Re: Ryan Hampshire. : Thu Jun 09, 2016 9:26 pm
There are plenty of players who excel at junior level only to fail to live up to the hype once they reach Super League. Academy level is an entirely different environment. Just look at how good Shaun Ainscough was in the academy. He ripped it up for England against the Aussies yet soon learned that he had huge deficiencies in his game which prevented him from making it in Super League. Hampshire has excellent speed and very good ball playing ability, two things that can get you a long way in Super League. He's far too young to write off, especially for a halfback. To be honest I think this year he would have benefited more from playing in the Championship. The standard at that level is improving and he'd have had a much better chance of becoming a consistent first choice player. Something he seems to lack is the desire to go to the line and draw players before passing and he's also a bit weak in defence. The Championship would have been a good test for him to establish himself and give him time to work on his game.