rmer coach of the Sabres Lindy Ruff said e

The half-time hooter sounds this week on the first phase of the Super League season and I thought it was a good time to look at the standout performers so far. It is not easy to recall all of the action from the 66 games we have had so far, so I have chosen to look at the Opta scoring system as a guide. I will begin by saying that it is not perfect, but I would be interested to meet anyone in the world who has a better way of objectively measuring the performance of the players in our top league.The people at Opta watch every match and record every action, good and bad. They award points to each player for the positive things he does and take then off him for any obvious mistakes or errors. They then add a weighing to this dependent on the time in the game, the position on the pitch and the score at the time. Scoring a 50-metre try under the post in the 50th minute when your team are already 50 points in front does not earn you as many points as it would if you were five points behind with 50 seconds remaining. He is fit, fast and a tough competitor. More than anything else, he knows how to play, and would be my tip for Man of Steel at this stage. Phil Clarke on Wigans John Bateman The scoring system does not have any favourites or bias and is done the same for every game. So unlike the voting system for the Man of Steel, it is consistent and happens after every match.So, which players rank the highest at the half-way point? Some of the names might surprise you, you may disagree with it, but this is the team of the year so far according to Optas scoring.Full-back: Zak HardakerThe Rhinos have clearly struggled in 2016 and their full-back has not played as well as he did 12 months ago, but he is still up there as one of the best players in the competition. Despite not firing like he did in 2015, Zak Hardaker is still the best-performing full-back His three closest contenders are Tony Gigot from the Dragons, Matt Russell at Warrington and Dan Sarginson for the Warriors.Wingers: Denny Solomona and Dom ManfrediNot only is the Tigers left winger one of my favourite players, he is also one of the most improved players competition.On the other wing is a man who is perhaps the most enthusiastic player when it comes to returning kicks from his corner of the field. Denny Solomona is one of the most improved players in Super League Matt Russell is probably the only player who is more difficult to stop and put down than the lad from Leigh who plays for the Cherry and Whites.Ranking just behind these two with a slightly lower average game score are Jermaine McGillvary at the Giants, Corey Thompson at Widnes and a possible contender for Young Player of the Year, Tom Johnstone from the Wildcats.Centres: Leroy Cudjoe and Anthony GellingIt may come as a big surprise to many that the player with the highest game score after Round 11 is the Giants right centre. He has played in every minute of every match and been better this year than in 2015, according to the stats. I cannot wait to see him play against Wigan on Thursday night, especially if he is opposite Anthony Gelling. In spite of the Giants Super League standing, Leroy Cudjoe has been a top performer The next three players to rank below were Kallum Watkins, Josh Griffin at Salford - who has played both centre and wing this season - and Kirk Yeaman at Hull.Stand-off: Danny BroughSome might question how he has made it into this team when his side are at the bottom of the table. Well, his runs, passes, tackles and kicks have earned him more points than any other stand-off. Huddersfields Danny Brough has led his side well during a tough period Surprisingly Kurt Gidley ranks second and Kevin Brown sits just below.Scrum-half: Joe MellorAt 25 years of age, the Vikings No 7 is peaking. He has not missed a Super League game for over a year and is one of the main reasons why Widnes sit in fifth spot.The second highest ranked scrum-half is Richard Myler. His move to France seems to have helped him kick-on with his career, and he looked fantastic last week at St Helens. Joe Mellor has helped propel the Vikings in to fifth spot in the standings Luke Gale never fails to impress me and demonstrates a level of intelligence and understanding that is greater than most players in the sport.The fourth ranked player will surprise most people, but perhaps not Chris Chester. Liam Finn does not have the speed of his rivals but has set up lots of tries for the Wildcats and made many kicks which have helped his team to win almost half of their games. Props: Chris Hill and Adam CuthbertsonThe job description for most front rowers is quite straightforward but these two add a level of subtlety that sets them apart - the Wolves front rower is certain to be a candidate for Man of Steel.Adam Cuthbertson has tried as hard this year as last but it makes a huge difference when youre not on the winning side. He has not caught the eye as much as he is more closely monitored by his opponents but he is still the stand-out front rower in the Opta ranking. Leeds Rhinos Adam Cuthbertson has maintained his good form in 2016 Four other big men who have done well in the first half of Super League XXI are Craig Kopczak of Salford, Castlefords Andy Lynch, Adam Walker of Hull KR and Kyle Amor from St Helens.Hooker: James RobySome teams ask their hooker to do different things and as a result may not spend as long on the field or make as many runs and metres, which will obviously affect their ranking. However, if we consider them all to have the same time to attack and defend then it gives us a level field from which to compare them. Without James Roby, St Helens would have really struggled James Roby - It is perhaps as well that the Saints No 9 has not been one of their injured players in 2016, as they would have struggled without him.Just behind him sit Daryl Clark from Warrington, who has looked great for most of the season and has an incredible strength that allows him to push defenders away. Danny Houghton is Mr Consistency at Hull and deserves to be in a top four team. Will this be the year?In the absence of Paul Aiton, Eloi Pellisier has been given greater time and looked great in most of it.Second Row: John Bateman and Glenn StewartWigan used ex-Bulls back rower Bateman as a centre last week and he could almost get selected in any position - he is that good. He is fit, fast and a tough competitor. More than anything else, he knows how to play, and would be my tip for Man of Steel at this stage. Glenn Stewart has been part of a resurgent Catalans Dragons outfit in 2016 Glenn Stewart might just be the most important player Catalans have ever recruited. They have had loads of attacking player, but none who seem as determined to defend as he does.The next three players were Liam Farrell, Ben Currie and Brett Ferres.Loose forward: Jamie Jones-BuchananThe veteran Rhino has missed four of their matches, but performed well in the others. Jamie Jones-Buchanan scored a crucial try against Hull FC last week His three closest competitors are Michael Lawrence at Huddersfield, Ukuma Taai also from the Giants and Atelex Vea in the six games he has played for the Saints.Do you agree with Phil Clarkes views? