Five underappreciated performances from this weekend’s Super League action

This list includes five players whose contribution to their side over the weekend may not have been fully acknowledged, despite playing a key role whether in victory or defeat.

So without further ado, here’s our five under appreciated performers from this weekend’s Super League action.

James Harrison
Despite ending up on the wrong side of the result, James Harrison put on a strong performance in his side’s defeat to Salford. In just his second game for Warrington, Harrison showed more commitment than almost any of his team mates. He came off the bench and made an immediate impact, taking on Salford’s middles, who had been getting the better of the opening minutes. He made consistent carries, and despite being up against a fiery pack he did it with relative success throughout the game.

Jack Ormondroyd
Salford’s pack is generally criticised for lacking Super League experience, but the three props showed they can compete against anyone. Any one of Ormondroyd, Tyler Dupree and Alex Gerrard could have made this list, but for his two tries and big hits he makes it. The 6’4 prop dominated the middle of the field for seemingly the whole game, giving opposition players no time on the ball. He carried the ball hard and returned kick offs well on multiple occasions to start Salford’s sets strongly, and his impressive performance was topped off with two impressive tries.

Richie Myler
Understandably, Ash Handley has received lots of praise after he scored five tries in Leeds’ battering of Hull FC. However, the Leeds fullback himself got one try and five assists to help his side. After a controversial decision not to play Zak Hardaker at fullback, Rohan Smith’s decision was vindicated by Myler’s exceptional performance. Going forward, Myler will continue to battle for the number one spot, and with performances like Saturday’s, he makes himself impossible to drop.

Chris Hankinson
Toulouse beat Hull KR in just their third victory of the season, scoring 28 points. 16 of the points came from Hankinson, who scored a try and kicked six goals. Toulouse looked the better side from the very start, playing expansive rugby and making plenty of metres. Hankinson made the most of the scores, converting every try. He even got himself a long range try as he ran 50 metres for the team’s third try.

Jake Trueman
Trueman was back to his best as Castleford comfortably beat Huddersfield to end their six-match win streak. He was involved in multiple tries, and scored a long range try himself which used pace and strength. He controlled the game from the first minute and organised his side to dominate for large periods. His impressive performance was somewhat marred when he left the field towards the end of the game with a worrying looking injury.