Ranked: Top three half-back partnerships in Super League

The Super League season is fully up and running now, and we have seen plenty of drama already!

The early rounds were marred with controversy following the changed enforcement of the laws around head contacts, as well as issues with the Match Review Panel; however, following an early change things appear to have calmed down on that front.

Whilst these threatened to derail the momentum built through the off-season, the quality on the pitch has more than entertained fans, and we are yet again seeing a really competitive league.

We may only be seven rounds into the season, but we already have a clear divide in the competition with the top five all boasting five or six wins. Catalans top the pile with 12 points before a group of Warrington, Wigan, Hull KR and St Helens sit on ten.

Salford, Huddersfield and Leeds all sit on eight points with four wins from seven before a gulf to Leigh Leopards, Hull FC and Castleford with their sole wins, whilst winless London Broncos prop up the table.

The overall tightness of the league is largely due to all the teams now having exceptional squads, and more often than not it’s the half-back partnerships that drive their team forwards; but which ones stand out above the rest?

With that in mind, here are our top three half-back pairings so far this season.

Top three half-back partnerships in Super League

Brodie Croft and Matt Frawley 

The only fully new pairing on our list. Croft and Frawley both joined the Leeds Rhinos this off-season as part of their new look spine, and they have started to form a nice partnership at their new club. Croft has carried over his fast approach that worked so well for him at Salford, but Frawley is the organiser outside him he needs to flourish. They also have a lot of the load taken off of them by Cam Smith and Rhyse Martin too, which helps them really flourish. Croft has also notched a league-high nine assists this season.

Jonny Lomax and Lewis Dodd

The St Helens pair are carrying on their strong partnership from last year. Newly appointed skipper Lomax is looking as solid as ever, and Dodd outside of him is really growing into the role too. The pair are fairly similar in terms of their ball-playing skills, but Dodd’s kicking game counters Lomax’s ability to create a chance out of nothing really nicely. Lomax has also grabbed himself six assists this campaign.

Harry Smith and Bevan French

The pair that guided Wigan to the title last season are yet again impressing. Smith has come on leaps and bounds over the past year, and his kicking game in particular is exceptional. Similarly to Lomax and Dodd, Smith’s kicking game balances out nicely with the maverick style of Bevan French. The current reigning Man of Steel shifted into the halves last season, and it seems to have unlocked a new dynamic to his game. His keen eye for the line he had as a winger has quickly allowed him to become a chance creator too, and his link with Jai Field behind him is often what unlocks opposition defenders.