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NRL Round Three: English players overview – how did England’s potential World Cup stars get on?

With the NRL season is in full swing, the English contingent down under are laying down their marker to be included in Shaun Wane’s final World Cup squad.

Forwards are looking fierce and backs are scoring for fun, but which players appear closer to England contention than others in the NRL at the moment?

Let’s take a look at how the six Englishmen fared in Round Three.

Tom Burgess
Tom Burgess and the South Sydney Rabbitohs finally got their first win of the season, doing it in style against their rivals the Sydney Roosters. Burgess was less involved than he has been in previous weeks for the Bunnies, playing just under 30 minutes. Even though he was only on the field for a short period his impact was still felt, making 55 hard metres and 14 tackles as Souths dominated the middle of the field against the Roosters. With all three of his appearances this season coming off the interchange bench, Burgess will be looking to push his way back into the starting 13.

Oliver Gildart
Although the Wests Tigers lost against the New Zealand Warriors, Oliver Gildart had his best game as a Tiger and showed the reason he was recruited by the NRL club. The electric centre produced massive numbers, making two line breaks, breaking free from four tackles and making a staggering 201 metres. Gildart almost produced the moment of the match as he broke clear of the Warriors defensive line beating three players with dummies and pace, his offload to winger Starford To’a should have given Gildart one of the assists of the season but Warriors full back Reece Walsh denied him the moment with an outstanding cover tackle. Gildart was arguably Wests’ best player and if he can find performances like this consistently, he could be key to the Tigers turning their season around.

Elliott Whitehead
Whitehead and the Canberra Raiders eventually ran out winners over the Gold Coast Titans in one of the best comebacks you’ll see all season. Whitehead was once again named in the loose forward position as he has been all season, putting in a veteran’s performance as he helped lead the Raiders to a 22-point comeback. Playing 60 minutes over two long stints he made 33 tackles and an impressive 98 metres from the middle of the park. Although the Raiders got the victory in the end, Whitehead and the rest of the squad need to put in performances like the second half if they are to return to the playoffs this season as they conceded too easily in the first 40 minutes and can’t continue shipping so many points.

Dominic Young
The Former Huddersfield Giant continues to impress down under as he was once again on the scoresheet for the Newcastle Knights as they lost to the Penrith Panthers. The giant winger has been in fine form for the Knights in the opening rounds of the NRL and this game was no different. Young made 123 metres from the wing and is currently averaging over 130 metres a game and has the most line breaks in the NRL this season with four. Young is proving he is not just a try scorer and is looking more like a complete winger each week, something Shaun Wane will be keeping a close eye on as the season progresses.

Luke Thompson
Although named in the eight jersey in Tuesday’s team list, Thompson once again started the game from the interchange bench as the Bulldogs were narrowly beaten by Manly. The prop forward has seen his minutes slowly reduce each week, playing 50 minutes in Round Three as he made 20 tackles and 92 metres. It seems to be a tactic deployed by Head Coach Trent Barrett to have Thompson come off the bench to have the biggest impact against tiring middle forwards. However, as seen in Super League for St Helens, Thompson is one of the rare props who can play a full game and still be as impactful. The Bulldogs only have one win this season and may start giving Thompson more minutes to help them win the battle of the forwards.

Herbie Farnworth
The way Herbie Farnworth has started the season it would be hard to see Shaun Wane not naming him at centre come the World Cup in November. The tricky centre currently leads the NRL try scoring chart with his two tries against the Cowboys taking him to four tries for the season. Although the Brisbane Broncos ended up well beaten by the North Queensland Cowboys, Farnworth still put in an incredible shift at centre, making 135 metres and breaking away from a ridiculous 10 attempted tackles. Farnworth has now become well established in a Broncos team who are showing signs of improvement after two poor seasons, and he will be crucial for England when the World Cup comes around as he is proving a handful for his opposition to deal with.

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