NRL star Herbie Farnworth has backed more Englishmen to make the switch to the NRL with The Dolphins centre also commenting on a Super League move himself.
Farnworth has established himself as one of the finest centres in the world with the 25-year-old being named in the Dally M Team of Year in both 2023 and 2024, becoming the only Englishmen to ever be named to the team twice.
He’s scored three tries through eight games in 2025 with an incredible average of 169 metres per game, including a whopping 52 tackle breaks, showcasing why he’s one of the best in the business.
It’s not uncommon for English forwards to fare well Down Under and there are a host doing so at the moment whilst the likes of the Burgess brothers and James Graham helped inspire Farnworth, however, there are far fewer backs.
Despite that, Farnworth has backed more to have the ability to come over, telling Fox Sports: “I hope so, obviously we’ve got Dom Young as well at the Roosters, so he’s another one that’s kind of come through and shown that it’s possible
“There’s a lot of great talent in England, a lot of very skilful players and I’m sure if they move over, they’ll be able to make first grade and make their mark.”
NRL star tips flurry of English talent to leave Super League in coming years
A door could be set to open to allow a large number of English players to enter the NRL as the competition looks set to introduce an 18th and 19th team in the form of a Perth-based side and a Papua New Guinean one.
Farnworth currently plays for the NRL’s most recent expansion team but he can foresee other Englishmen moving from Super League to the NRL when the player pool grows due to the addition of two more teams.
“I definitely think so because bringing in another 36 players in each squad, there’s going to be spots ready to fill in NRL,” Farnworth explained when discussing more English players making the move Down Under.
“If you’re not getting them from one of the other clubs or Queensland or NSW Cup, they’re going to be coming from England.
“I think it’s a great chance for a lot of boys in Super League to come over and show what they can do in Australia.”
With the talk of Super League players moving to the NRL, Farnworth was asked if he has any intention to move to Super League. Unlike most English players in the NRL, Farnworth never played in Super League but instead moved Down Under and came through the Brisbane system.
On a possible Super League switch, the 25-year-old said: “That’s not really on my radar at the moment.
“I enjoy going back and playing for England, but I’m loving it at the Dolphins at the moment and I’m only 25, so I’ve probably got a fair few years left before moving back to England is on the cards.”
