To be fair, Hodgson dominated Cameron Smith. I couldnt split Hodgson or Williams as MOM.

He does come up with a couple of big plays in a game, usually a kick out of dummy half or a ball steal, but his basic play is poor. He can't pass off the floor and his passing range is poor, and he's an average defender at best.
The fact that he can be a star over there makes you wonder how good the likes of Roby, Clark, and Houghton would be as they're all better than Hodgson, even now.

They love Hodgson in the media over there. I watched a clip earlier where Fittler and co we’re saying he’s as influential, if not more so, than Cameron Smith. I watch him and there might be a couple of good kicks here and there or a ball steal but there will always be numerous examples of him hogging the ball and not getting quick ball to his halves, a terrible grubber to nobody near the line or an example of him running round like a headless chicken.

I wonder if his rep has been bulled up by the fact that hooker isn’t really a position of strength in the game down under? They’ve had Smith and not a great deal more than that for a while. The likes of Cook and Friend are good players but I wouldn’t have them in the class of a Roby in his pomp. There are a couple of good young hookers coming through now but it’s not been their strongest position in depth/quality terms for a long time. As pointed out if they think Hodgson is great, they’d be thrilled with Clark or Paul McShane and guys over the years like Roby, Cunningham or Terry Newton would’ve come been legends down under.

I never saw Hodgson as a stand out over here TBH in the same way I do the likes of Roby or Clarke, so his success seems strange

He was in a poor team though, and to be fair to him he has been better that either of those two in the England/GB sides.

Cook is class

I agree. I’d still have a prime James Roby over him but he is a good player. The point I’m getting at is that the Aussies don’t have an endless amount of world class hookers to call on, like they do in some other positions and they’ve not had that for a good while. They haven’t needed it with having one of the best ever in place for 10+ years but I just wonder if Hodgson is standing out as one of the better ones behind him because the overall standard isn’t that high. I’m struggling to think of many other reasons for his billing tbh.

he just does things right and the Aussies love that a bit like Smith

Does he though? His long kicking out of dummy half is good, but his distribution is slow, he can't pass very wide of the ruck and his defence is average.

No he hasn't. He's had one half decent game. Whenever he's started before either of those two he's been rubbish and the team massively improved when he goes off.

his defence is very good he was everywhere yesterday, his distribution is fine otherwise his forwards wouldnt be making the yards like they are as they would be on the back foot, if he was poor in these areas he wouldnt be starting in the NRL as defence is key over there

More missed tackles than anyone in the NRL with an 82% tackle efficiency is average at best.

ah, stats can be easily made to make any argument, now give me tackles against them all, might show a different story as he has a great engine and is everywhere, for example Tim Grant has a percentage of near 94 percent but did 143 tackles in the season, so your saying hes a better defender? didnt think so

Alright then, it's his third game, I stand corrected.

Well, here's a fact for you.

Like many others, I have got more important things to bother about in the present situation than just bothering about watching overrated aussie rugby games.

Perhaps that's why I was unaware that it was Williams third game.

.......ok

Aussie rugby games are anything but overrated.

Is that not the same for all players? In Australia if you don't play well you are not in the team.

bingo, they dont tolerate garbage

They are the exact opposite to be truthful. I don’t understand some peoples menality towards it. It is not a bad thing that they are superior and have a better comp than us. It is just the way it is, in this country we have a far better football league than they do in Australia because its our national sport like rl is theres (its not actually I don’t think but not far off).Not sure why there is an obsession with us wanting to be as good as the NRL competition. Soon as we all realise that SL will never be as good we can move on and accept and enjoy our game for what it is then also enjoy the Aussie stuff for what it is and stop the comparisons of everything.

The same thinking is also in Football, where many supporters think that every foreign football player, especially from Brazil is world class when in reality, many are no better than many of the good young talented players from within the British Isles are just as good, but are no longer getting the same chance.

And if Aussie players are so good, why do the clubs have to recruit players from not only our country, but also Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga.

Because they are cheaper, due to the not being as good...

Lots of humble pie concerning George

I was a GW fan however, he didn’t develop as much as I had hoped particularly his one dimensional kicking game.
This could be more to do with our coaching as much as GW not being sufficiently self motivated

Im delighted George is doing well and the change of scenery has obviously done him good but im not going to pretend for the last 12 months or so here he wasn't completely innefective. His tackling was still ok but as far as playmaking went. Zero