Don’t always believe the hype.

I find in quite extraordinary when our sports own writers, pundits and so-called experts praise the living hell out of young players coming through the academy systems of our professional and amateur clubs. Four examples pop into my head from since last season who have hit the headlines for their sheer brilliance or lucky break. The four are Sam Burgess, Kevin Penny, Joe Westerman and recently Kyle Eastmond.

Sam Burgess was brought in by Steve McNamara at Bradford as a genuine squad member because of his brilliance at academy level. He made an impact on Super League almost instantly and deservingly achieved the Young Player of the Year award last year. After that he was selected for the Northern Union side that faced the All Golds in Warrington, which warranted his selection for a full test cap. His contribution to the international stage peaked at the point of contact between him and Fuifui Moimoi during the final stages of the first test match in Huddersfield. From there is established himself as a certainty in the side for the rest of the series. I believe the hype surrounding Sam during his first season was justified. He is a player showing potential at a young age seeing as he is first on the team sheet for Bradford in almost every game. The kid has not had a lucky break that splashed his face off over the newspapers. He has made a name for himself through hard work and grinding out consistent performances in the forwards. He is the real thing and a genuine potential leader, who I would be happy to see leading out our national side in several years time.

Kevin Penny made his debut for Warrington in the final few rounds of Super League XI. His first game, against St Helens, was brought about due to injuries in the back line at the time. The following year he started against Leeds in a disappointing team performance in front of the TV cameras. His two tries in the final stages of the game gave Warrington some credibility coming out of the game, despite having over forty points put on them. From there Penny never looked back and made a name for himself scoring tries that involved pace and speed, rarely seen in today’s modern game. His greatest try to date, I believe, is when he outpaced Francis Meli and Paul Wellens in front of the main stand at Knowsley Road during the Challenge Cup quarter final last year. However despite being a life saver for a crippled Warrington side dropping like flies, his performances in 2008 have been (to put it politely) peaking at an average standard. So far the hype surrounding the restart to his professional career is unjustified and Penny could possibly be suffering from second-season-syndrome. But being eight rounds into a four year contract, the chances of seeing a better version “Super Kevin Penny” are high indeed. Reports from inside the Warrington camp by coach Paul Cullen after the Wigan game suggest the boy is dead set about re-establishing the fans faith in him and tightening the squads obvious and easiest weakness, which is that left hand defence.

Joe Westerman is a different kettle of fish compared to the other three up-and-rising players. Two seasons ago he was watching Castleford get relegated. After the relegation, Terry Matterson took the opportunity to blood together a wealth of experience and youth that combined to earn promotion in Super League. Westerman was given the opportunity playing in front of only a few thousand fans each week and, along with Danny Brough, he was one of the reasons Castleford are in Super League today. He plied his trade in National League One before making the jump to Super League giving him an advantage over other young players as he already had experience at first grade level. He was named National League One Player of the Year and orchestrated with Brough, Widnes’ Grand Final defeat. After watching him score a hat-trick against Warrington a few days ago and kicking five goals, I believe the hype surrounding this lad is more genuine than the hype about Burgess. Before being thrown into Super League he knew what was expected from him by coaching staff and fans alike. I expect Westerman to be included in the England squad in two years time at the very least, if not the forthcoming test match against France on 27^th June in Toulouse before the World Cup.

If anyone were to pick an example of young players being hyped up a bit too much by our pundits and journalists, Kyle Eastmond would be your prime example. Having played a few games for Saints already before his appearance against Wigan on Good Friday, the fans at Knowsley Road knew what they were getting when he stepped onto the field. His run from a Wigan error resulted in the final try of the derby clash which sent the Saints fans berserk. However the Sky TV team, who had never seen live before that game, were having (and I hate to be distasteful) ejaculations over this solo running effort and having seen him take advantage of a poor Wigan side seconds afterwards, were already comparing him to Jason Robinson. With that try being the only thing I have seen him do in his career, I hate to put the kid down, but I cannot see and justification behind that reasoning. On The Super league Show, Robbie Paul said something along the lines of “This kids special because he tried to take the kick nearer the posts”. To me that just shows lack of knowledge of the rules, and a bit of cockiness that can easily be extracted to the players disadvantage by the opposition fans. I’ll have to see a lot more of Eastmond before I pass judgement on his playing ability, but for the meantime, don’t believe the hype.