Five ones to watch for England at the World Cup
The excitement is building for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup and we have named our ones to watch for England at the tournament.
England head coach Wayne Bennett named his 24-man Three Lions squad last Monday and it is full of quality talent.
And it was tough for us at Love Rugby League to pick out the five players to look out for at the World Cup this autumn.
GARETH WIDDOP (ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS)
The NRL star has been England’s first-choice half-back for quite a few years now and it is no surprising seeing as he was named the Dally M Half-Back of the Year in 2017.
Widdop has a blinder of a season for the Dragons, scoring 10 tries and kicking 75 goals in 21 games. He has grabbed 18 assists and made 11 line breaks this season.
JAMES GRAHAM (CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS)
The ex-St Helens star will move to St George Illawarra Dragons ahead of the 2018 campaign and the Bulldogs will surely miss the hard-running front-rower in years to come.
He has got a great engine in both attack and defence. Graham has made 293 carries in 20 games, also making 658 tackles. He is a good talker as well which will surely benefit England.
SEAN O’LOUGHLIN (WIGAN WARRIORS)
The 34-years-old Warriors captain had a great season in Super League, making 22 appearances. He is a great leader and will do a fine job of skippering England at the tournament because he just makes a difference when he is on the field.
He has made 231 carries, grabbed seven assists, scored three times, made 530 tackles, bust 17 tackles and made 35 offloads in Super League this season and is a great ball-handling forward to have in the team.
JOSH HODGSON (CANBERRA RAIDERS)
It was such a shock move when Hodgson moved to the Raiders from Hull KR ahead of the 2015 season but what a transfer it has proved to be, with him now being regarded as one of the best hookers in the world.
Hodgson has had another fantastic year. He gets through a lot of work in defence, having made 818 tackles in 23 NRL games this season while making 1,152 metres going forward.
SAM BURGESS (SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS)
It may not have been the best year for the Rabbitohs but it was another solid season from Burgess and will prove to be a handful for defences at the World Cup.
He is one of the best all-rounds in the game. He scored five tries in 21 appearances in 2017, also making 2,988 metres from 339 carries as well as 703 tackles.
Do you agree with our ones to watch or should another player be in the list instead? Let us know in the comments below.