As much as the World Cup is about watching your nation go to
battle to achieve the status of the best in the world, a huge part of the
enjoyment for spectators stems from the chance to watch a wide range of
players, some of whom we are familiar with and watch every week, some we may
have never seen before. It presents an opportunity to see who those on the
other side of the world get to watch each week, who are their stars and how do
they stack up to ours, while also a chance to see familiar faces of our own teams
in different environments facing different challenges. Roosters fans who have
cheered the likes of Sonny Bill Williams and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves now find
themselves on the other side of the fence as they turn out in black and white
to take on the Australians, while Warriors fans who have developed a
longstanding rivalry with the Melbourne Storm now find themselves cheering the
likes of Jesse Bromwich. There’s a vast array of interesting and exciting
talents who will be on display at this tournament, here I identify five in
particular to keep your eye on.
Danny Brough – Five eighth, Scotland
Huddersfield Giants five-eighth Danny Brough embraced his
first year as captain by leading the Giants to their first league leader’s
shield in 81 years. The thirty year old
amassed 323 points in 28 Super League games in 2013, eclipsing the club record
for both goals and points in a season. Brough’s exploits were recognised with
an abundance of post-season awards, capturing the Albert Goldthorpe medal for
the second time in his career, Rugby League Writers Association player of the
year and the most prized individual award in Northern Hemisphere Rugby League,
the Man of Steel award. Serving as captain for the Scots, Brough made his
international debut back in 2004 and also served as captain for Scotland’s 2008
World Cup campaign. Scotland will fancy themselves a strong chance of coming
out of Group C and they’ll be looking to the fantastic kicking game of Brough
to direct them there.
Petero Civoniceva – Prop, Fiji
When the 2012 NRL season wrapped up, many thought it would
be the last time they’d see this all-time great run around a footy field. After
debuting in the NRL all the way back in 1998 and for Australia in 2001, Petero
called it quits on what was an incredible career spanning 309 NRL games, 33
Origins for Queensland and 45 appearances for Australia. But not quite ready to
give the game away, Petero turned out in 2013 for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the
Queensland Cup and will now roll the dice one last time playing for his country
of birth Fiji for the first time. He won’t be one of the most exciting players
at the tournament and his prime has long passed, but few things will bring me
more enjoyment than watching one of the best players to ever take the field,
and a top bloke to go with it, have one last dance. Those old legs held up for
a long time when people expected them to give in, don’t be surprised if Petero
at the ripe age of 37 still has enough tread on the tyres to show the kids how
it’s done.
Sonny Bill Williams – second row, New Zealand
Always in the headlines, SBW’s World Cup campaign was a hot
topic long before the tournament had even begun. Initially ruling himself out
of Kiwis selection, only to declare himself available once the Kiwis had named
their squad, it came as little surprise that the defending champions quickly
made room for him, unfortunately at the expense of standout Melbourne rookie
Tohu Harris. Returning to the NRL after a lengthy hiatus that saw him become a
Super Rugby and Rugby World Cup winner, SBW immediately contributed to a
Roosters campaign that eventuated in a minor premiership and Grand Final
victory, he now looks to achieve these exceptional feat of being a World Cup
winner in both League and Union to compliment his NRL and Super Rugby
championships. One of the most polarising figures in the game, the impact he
made in returning to the sport after such a log absence was incredible. Perhaps
the biggest “star” in the sport, Williams is a gigantic boost to the Kiwis
chances of pulling off a successful title defence despite the fact the Kiwis
have never actually won a game in the seven contests he has played for them.
Sam Tomkins – Fullback, England
24 year old English sensation Sam Tomkins is a name NRL fans
have grown increasingly familiar with after a season of rumours about his
potential excursion down under culminating in the Warriors locking up his
services for the next three years. The man known as the “British Billy Slater”
has long been heralded as the crown jewel of Super League, leading the Wigan
Warriors to two Challenge Cups and a Grand Final, winning the 2012 Man of Steel
award and amassing an incredible 144 tries in 150 appearances. His strike rate in internationals is even better;
at just 24 Tomkins is England’s all-time leading try scorer with 16 tries in 15
appearances. The World Cup will prove a fabulous opportunity for those in the
Southern Hemisphere to get a look at what all the fuss is about when the
electric fullback tries to deliver glory for the host nation.
Johnathan Thurston – Five eighth, Australia
The only man to turn out in every single game of Queensland’s
incredible eight straight Origin series victories, Thurston winner of numerous
Dally M halfback and five-eighth of the year awards was on hand when the
Kangaroos went down to the Kiwis in 2008. While already a huge star on his own,
it was still Darren Lockyer who was seen as the leader of the halves, including
a man of the match performance in their losing final effort. This time JT
enters the tournament as the man in the 6 jersey after a frustrating NRL
campaign that saw his North Queensland Cowboys once again eliminated in dubious
circumstances. Spurred on by the loss in 2008, there’d be no better way for
Thurston to wash out the foul taste of the Cowboys playoff exit than by
returning the World Cup to Australia for the first time in his career. JT
always rises to the occasion, countless times he’s stepped up when his rep
sides have needed him and his supreme goal kicking especially in clutch
situations could prove the difference between Australia and their perceived
biggest threat New Zealand.
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