Quote: sergeant pepper "This isn't necessarily aimed at you, but I'm really confused by the apathy that gets directed towards Byrne by some of our fans?
Being a good prop is not somewhere in the lad. He's a good prop now.
He's 22 and has played more games, at his age, than other more established props had at the same point in their careers. I look at Walmsley, the best prop in a league, and when you compare the two at the age Byrne is - Byrne is well ahead of him in regards to SL games played and what they've achieved.
I'd pick Byrne over any of the youngsters in our squad. He'll improve massively, just like guys like Dudson, Mossop and Mulhern did but he's still a good option (for his age) now.'"
I always sense most people like Byrne bar the odd one or two. The sort who loved ripping in to him after the Hull cup game last season for one poor performance, even though for the first couple of months of the season he’d been probably our best prop.
I do agree with Wane here though. I watch Byrne and sometimes I just wish he’d let the handbrake go and really push himself to the limit. It’s not a criticism but more of a compliment, that whilst he’s still a good player as is, I think he’s got so much more in him. It’s all about mentality for these lads like Byrne and Havard. They have advantages physically that somebody like Partington doesn’t but do they have the drive and the fire to push on? One thing is for sure, Wane and Peet will do their upmost to drag it from them.