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below if viewing on skysports.com. Alternatively you can tweet us @SkySportsR Also See: WATCH: Super League top 10 WATCH: Best of Boots N All St Helens v Leeds: Key battles Sky Live: Wigan v Huddersfield Giovani dos Santos Mexico Jersey . - Playing a road game against a division rival raises the intensity for linebacker Clay Matthews. Guillermo Ochoa Jersey . And thats good news for Canada. Kelly, who plays No. 8 at the back of the scrum, is captain of the Canadian womens team. http://www.nationalsoccermexico.com/hugo-ayala-mexico-jersey/ . -- The Atlanta Braves added to their extensive wave of long-term deals with their young stars on Sunday by agreeing to a $42 million, four-year contract with All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel. Alfredo Talavera Mexico Jersey . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. Diego Reyes Mexico Jersey . -- A year ago, Flavia Pennetta was close to retiring from tennis.Late coach Pat Burns has been elected for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2014 alongside Dominik Hasek, Peter Forsberg, Mike Modano and Rob Blake and legendary NHL referee Bill McCreary. The official induction ceremony will be held on November 17. The three-time Jack Adams Award winner for coach of the year passed away in 2010 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He enters the Hall in the Builders category. Burns won 501 games in 14 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens (1988-1992), Toronto Maple Leafs (1992-1996), Boston Bruins (1997-2001) and New Jersey Devils (2002-2004). He won the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2003. The former Gatineau, Quebec police officer had plenty of proponents for his inclusion in the Hall of Fame, even before he passed away. "Pat Burns should have been in the Hall of Fame this year," former Stanley Cup-winning coach and incumbent Conservative Senator Jacques Demers said in 2010. "Not because he was dying, but because he was a Hall of Fame coach. Five hundred wins, a Stanley Cup, three times coach of the year - to me it would have been so special for him, before he died, to be in the Hall of Fame." It is the second consecutive year a builder has been posthumously elected after Fred Shero, back-to-back Stanley Cup Champion coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, was inducted in 2013. Hasek - a six-time Vezina Trophy winner, Hart Trophy winner and two-time Cup champ - may have been the easiest player selection for this class. The Czech Republic native won the NHLs award for best goaltender a staggering six times in eight seasons as a member of the Buffalo Sabres. He also played for the Detroit Red Wings from 2001-2008, where he won two championships (2002, 2008). "The Dominator" is 11th all-time on the NHL wins list with 389 and had seven straight seasons with a save percentage of .930 or better. "For me its a no-brainer," former coach of the Sabres Lindy Ruff said earlier this year. He brought the Sabres out of obscurity and led the club to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1999 against the Dallas Stars. He narrowly missed out on his first championship as a result of Brett Hulls infamous "foot-in-the-crease" overtime goal. Hasek would go on to win his first Cup as a starter with the Red Wings in 2002 and the second came as a backup to the championship team of 2008. Also cracking the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility is two-time Stanley Cup Champion and Olympic gold medalist Peter Forsberg. Forsberg began what would become ann impactful, yet injury-shortened career, with the Quebec Nordiques after being acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent Eric Lindros to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1992.dddddddddddd The Calder, Art Ross and Hart Trophy winner scored 885 points in 708 regular-season games in his 14 seasons with the Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche, Flyers and Nashville Predators. He won two Stanley Cups with the Avalanche. Forsberg also won gold medals in mens ice hockey for Sweden at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer and 2006 Games in Torino. He was plagued by many injuries over the course of his career, but it was tendon problems in his left foot that haunted him for most of his playing days and eventually forced him to retire. Another new candidate making the grade in 2014 is the most prolific American scorer in NHL history, Mike Modano. The former captain and last active player to have played for the Minnesota North Stars is the highest scoring American in league history with 561 goals, 813 assists and 1374 points in 1499 games. Modano, who appeared in eight All-Star Games, holds Stars franchise records for regular-season and playoff games played (1459, 174), goals (557, 58), assists (802, 87) and points (1359, 145), and also led the club to the Stanley Cup in 1999 over Hasek and the Sabres. The last player on the list had to wait an extra year, but in only his second year of eligibility for Los Angeles Kings captain Rob Blake is entering the Hall of Fame. While many thought Blake was a lock for last years ballot, it turned out there were too many deserving candidates and not enough spots to include the 6-foot-4 defenceman. Blake appeared in six All-Star Games (1994, 1999-2003) and won the Norris Trophy as the NHLs top defenceman in 1998. He also won his first and only Stanley Cup as a member of the Avalanche in 2001. In 20 seasons with the Kings, Avalanche and San Jose Sharks, Blake accumulated 240 goals, 537 points and 777 points in 1270 games. And last, but certainly not least, legendary referee Bill McCreary is getting his call to the Hall. McCreary officiated 1,737 regular season games, 297 playoff games and one All-Star Game in the NHL, as well as participating in the 1998 Nagano Olympics, the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2012 Vancouver Olympics. His model of consistency is no secret as he has officiated a Stanley Cup Final-record 44 games, including 13 straight finals from 1995-2007 and his last series in 2009. 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