Friday face-off: Jesse Bromwich v Aaron Woods — who’s had the better career
MELBOURNE’S Jesse Bromwich and the Tigers’ Aaron Woods are two young forwards who are at the top of their game — but who’s been better?
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
IN the Friday Face Off, we get to the heart of the greatest contests in rugby league.
So far we’ve pitted Billy Slater against Greg Inglis, Sam Burgess v James Graham, Shaun Johnson v Daly Cherry-Evans, Jamie Lyon v Justin Hodges, Corey Parker v Paul Gallen and last week Jamie Soward against Benji Marshall.
This week we look at two young forwards who are at the top of their game — Melbounre’s Jesse Bromwich and the Tigers’ Aaron Woods — and ask, who’s been better?
Who has had the better club career?
There has been a score of great players during the Craig Bellamy era at the Storm who have been overshadowed by Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater, but Jesse Bromwich might be the best of them.
The New Zealander is of a different style to the traditional hard-headed lumps that have occupied the front row, in that his bread and butter is not size and power, but mobility and footwork.
Bromwich is unlikely to barrel straight over the top of an opponent like Jarred Waera-Hargreaves or David Klemmer, but he uses his agility to expertly slip between defenders and ensuring he either bends the defensive line or falls onto his knees and elbows (which allows for a quick play the ball).
While this means he’s not on as many highlight reels, it increases his durability immensely and his more mobile build allows him to play longer minutes than any other fair dinkum prop in rugby league. Apart from his debut season in 2010, where he played seven matches, Bromwich has played more than 20 games in each of the past five seasons. In 2012, 2013 and 2015 he played every game. His average minutes per game have also been rising, from 43 in 2012 to an incredible 64 in 2015.
While Bromwich has enjoyed more team success — the only finals games of Woods’ career came in his rookie season — the New South Welshman has averaged over 100 metres gained per game the last four years compared to the last three for Bromwich. He’s also lacked the consistent quality that Bromwich has enjoyed, with the Tigers seemingly undergoing a series of upheavals, rebuilds and crisis since the end of 2012.
He doesn’t have the agility or mobility of Bromwich, preferring to use his strong leg drive to bend the defensive line.
Woods has been the Tigers’ most consistent player over the past two seasons and was rewarded in 2015 with the Dally M Prop of the Year award, a gong which Bromwich has never claimed — he was the runner-up in the overall medal.
However, an examination of their seasons shows that Bromwich could easily have taken the award in his stead. While Woods endured the greater degree of difficulty — his lone support in the forward pack was Martin Taupau, the promising but raw Sauaso Sue and the Artist Formerly Known as Keith Galloway — Bromwich either has him covered or runs him damn close in every significant area.
Woods averaged 148 metres per game from 15.9 carries, 24.7 tackles, 27 tackle busts and had 22 offloads in 20 matches. Bromwich averaged 143 metres per game from 15.6 carries, 26.4 tackles, 28 tackle busts and 27 offloads in 26 matches and was the third most prolific metre eater in the league.
It was something of a breakout season for Woods and unquestionably the best of his career, but even if he edged Bromwich in 2015 on form alone, the Melburnian was the better performer from 2012-14. For that reason, Bromwich takes this category.
Who has had the better rep career?
The best thing that could have happened to Aaron Woods at Origin level was the injury to Paul Gallen before Origin I of 2015. While Woods had originally made his Origin debut in 2013 and his Test debut the following season, he’d been hamstrung by his skipper’s appetite for hit ups. Gallen might be the most effective running forward in the Blues pack, but he needs carries and plenty of them, as does Woods. His first five Origin appearances were marked by a lack of consistent opportunity and despite the fact he was starting at prop, he just didn’t receive the amount of ball he requires to make an impact on games.
But in Origin I last year, that all changed. The loss of Gallen, and of the similarly inclined Greg Bird, meant that one of the Blues middle forwards had to pick up the slack and it was Woods who led the way. He played 55 minutes, the second most of any Blues running forward, and his 16 carries for 157 metres were the highest among all forwards.
