Quote: BrisbaneRhino "I was at the Broncos-Titans game and Sargison was terrible in the first half, and got taken off immediately after dropping a pass that led to a try (classically looking at the tacklers not the ball). That wasn't long after a really poor effort tackling Boyd where he just seemed to let him go. He came back on later and was clearly told to dig in, as he had a fair few runs from acting half. The good news for Sargison is that the Titans don't have a lot of strength in depth, so he'll get more chances. The bad news is that with the signing of Copley, he won't be in the team at all if everyone is fit.
Like I said about Burgess, Eden and Hardaker, the sheer physicality of backs in the NRL is miles ahead of SL. It took Burgess most of the year to adjust, Eden looked like a wet lettuce throughout, as did Hardaker, and now Sargison. I'm pretty sure a 2015 (or 2017) Hardaker would have done better, but in his first appearance for the Panthers one of the commentators reckoned he was 10 kg too light, and that's the way he played. Being pushed off by one of the smallest players around, Ben Barba, just about summed up his defensive efforts.
That's why England need to pick backs who are either big or at least really enjoy the tough stuff. Ideally both.'"
You can probably add Tomkins to that list as well. His footwork and ball skills helped him to at least make a go of it in the NRL, but it terms of winning collisions he never stood a chance. Some Wigan fans might object, but ultimately his time over there was a failure.
If Joe Wardle wants to have any sort of career over there, he'll move into the second row as soon as he can.