Prince among thin field of halfbacks!

[DIEHARD]

Prince among thin field of halfbacks



THERE is a century-old adage that you need a match-winning halfback to have any chance of winning a rugby league premiership.

If that is the case, the NRL grand final this season should be contested between the Gold Coast Titans and Sydney Roosters.

Moving into the finals, the NRL will offer up two exceptional halfbacks in Scott Prince and Mitchell Pearce.

Below them there appears to be a chasing field of skilled yet modest No. 7s that six other teams will pin their premiership hopes on in September.

Former Balmain and New Zealand halfback Gary Freeman yesterday stuck his chin out and courageously rated the halfbacks.

He understandably had Prince first ahead of Pearce and then, surprisingly, Penrith's Luke Walsh.

They were followed, in order, by Ben Hornby (St George Illawarra), Chris Sandow (Souths), Peter Wallace (Brisbane), Robert Lui (Wests Tigers), Brett Seymour (Warriors), Trent Hodkinson (Manly), Josh McCrone (Canberra) and Jeff Robson (Parramatta).

Asked if there was a shallow depth in the halfback ranks this year because Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston would not be playing in September, former Australian halfback Greg Alexander said: "I think there are a lot of halfbacks at a similar level.

"A lot of them have plenty of good things in their game but are also lacking in other areas. Apart from a couple of standouts, the difference between the others is very little.

"We should remember the two top halfbacks aren't there.

"And in a few cases, the chief playmakers at clubs are the five-eighths."

Freeman rated Prince an eight out of 10 and Pearce a 7 1/2 out of 10.

Co-incidentally, Prince and Pearce go head to head on Monday night at the SFS. But Prince will enter the finals as the standout halfback.

"The halfback issue is more about the different styles they all play and the different styles each coach wants," Freeman said.

"I think a lot of coaches move young halfbacks, which doesn't help their development. They come through as a halfback then are thrown into hooker. It doesn't help."

Freeman offered a few observations about the current batch of halfbacks.

"Scott Prince has an all-round game," Freeman said. "You can tell he is in total control of his team. At other clubs, other players like the lock or five-eighth help out. But Prince is in charge at the Titans.

"Mitchell Pearce has a great running game and a tremendous kicking game. I would like to see him take on the line a little more.

"Chris Sandow has only played about 30 games. He can do anything. How much better can he get?

"Luke Walsh has a great kicking game and a great short passing game. He can put blokes through holes.

"Josh McCrone is super quick.

"Jeff Robson finds it hard because there are so many others at Parramatta who can dominate, like Jarryd Hayne and Feleti Mateo.

"Robert Lui has really stood up over the past few weeks since he came back from injury. I think he will explode in the finals."

Walsh and Sandow will clash tonight at CUA Stadium. Panthers half Walsh has enjoyed enormous success this year with 26 try assists from his kicking game, the best in the NRL.

Robson and Lui clash on Sunday at a sold-out Parramatta Stadium.

Lui produced his finest performance of the season so far in Wests Tigers' 43-18 win over Penrith last Sunday at Campbelltown.

"I know I am capable of being the first-grade halfback," Lui said.

Hodkinson and Seymour will meet at Brookvale tomorrow afternoon in another vitally important game.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au

[DIEHARD]

We got the best halfback in the NRL who can win us the comp!

And it makes this Monday's duel with Pearce all the more exciting. #1 v #2!

[Coaster]

Amazing stats for Prince, for a season which i think we could all agree has been ordinary for him.

This last part of the season, could be where he really lights up.

Look out!!

[Steelers]

http://forum.titans.com.au/showthread.php?t=17811

[dee13]

Imagine how good Scotty would be if he stopped trying to milk penalties by pretending to be injured and just got on with playing hard.

Its the one thing that pi*ses me off with Scotts game.

[Coaster]

Imagine how good Scotty would be if he stopped trying to milk penalties by pretending to be injured and just got on with playing hard.

Its the one thing that pi*ses me off with Scotts game.

I have to agree to be honest. I understand his reasoning but it seems to happen way too often.

[dee13]

I have to agree to be honest. I understand his reasoning but it seems to happen way too often.

Glad someone else is seeing it as well. I hate opposition teams doing it so why would I approve of our team doing it. If you want to do that sort of crap, take up wrestling or soccer.

[Boofhead]

Prince on game to lead Titans to final
Luke Turgeon | August 23rd, 2010



TITANS spiritual leader Chris 'Choppy' Close believes resurgent skipper Scott Prince has proved he is the man to lead the Gold Coast all the way to the grand final after rediscovering his dominant best.

The form halfback of the competition, Prince has put a sluggish start to the season behind him with sensational performances against the Eels and Cowboys over the past fortnight as the club bears down on its second-consecutive finals berth.

"To be a good leader, the first thing you have to do is be prepared to roll your sleeves up and get involved yourself," said Close.

"At the moment that is what Scotty is doing.

"There has probably been times where he has tried to lead from afar but that doesn't work.

"It doesn't give confidence to the players and they don't want to follow you but at this point in time, his leadership is spot on."

Prince will need to again step up against the Roosters tonight in Sydney as he not only seeks to secure a top four finish for his team but ensure a return to the Test arena remains on the cards at the end of the season.

With doubts over North Queensland's Johnathan Thurston, who is sidelined with foot and shoulder injuries, Prince is well placed to make a play for the Kangaroos No.7 jumper.

But he is facing direct competition from Roosters halves Mitchell Pearce and even Todd Carney, who was tossed up as a possible bolter by former Australian halfback Andrew Johns at the weekend.

Maroons great Close believes Prince has returned to the scintillating style that saw him win the last of his representative jerseys for Queensland and Australia in 2008.

"There are a couple of things that have happened," said Close.

"His kicking game has become spot on and he is running the ball, which creates a lot of doubt in the minds of the opposition.

"With everything that has happened to him this year, there have been some major distractions off the field and it is a credit to him that he has got himself into the position he has to be leading the team the way he is."

As part of his role with the Titans, foundation Gold Coast Giants player Close is the man charged with bringing a sense of pride and history to the fresh NRL franchise.

He is a fixture in the dressing sheds before every game, using his passion to fire up players, instilling confidence and offering words of wisdom.

"I was involved with the team at this stage last year and I felt that they needed to improve by about 25 per cent to be a grand final contender," said Close.

He said this year he believed they could win the competition.

http://www.goldcoast.com.au