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.

In Hardaker cant get a start at Penrith with Whare and Hiku out - its curtains already

Whilst i agree with much of the above Gotcha unfortunately Zak has to take responsibility for the company he chooses to hang around with. As a professional sportsman Zak has a lot to learn something he does very slowly.

I cant see him coping in Aus away from his friends and family. His career could be heading for a crossroads. Personally i wish him well but wouldnt want to see him return to Leeds.

The problem he might have created for himself is that if he struggles there then maybe that other club who are interested think "hmmm.....maybe not after all"

Also on the friend issue....obviously you pick your friends and whilst he might be away from them can we say confidently he'll get his 'choice' of friends right over there. Just like a gf, with a few exceptions you usually have a 'type' of friend you like to be mates with. We hear plenty of stories of NRL players having dodgy or poor company.