Round 2: Super League Team of the Week
Love Rugby League have selected their team of the week from round two of the Betfred Super League.
Ben Barba (St Helens)
The 28-year-old is wanted back at Cronulla Sharks and it doesn’t take a genius to know why. He has been the best player in the league in the first two rounds. Barba looks exciting every time he had the ball, busting 11 tackles out of 14 carries.
Liam Marshall (Wigan Warriors)
The 21-year-old has started the season in fine form. He scored two tries against Salford in the opening round and he scored another two tries against Hull FC in Wollongong. He has pace to burn and has certainly got a bright future the game.
Bill Tupou (Wakefield Trinity)
The 27-year-old has gone under the radar at Wakefield in recent years but he is a cracking player to watch. He played a key role in Trinity’s narrow win over Salford. Tupou made 18 tacles, three tackle busts and made 137 metres out of 17 carries. A solid display.
Jimmy Keinhorst (Leeds Rhinos)
The Germany international has been in and out of the Rhinos side for quite a while now but he certainly gave coach Brian McDermott something to think about in terms of his team selection in future. The 27-year-old scored a hat-trick for Leeds aganst Hull KR as well as making 32 tackles.
Ryan Hall (Leeds Rhinos)
The 30-year-old had a fine World Cup campaign and he has carried that form into the new season with Leeds. He had a great game against Warrington Wolves in the season opener and played a big part Leeds’ win over Hull KR at Elland Road. He made 169 metres from 16 carries, busting eight tackles.
Jordan Rankin (Huddersfield Giants)
The 26-year-old helped Huddersfield beat Warrington Wolves at home on Thursday. He led the Giants around the park really well alongside Danny Brough. Rankin’s all-round game was impressive. He made 20 tackles, four tackle busts, three attacking kicks and a clean break.
George Williams (Wigan Warriors)
The England international picked up the man of the match award in Wigan’s historic win over Hull FC in Wollongong and rightly so. The 23-year-old bust four tackles and made 123 metres from 15 carries. A solid defender, too, making 19 tackles.
Craig Kopczak (Salford Red Devils)
The 31-year-old was unfortunate to be on the losing side as the Red Devils lost at Wakefield on Friday. He always works hard and was no different in round two, with the Wales ace making 27 tackles and three tackle busts from eight drives.
Danny Walker (Widnes Vikings)
The 18-year-old was first class for Widnes on Sunday and was unfortunate to be on the losing side at Castleford. He made a staggering 51 tackles even took in seven drives, averaging 9.86 metres on average. Walker also grabbed an assist.
Rémi Casty (Catalans Dragons)
The France star was Catalans’ best player in their defeat to St Helens on Saturday. The 33-year-old made 81 metres from 10 drives in and bust four tackles. He also made 31 tackles which is a really good effort for a front-rower.
Oliver Holmes (Castleford Tigers)
The 25-year-old is a very underrated player in Super League and put in a brilliant shift in Castleford’s win over Widnes at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle on Sunday. Holmes made 43 tackles and took 12 drives in.
Sika Manu (Hull FC)
The Tonga captain worked his socks off for Hull FC in their clash with Wigan Warriors in New South Wales. The 31-year-old made 27 tackles and 19 carries in the game, racking up 149 metres.
Rob Mulhern (Hull KR)
The 23-year-old had a blinder of a game against his former club Leeds Rhinos on Thursday. He played in the front-row but we need to put him in our team of the week and we are placing him in the loose forward role. He made 41 tackles and took in 27 drives. What an effort.
Special mentions must go to Saints’ Danny Richardson, Trinity’s Scott Grix, Hull FC’s Scott Taylor & Chris Atkin, Wigan’s Joel Tomkins and Salford’s Josh Jones who just missed out on selection in our latest team of the week.
What do you think of our team of the week? Should someone else be in this list? Let us know in the comments below.