Rugby League Week is reporting that Sam Tomkins could find himself playing for the New Zealand Warriors next season. It would be an incredible move for the young Wigan fullback, a brave move.
The New Zealand Warriors have the salary cap space to spend to get Tomkins. They also have a coach in place that would put a lot of value in Super League results.
I’ve said before that I think Tomkins would need to play in the halves in the NRL. If he moved to the Warriors that would mean playing alongside Shaun Johnson, who I rate very highly.
I don’t think you could play Sam Tonkins at fullback in the NRL. Under the high ball he is simply not at first grade level. He would also be much less effective against the set defensive lines you see chasing kicks in the NRL compared to the ones you see over in Super League. Simply put, the space and gaps just wouldn’t be there for a player like Tomkins to take advantage of.
What Tomkins does have is vision. He can find weakness in a defense and exploit it. I think that would suit him well as a five-eighth. He would need to add some bulk though. Tomkins is a very lean player, and he would need to get the size to simply deal with the extra defensive work he would be asked to do in the front line.
I want to see Sam Tomkins play in the NRL simply because I want to see how he goes. I want to see all the best players in the world playing in the NRL and its hard to argue that Tomkins isn’t one of the best players in Super League.
Tomkins signing would be a huge blow to Rugby League in Great Britain. It would be confirmation that Super League clubs are now basically out of the running to sign or retain anyone of any quality. I also think if Tomkins moves to the NRL we would see a number of other Super League players making the move as well.
NRL clubs have huge amounts of money to spend under the salary cap and they are looking for any players they can sign. Teams now have the capacity to take a game on certain players, and if the rumours are right, Sam Tomkins will be the Warriors biggest gamble in a very long time.
Tomkins’ weakness is definitely under the high ball but he’s not dreadful. The vast majority of the time he’s deals with kicks comfortably. Unfortunately for him the games where he has made the most notable mistakes have been high profile ones, especially against Leeds and also against Australia in the Four Nations final. Mind you, Sinfield and Lockyer can put any fullback under pressure if they aren’t closed down by the defence.
Also the set defensive lines from kick chases won’t have a major impact on Tomkins game because he rarely returns kicks, he mostly passes to his winger. Yes, he’s scored a few excellent tries from kick returns in Super League but that’s not really where he is most dangerous.
I think he’ll go quite well at fullback, but he’s an excellent stand off too so wherever he plays it will be good to see him in the NRL. I don’t think he needs to add any bulk though. He’s deceptively strong for his size and was rarely troubled defensively when playing stand off.
I’ve watched him against all opposition, and against all of them he has been beyond terrible under the high ball. How can he possibly be good as a fullback in the NRL if, as you say, he is reluctant to run the ball back.
As for being strong for his size, I’ve never seen it. He would need to get some weight on him anyway, he has the build of an Under 20’s player. That is a major issue if he is to play in the front line. He will have giants running at him in every single game.