Because his game is based on tackle busts, quick play the balls and stopping try's. This is much easier when you are one of the bigger and stronger players. In the NRL he is not. All those blokes you mention are quicker and or more skillful with the ball than Hardaker.

Same applies if he's going to be a centre or winger. The blokes (and they are few) in those positions who are smaller than Zak are again much quicker and more skilful.

I certainly have a long held opinion of Hardaker's skills and deficiencies which I have consistently voiced with very few agreeing with me at the time. In fact when I suggested there were several fullbacks in SL who were better on attack than Hardaker (eg Shaul, Dorn & Hanbury) this was treated with scorn by you and most others who thought ZH could walk on water.

Towards the end of last season and certainly this year most posters have become well aware not just of Hardaker's lack of form but that his attacking play lacks the basic skills. Which is exactly what I had been saying for several seasons. Now this is not about an agenda but is more about rugby acumen being upheld.

If Hardaker and the Panthers have patience I think he can go well in the NRL. He's way too lightweight ATM (he seriously looks underweight up against NRL players), and with a full off season would bulk up considerably. Part of his lack of strength though may come from d*cking around for most of the year at Leeds. He didn't look physically short against NZ last year, who as a group are bigger than any NRL side.

The other problem is his positioning and general reading of the game is way off. He'd be best playing reserve grade for the rest of this year to work on those things, then the off-season to get ready for next year.

You're just embarrassing yourself by that last line as you know most admitted he had work to do in attack.



His form in the second half of last year got him MOS.

Granted he's not as good as SOME make out, but he's definitely better than the low opinion you have of him that you've felt obliged to stick to from the time you thought BJB was a better option at FB than him.

1. At his best (2015) he was the best full back in Super league by far , his defensive reads , taking of high balls , positioning and one on one and try saving last ditch tackling was way ahead of any other full back .

2. Whilst i agree his attacking skills could improve , the structure of the way Leeds played was not the same as such as Wigan and others , we do not have a set pattern of bringing the full back into the line so that will always limit whoever plays there for Leeds .

3. Unfortunatly his upbringing and background and mentality means he does not think or act like many other people off the pitch and whilst some may manage to change he does not seem to be able to and may finish up the same as Hock and Chase .

4. It is very doubtful he will get a full time gig in Oz

5. That leaves the option of coming back to Leeds who may not want to put up with his off field issues anymore even if he can get back to his best or another club paying a small fee or part exchange deal and taking a chance on him . The latter would be the most likely to me as there is a history of that in Super league

6. Sutty has a long way to go to prove he is anywhere near being the answer to full back .

7. The standard in Super league this year means Leeds need to keep Chuck and get a quality stand off and full back one of which kicks goals to have every chance of being top of the pile next year

I would agree with this - he has the ability to be a starter in the NRL - maybe time in lower grade will also address his ego i.e. he isn't quite as good as he thinks he is. He was a big fish in a small pond now he is the opposite.

You can make these last ditch tackles against the slower less physical players in SL, the NRL is a whole different ball game.

I wouldn't be so quick to write off Golding in terms of his physique either. He's 18. The club have a very conservative approach to allowing young players - and in particular young backs - to spend too long in the weight room.

As he gets older, he'll be allowed to put more time into developing his body. Judge him at the end of next season when he's had a full year out of playing age group rugby out on loan or DR somewhere.

I know very little of what's been going on in Hardaker's private life or all the reasons for his mid season move, but I do sea a guy running away from something rather than running to the NRL. If he'd reached a point where he was fully motivated to challenge himself, if he had the mentality to approach it correctly and if he had a full pre-season to work with s club commited to signing him, the NRL would still be a huge challenge.
With that in mind I have no idea why Penrith signed him. Like so many small town BDL's Hardaker 's biggest problem is Hardaker. All the talent in the world will eventually be useless if all that sits between the ears is a peanut with no impulse control.

This. Except Hardakers issues were as a direct result of the mates he hanged around with, mates he is now away from. He has to accept some of the responsibility of that, including the actions of his the girlfriend, as he should have ended it sooner, but putting distance away from it all is his own way of dealing with it. He is nowhere near the lad made out from fickle talking rubbish supporters, absolutely nowhere near, but there is some elements of truth to the positions he has got himself into.

I know the club he had agreed to go with originally in the NRL still want him for next season, but I also know at the moment he is happy with what is happening at Penrith, and they are with him. I would love him back at Leeds, as there is nobody in Super League who comes close to him at fullback, but I fully expect him to be in Australia at least for next year.

Meanwhile, next week on Jackanory...

So who's the club who want him?

Penrith is a strange set up - they have a half back playing hooker, a second row forward playing stand off and a half back with no running game and a last tackle option that consists of kicking it as high as he can and a full back with a positional sense of Stevie Wonder!!

Seems you get picked there if your father was an ex NRL player!!

Cleary has bags of potential. The plan is for Moylan to move to 6, which is why they looked at Hardaker for this year, as Cartwright is way too exposed at 6. Sadly Hardaker is nowhere near ready to be a starting NRL full back, so they'll probably just plough on as they are for the rest of the year. As I said, what hardaker ought to do is spend the rest of this year learning the game in reserve grade, then have a full off season to bulk up and get himself physically more ready. He looked less physically up for the NRL than a 20-year old on his debut in the same game (who also read plays better).

Cleary might have bags of potential - if he has he is hiding it very well.

The last two games I have seen his last tackle option is a high kick - no running threat, no really passing threat and virtually no short kicking game - not sure what he has to offer.

I can see why they want to move Moylan - his body movement to create the space for his pass for the first try in the second half was sublime. His defensive positioning is terrible for a SOO starter.