Presumably the sponsored rebrand for the breakthrough player of the season https://www.premiershiprugby.com/news/p ... -shortlist
Some very good players and worthy inclusions in there, and one rather obviously out of place option.
How is this Will Evans' breakthrough / discovery year?
He first hit 20 appearances 4 years ago, which is when he was first being talked about as a future international.
Hell, he made more appearances last year than he can this!
What I would say about Evans is that it's definitely this year that his performances have taken a step up. Were it not for injury he'd be starting at 7 for England this summer
Otherwise, some really talented players. I haven't seen much of Rodd though. I hear he's played well
I hope Barbeary's injuries are nothing serious - it's been a bit stop start with him, but he looks incredibly special
Barbeary is the obvious one that's gone from unproven promising age group talent to absolutely able to play at premiership (and above level). He has been limited in games with the injuries though.
If Evans is there then I'd throw in Malins. This is the season he's gone from bench warming at sarries to arguably England's first choice and has to be included somewhere in a stacked Bristol backline.
De Granville might also be worth considering. Has really nailed down his starting place this year.
Hassell-Collins broke through last year with that four try performance I think
I’m not sure how many strings OHC has to his bow but I could see him getting a couple of England caps (beyond these very experimental summer outings) just on the strength of his tackle breaking ability.
Every time I see him run it looks like he’s been caught and then tacklers just fall off him. Tuilagi, Nowell and Cokanasiga have that, but none of them can stay fit for more than 5 minutes.
Barbeary has had a few soft tissue injuries, which they're taking a look at. For me that's good and bad news. It's not something that can demolish his career like a massive knee injury. But at the same time if they're persistent he can become a bit of a Manu. Back on the good side, soft tissue stuff can potentially be managed with the right conditioning program.
Lloyd and Barbeary have been eye catchingly brilliant at times but only at times.
OHC is a great finisher but outside of that I think he needs to tighten up some aspect of his game.
Will Evans, yes a step up but he's looked good at Prem level for a while with his biggest issue being staying fit. Not sure how he's a Discovery now unless it's to someone that's not watched the league before.
Rodd good in the loose but not sure at the scrum. To hold down a starting position at his age is impressive though.
Steward not flashy but consistently setting a high standard and had made himself a constant fixture despite the presence of Murimurivalu who's had to play a bit part role instead.
Yep, they've all played well but Barbeary can change the course of a game in a way the others can't. For a 20 year old prop, Rodd has been very impressive.
Barbeary is a no brainer to win it. He's not played much but every minute has been mightily impressive. Steward and Rodd placed.
OHC reminds me a bit of Ben Cohen, in that he's not one for the purist but surprisingly effective. (Obvs before Cohen started to think he could sidestep).
Torn on Barbeary...I think he's had 8 appearances this season so on the one hand he's not had enough to prove his value properly, but on the other hand to have had such a big impact in only 8 appearances is also very impressive!
I'd personally just edge it to Steward for sheer consistency and reliability at such a young age. This was my first season in a while with BT sport to watch the live games and noticed steward from the beginning and he's not really let me down since. Probably hasn't been at his best last couple of games to be fair, but still a big fan.
I do think long term Barbeary is more likely to be the eye catching game changer, but the thing that has impressed me about steward is it is quite an accomplishment to be considered so reliable at such a young age. Calmness under high ball pressure at 20 is what tips it for me.
Rodd I don't feel educated enough in front row play to comment on, so I won't!
They are all deserving in one way or another depending on what criteria you choose to use That's whey I don't like these kinds of awards You could throw a bunch of other, equally deserving, names in there.
Digby wrote:Barbeary, and by some distance, even held against a list of players who were discovered this season rather than the list used in error
Not sure he was a 'discovery' tbh, he had been well touted before his debut, unlike say Steward. He - Alfie- is undoubtedly the one with the most potential in the list, but I'd like to 'discover' if he can play hooker at the top level.
Digby wrote:Barbeary, and by some distance, even held against a list of players who were discovered this season rather than the list used in error
Not sure he was a 'discovery' tbh, he had been well touted before his debut, unlike say Steward. He - Alfie- is undoubtedly the one with the most potential in the list, but I'd like to 'discover' if he can play hooker at the top level.
For me he's comfortably eligible for the list emerging into pro rugby as opposed to being a well known talented youngster, but people could very easily think differently about the how one comprises such a list. Steward would be a cert for the list almost however one constructed it, just Alfie was often the dominant player on the pitch which is just weird given how young he is and where he's played.
I don't mind if he plays hooker, nor if he's taking time to move into the role given his young age. If he's going to continue being so effective just being on the pitch seems fine. Be nice if he could play hooker and be a still more powerful version of Brits (and ideally with a better throw), it just feels a little too much to hope for in advance
