He is 26, hasn't played 200+ plus games at all, has been an NRL halfback for 3 years (91 games as a halfback) and is being compared to players that are much older, have been a halfback for a lot longer and are far more experienced in the position playing at Origin and International level in the position.
I fail to see how it's a fair comparison...
Yes you're right, he's played 166 games (I misread his info, and quoted his total amount of points).
He's always been a half, not just the last 3 years, what a load of crock.
He may have played from the bench for a while as a backup hooker, but that doesn't take away from his NRL experience, and he should at least have improved his kicking in that period. I mean, Macca kicks better than him ffs!
Every one of those seasons where he played from the bench, he got as many opportunities as the rest of the halves to snatch a spot. 2011 was never going to happen of course, Locky and Wallace were a great combo, but after that, he still didn't manage to grab a spot for another 3 years, despite the less than stellar halves we had!
And don't even try to brink Hook into the discussion, because besides being his U20 coach, thus knowing him quite well, he has shown at Penrith that he will hook whomever necessary and bring young talented halves into the team when necessary.
Regardless, I haven't compared him to Cronk or Thurston (which he doesn't even come close to, and neither does Taylor), who are so far ahead of the rest, it's not funny. But it would be a fairer comparison than against a rookie half in his first NRL season.