Top 5 English Recruits in the NRL era

Following John Bateman’s stellar debut for Canberra, we have profiled the top five players to transition from the Super League to the NRL.

Angus Simpson

STAFF WRITER | March 20, 2019 - 11:33am

With the Raiders beginning to cultivate a little England of sorts in the nation's capital, we have decided to look back at the top five players to transition from the Super League to the superior NRL. While the last few years have seen some Englishmen not live up to the hype after arriving in the NRL, such as Lee Mossop, Sam Tomkins, and the supposed English SBW Andre Savelio, the men listed below are on the opposite end of the scale. With a few of them even set to go down as greats at their club.

I have decided to profile players who made the switch after the NRL era (1998-present) began, as well as only picking players who have transitioned from the Super League across to the NRL. Which excludes St George Illawarra’s Gareth Widdop, who came through the junior systems at the Melbourne Storm.

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4. Gareth Ellis

Many forget that it was not commonplace for Englishmen to switch the Super League for the NRL in the 2000s, with former Leeds Rhino Gareth Ellis being only the second player after Adrian Morley to switch England for Australia in the NRL era.

England and Great Britain representative Ellis signed a three-year deal with the Wests Tigers commencing in 2009, pointing to a desire to test himself in the world's premier rugby league competition rather than any monetary gain.

If you could hand draw and create a prototype NRL backrower, it would be Ellis. He was big, tough, mobile and skilful. The Englishmen would often cause nightmares for opposing defences with his late footwork at the line as well as possessing the ability to pop an offload from a seemingly impossible position.

While Ellis was a brute, instead of just trying to snap people in half he would utilise his textbook tackling technique to take players down with force and efficiency, rarely missing a game through suspension in his three years at Wests.

In his three-years at the Tigers Ellis was extremely successful, winning the club's Player of the Year award every year. As well as being nominated for the Golden Boot during his first NRL season. With Tigers coach and legend Tim Sheens even saying that "In my time here, dollar-for-dollar, he's been the best buy this club has had."