Tyson Gamble

slotmachine said:
Think it says plenty about the Panthers system that they can plug in Cogger and don't lose that much from the supposed best halfback in the game.
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Pretty much any remotely FG standard halfback will look good if they’re constantly on the front foot. It’s why Cleary is pretty much a non entity at Origin level in close games, he’s incapable of playing off the back foot.
 
Les Misérables said:
He's been playing for 7 years in a team stacked with rep talent and a generational coach. 7 years of perfect conditions for growth and has arguably has plateaued. Been at the same level for a few years now.

Applying the eye test, he's maybe maybe top 10 halfbacks of all time. Definitely not anywhere near top 5. You've got players like, Sterlo light years ahead of him. Also, if I were picking a team, I'd pick Stacey Jones ahead of him.
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He wouldn’t be in the top ten I’ve seen. I’m not convinced he’s better than Scott Prince or Brett Kimmorley, and the more I think about it, I think Adam Reynolds is better, let alone guys I was too young to watch play like Sterlo.

It’s a hard thing to rank because the modern halfback is not what it once was, the difference between a 7 and 6 isn’t as clear. But in terms of halfbacks who are the complete package of vision, creativity and also organisational play, DCE is the only guy running around who you could say has been kind of like Johns and Thurston (just not as good obviously) for a long period of his career, and I think Shaun Johnson who was previously more of your slick attacking dynamo has found that organising/controlling side of his game as he’s aged. Adam Reynolds at Brisbane has weirdly shown a lot of creative flair which he kept under wraps in the more structured attack of Souths. Cleary at this stage is like a less good Cronk with Mitchell Pearce athleticism but also Pearce-like vision and creativity.
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
He wouldn’t be in the top ten I’ve seen. I’m not convinced he’s better than Scott Prince or Brett Kimmorley, and the more I think about it, I think Adam Reynolds is better, let alone guys I was too young to watch play like Sterlo.
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I thought you were talking about Stacey Jones for a moment there and was about to launch into one of the most epic rants in the history of Marathon Stadium forums.
 
I think the rush to anoint Cleary has a bit to do with how we had a decade or so of Joey being clearly the best halfback, straight into Thurston being clearly the best for another ten years, and then JT (and Cronk) retired and there’s like 7 or 8 halfbacks running around now who you can’t actually split by that much. People like to see greatness so they go looking for it.

I’ll say this for Nathan, he’s very good very young in an era when so many halves under the age of 24-25 really seem to struggle. There’s so much defensive pressure now and so many of the guys who’ve really made a fist of the NRL in the halves in the last 7 years or so are older & did a pretty long apprenticeship in lower levels of footy, they had to really get to know their own game properly (Cody Walker, Nicho Hynes, Jarome Luai, Jahrome Hughes, George Williams, Jamal Fogarty, and now our very own Gamble and Hastings). He does deserve credit for that.
 
In the days of unlimited tackles, fullbacks like Clive Churchill were the stars in Rugby League because they were the ones who had room to move and be creative.
We seem to be getting back to that. The last 5 or 10 years has seen the rise of the creative fullbacks who are becoming the match winning stars - not so much everything being about the halfback now.
 
Anyways, I have to say gamble has become my favorite knights player now. May not be in the same bracket at cleary. But he is well on his way to the Mt Rushmore of raudonikis, Reynolds and luai as the biggest pest half. Gamble breathes the steel city mentality
 
Cleary reminds me a bit of Pearce, very capable at club level and one of the best in his era, but couldn't really make the move to rep footy.
 
Yeah Cleary’s kicks go where he wants them to and create pressure so he’s miles ahead of Pearce on that alone.

If you imagine the chasm between how good Pearce and Cronk were, I’d put Cleary around halfway in between.

But I flat out dispute the notion of Pearce being “one of the best in his era” tbh so feel free to ignore me. He’s like my second most hated player of all time 😂
 
Man I’ve watched the replay of Gamble putting Dom away down the sideline about 20 times now.

Tyson is one of the strangest players I’ve ever seen, deadset. An on-field persona like Josh Reynolds, but the way he kept himself alive long enough to coolly put Dom away rather than just playing it safe and taking the tackle, shows such rare composure. Not something you usually associate with grubs. Nor is his high percentage, “just nail my role in these intricate backline movements” playing style.

His kicking and passing technique are also both about as park football as it gets but, again, you can count the times he’s gotten it badly wrong on one hand, and he’s only become safer and more assured with more and more time in first grade. Almost every ambitious cut out pass he throws has been on and has resulted in a break or a try. He’s been playing so well.

Add in his improvements in defence and at this point I don’t even see him as a reliable do-a-job guy until our “real” five-eighth comes along anymore. I think he’s legitimately a good starting five-eighth, good enough to be a starter in a top 4 side, especially when he isn’t likely to be expensive to re-sign and you can spend the difference on an elite outside back or beefing up the forward pack. It of course helps to be a set up man for a guy who’s on form the best player in the comp, but I think you have to be a good player in your own right to create the kind of space he & Hastings have been for KP. I think Hastings “got” what we were trying to do in attack before everyone else, but Tyson has definitely caught up a lot.

Man remember when the club almost spent two off-seasons trying to sign Luke Brooks? 😂
 
Things have really 'clicked' with AOB and the knights over the last few months. Dom young leaving could be a bit of a spanner in the works. I'm curious to see which direction the club goes particularly with it's halves. As it stands, I reckon it's probably just as likely that we have a Hastings/gamble combo in 2025 as having 2 new starting halves by then (cogger, Pryce? I always thought Tristan sailor would do well with an extended run at 5/8). It's definitely good to see the club investing in youth - the days of 'dads army' signings seem to be over. Maybe it's being a tad fussy but I sort of like the idea of going for a bit of a new direction in the halves. It's a hard case to make and probably an.unpopular opinion after winning 10+ games in a row but idk Hastings/gamble don't really do it for me.

I think Laurie will do well at 5/8 for penrith.
 
I don’t think Brooks would fit In our current system at all and we definitely wouldn’t be in this position with him as our 7. Just like Pearce, I don’t think he’s capable of executing our current game plan the way Hastings does. Athleticism in halves is great but if there’s no brain to go with it what’s the point. Hastings may have no athletic ability whatsoever but he knows who the ball needs to get to and how to do it. Funnily enough for someone who’s always been touted as having a massive ego, he hasn’t played that way at all. He’s been content to play the role necessary for KP to shine. Not sure a lot of halves would do the same.

Never understood why we always seemed to be chasing a “running five eight” when Pearce was here because we clearly needed someone with ball playing ability (aside from KP) to make the most of KPs running game. No point having a star fullback if there’s no one to create space for him. It’s actually mind boggling that Pearce played for so long without ever really developing as a half.
 
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