There is no doubt that the pinnacle of quality in the sport of rugby league rests squarely on Australian soil. If you want to see elite-level rugby league, NRL is your best bet. It attracts top talent from around the world and has a healthy core of the best homegrown players as well.
But if any league can come close to the NRL in terms of quality and popularity, it has to be the Super League. As the premier competition for rugby league clubs in the Northern Hemisphere, it is unrivalled in that geographical region.
Past Australian Legends at Super League
While most Aussies would prefer a spot in an NRL squad, many players have headed across to the UK to play in the Super League. In any given season, you can find up to 50 or more players of Australian origin in Super League.
In contrast, the number of Brits in the NRL is probably close to the 15-20 mark, which is not a bad number given the distance between the two countries. Besides, the NRL has a huge recruiting pool around it, in New Zealand as well as the Pacific Islands.
Australian players who have in the past lit up the super league include legends like winger Pat Richards (Wigan Warriors and Catalan Dragons), centre Jamie Lyons (St Helens), full-back Luke Dorn (London Broncos), and loose-forward Adrian Vowles (Castleford Tigers).
The Best out of the Current Crop in 2019
There are dozens of players with Australian roots and heritage currently playing among the 12 teams that comprise the Super League. Of these, here are the five who can lay a legitimate claim to being among the best in the league. The list includes a couple of players who have been included in the recently compiled Super League official Dream Team for the 2019 season.
Blake Austin
The 28-year-old stand-off started playing for the Warrington Wolves in 2019. He is a new arrival to the Super League, having transferred from the Canberra Raiders after three years there. He came to England with eight years of experience in the NRL, starting with the Penrith Panthers in 2011.
Though he is an Australian citizen born in New South Wales, Austin has English roots as well. While that is quite commonplace, his international career is a bit bizarre. Early in his career, Austin was invited to play for the Portuguese national team despite having no connections with that nation. He played with them for five years from 2007-12, because the national coach was a friend of his father.
Due to his stellar performance in the Super League, Austin was recently selected by the English setup for their 27-man elite performance squad. He was also picked for the Dream Team in 2019.
Ryan Morgan
With a reputation as a solid and dependable centre, this 29-year-old NSW native is currently under contract with the league-leading St Helens team. Along with Wigan, his team are 3/1 favourites to win the Challenge Cup this season. If you are interested in Rugby free bets involving St Helens, they are also at 5/6 to win the Super League Grand Final, with Wigan trailing in that market at 5/2, and Warrington at 7/1.
Moving things closer to the present in the Championship, the latest markets include the league games York Vs Featherstone and Toronto Vs Toulouse. The underdog in the first match up is Featherstone with odds of 11/8, with a draw having a 28/1 chance. In the second game, it is an advantage for the French, as they are 4/1 to win, with the home side only having 2/8.
But Morgan will not be a part of any of that excitement since his current team is the bottom-placed London Broncos. He was loaned to the newly-promoted club at the start of this season. Their lack of performance is not surprising considering the fact that they have lacked depth for a while. Morgan has prior experience at NRL, having played for the Parramatta Eels, who recently had a thumping win the Brisbane Broncos.
Jackson Hastings
The young 23-year old Wollongong native is a regular fixture in the Salford Red Devils team, where he plays as a scrum-half or standoff. He joined the team last year, after a spell in the NRL that included contracts with the Sydney Roosters and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
The son of former Roosters player Kevin Hastings, Jackson has turned out for the Australian Schoolboys and the Junior Kangaroos. His strong performance in the Salford Team earned him a place in the League Dream Team this year and a new contract with the Wigan Warriors whom he will join after the 2019 season.