I'd say a year or so ago the NRL crop looked poor, but Ben Hunt has developed superbly for the Broncos (and Milford is as a 6 alongside him), and you've inexplicably missed Johnson off the list as well. Morgan at the Cowboys and Blake Austin at the Raiders have also come along in leaps and bounds. There are some weaker teams for halfback around, but the current batch is looking pretty good albeit without a dominant figure like Johns.

I seriously doubt that NRL clubs will look seriously at SL halfbacks. I'd argue it would be the very last position they'd look at importing, as its where the gap in standards between NRL and SL is most obvious. The most likely route for a SL halfback into the NRL would be via reserve grade at a club willing to give them a chance. There's no way on earth an NRL side would break the bank for a SL halfback, so it would be a gutsy (and financially risky) move for a star SL halfback to take that kind of chance.

Yes, agree with all it. I omitted Johnson cos the original comment was about Aussie halves, but of course he is a wonderful talent, and Hunt and Milford have certainly come on a long way this season.