I was shocked to see Gary Schofield, in last weeks RL express, rate Englands top hookers in the following order:
McIlorum, Lunt, Roby, Higham, Clark, Houghton
They're all no doubt good players but for Houghton to be 6th on the list was strange to say the least.
McIlorum has a certain confrontational side to his game but at times that seems to be at the detriment to some of the hooking basics! Higham is having somewhat of a swansong in his careers twilight but Houghton has consistently outperformed both at the basics over the last few seasons.
Lunts a great player who's star is on the rise, Clarke likewise whilst Roby seems to be on somewhat of a decline. For me Houghtons kicking game and work rate in defense mark him out from the others.
Still wouldn't take any of them over Aiton