Over the years, there has been a steady flow of players back and forth between the NRL and English Super League, with many Australian-based players heading north to finish their careers in a less competitive environment while their English counterparts head south to establish their reputations by testing themselves in the toughest competition of them all.

Some of the NRL’s best talent has come from the old dart, including the likes of Souths’ Sam Burgess, Bulldogs and Dragons warrior James Graham, Knights and Roosters try-scoring ace Dominic Young, Roosters enforcer Adrian Morley, and two outstanding back rowers in Canberra’s Elliott Whitehead and Tigers great Gareth Ellis.

Unfortunately though, there have been just as many Englishmen who have failed to make an impression in the NRL, quickly returning home to the safety of the ESL, and let’s face it, some of them were absolute shockers.

Here’s my team of the worst English imports in the NRL era.

1. Zak Hardaker – Hardaker joined the Panthers for half a season on a swap deal from Leeds in 2016 and Penrith fans’ expectations were high, as the 24-year-old joined the club with three English premiership wins, three Challenge Cup victories, a Man of Steel award and five Test matches already under his belt. He failed to make an impression at Penrith though, and looked largely disinterested, spending nine games on the bench and starting only twice, once in the centres and once at fullback. He returned to the ESL in 2017 where he now plays for Hull FC.

2. Joe Burgess – At 195cm tall, weighing around 100kgs, a noted speedster and with a name like Burgess, what could possibly go wrong? The Roosters were about to find out after he joined them on a three-year contract in 2016 after running in 52 tries for Wigan in just about as many games across the 2013 to 2015 seasons. He won a Super League title in his debut season and found himself in the English Test team at the age of 20, but unfortunately, he was a big disappointment in the NRL. After a handful of games for the Roosters in 2016, followed by nine more for Souths after joining them on loan for the rest of that season, he returned to Wigan in 2017.

3. Oliver Gildart – Gildart had four Test matches and two Super League grand final victories to his name when he was signed by the struggling Wests Tigers side in 2022, but even in a team very short on talent, he failed to make an impact and soon found himself in reserve grade. He was loaned to the presumably desperate Roosters later in the season where he managed just two games off the bench, and was mercifully released from his contract the following year only to be signed by the Dolphins, where his only game in the top grade was a pre-season trial match. He returned to England the following year.

4. Kallum Watkins – The Leeds Rhinos captain and 25-Test veteran was considered by some deluded experts to be the best centre in the world when he joined the Titans halfway through the 2019 season. However, the glitter strip worked its magic on Watkins like so many other “stars” before him and he returned home in April 2020 after playing just eight unimpressive games for the Titans.

5. Ryan Hall – After scoring 233 tries for Leeds, playing 38 Tests for England and winning six premierships and a couple of Challenge Cups, Ryan Hall should have been a raging success when he signed for the Roosters in 2019. Unfortunately, the big winger never made it out of second gear in the NRL and only got a run in the top grade if either Daniel Tupou or Brett Morris were unavailable. He played just 11 NRL games for the Roosters across the 2019 and 2020 seasons and didn’t score a single try. The now 37-year-old will be going around again in the ESL in 2025.

6. Scott Moore – Moore was a rugby league journeyman, turning out for ten clubs in his career including a brief and forgettable stint with the Cowboys in 2013. He could play at hooker or in the halves but with Johnathan Thurston and Michael Morgan ruling the roost at the Cowboys, Moore found himself in a three-way tussle with Ray Thompson and Rory Kostjasyn for the No.9 jersey. He played just six first grade games before being released early from his contract in 2014 to return to the UK.

Kallum Watkins playing for the Titans. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

7. Chris Thorman – In 2004, the highly rated Thorman joined Parramatta from the London Broncos as the latest contender in the Eels’ endless quest for a quality halfback. Thorman struggled to produce anywhere near his best UK form and the Eels won just two of the 11 games in which he played. He returned to the UK at season’s end, was selected for England the following year and is now pursuing a coaching career.

8. Lee Mossop – Mossop had the runs on the board in the ESL and was one of Wigan’s best when he headed to Parramatta to prove himself in the big time in 2014. Prove himself he did, and despite already representing England and winning a couple of ESL trophies, the big unit got an NRL reality check, playing just three games from the bench in 2014 before injuries ended his season. He didn’t play first grade in 2015 and returned to England later that year.

9. Kruise Leeming – With some ten years’ experience in the ESL and nearly 200 top-grade games with both Huddersfield and Leeds to his name, Leeming was signed by the Titans for the 2023 season in the hope that he would provide them with some much-needed spark from dummy half. It wasn’t to be unfortunately, as all but one of his ten games for the club were off the bench and he was back in the UK before the year was out.

10. Luke Burgess – Probably the best thing that could be said about Burgess was that he had three brothers who were very successful in the NRL. Luke Burgess was the eldest of the footballing brothers and he followed Sam and George to South Sydney in 2011 where he had just moderate success, playing largely off the bench before being released from his contract early to join Manly in 2015 where he also failed to make an impression.

11. Joe Wardle – The Scottish international joined the Newcastle Knights from the Huddersfield Giants on a three-year contract in 2017, and while he looked to be a fairly useful performer for the Knights at either centre or in the second row, home sickness saw him return to England at the end of the 2017 season.

12. Tyrone McCarthy – The ten-time Irish international could best be described as an honest toiler and was yet another odd and unsuccessful signing by Dragons coach Paul McGregor in 2016. Apart from one start and a game off the bench, McCarthy spent most of his two-year stay with the Dragons playing for the Illawarra Cutters, and returned to England to play with the Salford Red Devils before the 2017 season was out.

Luke Thompson playing for the Bulldogs. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

13. Luke Thompson – Thompson won two Super League premierships with St Helens and was regarded as one of the best middle forwards in the game when he joined Canterbury on a big-dollar contract in 2020, but it turned out to be a very poor investment by the Bulldogs. He never looked at home in the NRL and a combination of injuries, suspension and poor form limited his appearances to just 42 games in four seasons with the struggling club. A total waste of money.

So there they are – have I been too harsh or not harsh enough?

Did I leave anyone out?