For the purpose of this list we've only named players known primarily as halfbacks. For instance we know Shaun Johnson is an excellent halfback when called upon but is very much known as a six.
1. Nathan Cleary
I'm on record and saying Cleary should have won the Dally M medal and I stand by that. He was the best player across 20 regular season rounds in 2020 despite missing games due to suspension. The fact he didn't win the award makes the current system laughable.
Eight tries, 17 try assists, 11 line breaks, 27 forced drop outs, almost 500 kicking metres per game, almost 90 running metres per game, 13 offloads. Cleary literally did it all in 2020.
The Panthers superstar is now the undisputed number one halfback for the Blues. He may be a little disappointed with his Origin three performance but he'll have the chance to avenge it this year.
Cleary had a monster season and came within a whisker of delivering a title to his side. Watch out 2021.
Of Course Nathan will be #1.
With every good halfback, there needs to be a good 5/8th ,to take some pressure off of their halves partner. It also needs to be the right one. Cleary didn’t look so good playing alongside Maloney. Where as NSW was better with Maloney there?
As good as Cleary may have been in 2020. NSW didn’t win the S.O.O. & Penrith didn’t win the Grand Final. What can we take from that?
D.C.E. Inspired a S.O.O. series win for Queensland.
Hughes inspired grand final win for Melbourne.
Or were both wins just because of Munster at 5/8th?
I thought Luai was great for Penrith for most of the season, at 5/8th.
So was there something lacking with Cleary in the biggest of games? He didn’t
Inspire a Win.
You nailed it, his half partner in Origin was disgraceful. Cody Walker is a myth. Also, apart from game 3, Cleary did have a good series.
If Wighton has another start of season anywhere close to his form last year, he will be the 6 for the SOO, not Walker. Walker had an amazing game 2, but so did the whole team. In the last 10 minutes if game 3 when Cody got injured and Wighton was shifted…Wighten looked dangerous every time he had the ball. I think Turbo will be back in the side, with another specialist centre, maybe Staggs or Crighton. Which will shift Wighton to partner Cleary in the halves.
The Raiders knocked the Roosters out in week 2 of the finals, AND George Williams played in that game.