If the Blues had managed to win, Woods would have been an excellent choice for man of the match. He backed that up with a similarly excellent display at the MCG, running for 165 metres from 18 carries and scoring a bustling try that gave the Blues the lead midway through the second half. While Woods fell apart with the rest of his teammates in Game III, running for a mere 91 metres off 11 runs and giving away three mindless penalties in the first half, he showed that he’s capable of distinguishing himself at representative level.
Woods’ Test career is till awaiting such a breakout performance. He was anointed the feature forward of the Kangaroos 2014 Four Nations pack as one of the few specialist front rowers in the squad. But he was steamrolled by Bromwich and the rest of the New Zealand big men twice in the tournament. A similar beat down was enacted in the ANZAC Test where Woods filled his stat sheet — he churned out 124 metres from 12 carries in 38 minutes — but was once again left on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
After five Tests, Woods has wins over Samoa and England but is yet to taste victory over the Kiwis.
Bromwich made his Test debut in May of 2012 and has been a fixture ever since. He was part of the 2013 World Cup squad but, along with the rest of the brutish Kiwi big men, was run ragged by the Australians in the final.
However, Bromwich was one of the real stars of the 2014 Four Nations, he was again a crucial element of the Kiwis record matching third straight win over Australia last May and he was among New Zealand’s best in the recent series defeat to England. He is the best front rower in the best international team in the world and has taken the points every time him and Woods have clashed at that level.
As he showed for the Blues, Woods can be a force at the highest level but he needs to see his fair share of the ball in order to do it. Seeing as how he’s only had that opportunity twice at state level and that Bromwich has gotten the better of him in Tests, the Kiwi takes this one out.
Who has been more consistent?
These two are among the most consistent players of any position in the entire league. So long as they receive enough ball they’ll both make quality metres and help give their teams an excellent platform. From game to game, their consistency is relatively even.
However, as mentioned above, Bromwich has several stellar seasons on his resume while Woods only has 2015. While Woods was still effective enough in 2013 and 2014, he only played 16 matches in the former and was not as productive in the latter. For that reason, Bromwich has to take a narrow decision on this one.
Who has the higher ceiling?
The one area where Bromwich has Woods’ number is offloads. While both players are adept at popping a pass here and there, Bromwich can do it fare more consistently. His 27 offloads in 2015 were eighth among front rowers and his career high of 51 in 2014 would have been good enough for equal second in the entire league.
He also handles the ball more often than Woods, with the Storm often using Bromwich as the focal point for second man plays that predicate backline shifts. His ability to use the ball before the line is not the equal of a James Graham or a Sam Kasiano, but he is efficient enough. This gives Bromwich a slight edge that Woods lacks, but the Tigers man still has serviceable offloading and passing ability.
What tips the scales in this category into Woods’ favour is Bromwich’s age. While he’s still only 26 and conceivably still has five or more seasons of his current production level ahead of him, its possible that Bromwich has reached his peak as a footballer. Woods may not be his equal right now, but at two years younger he has the greater capacity to improve.
We saw glimpses of Woods’ ceiling in Origin I and again in select matches over the past two seasons for the Tigers, such as the demolition jobs he lead against South Sydney and Manly in 2014, or the similar smash ups he took part in against St George Illawarra in Round 2 and Canterbury in Round 8 of 2015. Bromwich could yet get better, but Woods has a greater chance to improve so he takes this one.
Final verdict
If a modern coach could build his ideal front rower, the result could look a whole lot like Bromwich. While Woods was extremely strong throughout 2015 and has the ability to improve as he matures, as things stand Bromwich has to take the victory. He possess a mobility, durability and consistency that surpasses what Woods can offer at this stage of his career and his strong performances in the representative arena give him the edge over the Tigers prop.
Originally published as Friday face-off: Jesse Bromwich v Aaron Woods — who’s had the better career
‘Just so hard’: Panthers defend WCC call
There’s only one trophy the Panthers haven’t picked up during their stunning run of NRL premierships, and there’s a reason why they won’t be trying to win it next year.
‘Bring back Mary’: Panthers reveal Cleary retention plan
Panthers boss Brian Fletcher has signalled the club’s intention to re-sign Nathan and Ivan Cleary beyond 2027 - while possibly luring Mary Fowler back to Australia as well.