Is Adam Obrien not a full time league player ? I dont think ive ever seen Cameron Smith or Robbie Farrah who are both 80min men asking for a week off . Even after origin they usually back up on the weekend.

If the aim was to scientifically prove that Adam O'brien is not in the same league as Smith and Farah then congratulations are due.

I think he is. AOB is a cracking player and if I could see a season video of CS or RF when they were just starting out then I don't reckon they would have looked much better. Whether he can reach the heights they reached in seasons to come is of course a different question, but I genuinely don't see any reason why he couldn't. Long way to go, but why not?

I'd like to see how many minutes those two played week in week out at the age of 21. Also the amount of cheap shots O'brien has taken this year is a joke. Again, twice yesterday he got smashed in the back well after he passed it.

Who said anything about when Smith and Farah were starting out? They are seasoned NRL stars and as of right now O'brien (and Lowes) have demonstrated he doesn't have the physical maturity and fitness to play 80 minutes a week in the Championship. Quite why JL has insisted on testing this theory to the outer limits of the lad's form is a question more than one has asked on here for months. It's been a very stupid thing to do.

He has done a similar thing with the starting props despite being out enthused/muscled in the opening quarter of a number of recent games.

Me. And just now, you.

But they weren't always.