NRL 2024: Inside every halfback’s journey to rugby league stardom | League Central
While some halfbacks enjoy an easy path to NRL stardom, others’ journeys have been full of twists and turns. And one expert has blamed two decades of ‘horrendous’ junior rugby league coaching.
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Sometimes you’re Nathan Cleary.
Just about every other time you’re a halfback whose road to the No.7 jersey of an NRL side involves as many twists and turns as a classic spiral pass.
Take Jake Clifford and Toby Sexton for example, neither of whom began this season as the starting playmaker for their respective clubs.
And now they face off on Saturday holding the keys to their team’s finals campaign.
Old-stagers Adam Reynolds and Ben Hunt have gone through high-profile mid-career changes, while Dally M favourite Jahrome Hughes had stops at two clubs before settling in Melbourne.
Even for the loyal one-clubmen like Daly Cherry-Evans and Cody Walker, the path to the most critical position on a rugby league field wasn’t a straightforward one.
And premiership-winning five-eighth Matthew Johns believes there’s a simple reason why: coaching at under-age level.
“How many surfing world champions do you know that all of a sudden picked up a surfboard at 13?” Johns told this masthead.
“Some of the coaching in the last 20-odd years in the halves has been horrendous.
“What they do every year is teach halves structure, which was only applicable to the team they play in. They didn’t teach them the art or science of playmaking.
“So you have had a lot of halves come into teams and not be prepared. The expectation around halves - the preparation wasn’t going to allow them to meet that.”
Former NSW State of Origin star Todd Carney claims clubs simply aren’t patient enough when they blood young halves into first grade.
“Toby Sexton started and was touted to be the Titans halfback back for the next 10 years, coming out of (Palm Beach Currumbin), didn’t deliver straight away,” Carney said.
“So then Titans that obviously sign someone else. And then Toby moved on to the Bulldogs and is playing really well. So, and sometimes it could be the age thing.
“It’s definitely a position that is scrutinised, so that plays a part. But also, clubs are just trying to find, I reckon, the next Andrew Johns, or we talk the next Nathan Cleary.
“So much trying to find that style of ours which doesn’t come overnight.
“It just comes with progression.
“So that’s probably the reason why a lot of them have been moved to different clubs.”
This coming off-season will include a high number of playmakers switching teams.
Among them are Nathan’s young brother Jett, who will continue his development with the Warriors, while Blues under-18s No.7 Ethan Sanders will leave the Eels for the Raiders.
Jamie Humphreys will also swap the northern beaches for Redfern.
There are signs that clubs are looking to commit to young talent long-term.
Dolphins youngster Isaiya Katoa recently signed a five-year extension, while the Tigers’ Latu Fainu and Bulldogs’ Mitchell Woods both have four-year deals.
“At the moment because there are so few around, we’re becoming a bit like the NFL where you want to sign them for 10 years,” Johns said.
“There is a good crop of young halves coming through - the best crop I have seen in 20 years.
“People say there are not enough quality players coming through.
“Well, there is. There are not enough quality halves. Halves make an organisation.
“If we keep producing quality halves, you can expand to 20 teams.”
This masthead has tracked the careers of every club’s main halfback to see what their journey through the top grade was like.
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