KR’s win at Warrington was just as important – absolutely monstrous. The back-rower, who got an assist, made a ridiculous 47 tackles, missing just one! With the ball in hand, he also racked up a massive 101 metres across 15 carries. One of the most underrated forwards in Super League.
13. Ollie Partington (Salford Red Devils)
Partington made 85 metres across 18 carries in Salford’s win over Leeds, with 37 tackles to his name including eight on the marker. No one else on the field made as many tackles as the forward, who also grabbed two assists – teeing up captain Kallum Watkins twice before the first half was out. Those were his second and third assists of the season in Super League respectively.
