Phil Clarke picks his Super League team of the season

With one round left before the league is split, Phil Clarke picks his team of the season in Super League XX...

I hate being late for absolutely anything and much prefer to be early so with just one round of the regular season remaining, I want to go first and give you my opinion on the best players this year.

I know that the official Dream Team is selected in about a month and it's a long time before the Grand Final, but it's easy to forget how well some players performed in spring when the sun arrives in summer. We soon break up into two leagues of eight and it will be harder to compare players then; so here goes.

Full-back  

There is only one number one in my eyes. Zak Hardaker is a level above the rest and one of the reasons why the Rhinos sit in top spot.

Young Jared Simpson did really well in the four games he’s played for the Giants and I'm excited to see him playing next year, but Zak at the back is a big worry for every team that takes on Leeds and makes my team without hesitation.

My tip Salford didn't do very well but their full-back was probably their best player. Niall Evalds is only 21 and destined to be a star if he improves again next season.

Wingers

Choosing the men out wide is tougher. At the start of the season, I'd have said Tom Briscoe before he got injured. He looked unstoppable, but he's only played five games which I didn't think was enough to qualify. Dom Manfredi's played 11 and was fantastic in all, equally as good as the other Warrior wingman, Joe Burgess.

The Tigers have two contenders as well in Justin Carney and Denny Solomona, and I always think Ryan Hall is a consistent performer, even though he's not looked as good this season as last.

The other player to throw in the hat before you pick two out is a man we'll see this Thursday night. Tom Lineham has scored 19 tries in just 17 games this year, and that's playing for a team that's found it difficult to cross the try line. Every one of these wingers can win matches with spectacular tries but I've chosen Burgess and Lineham.

Centres

The classy Kallum Watkins walks into my team. On the other side, it's a competition between two Warriors, Gelling and Sarginson. Anthony Gelling missed eight games when he injured his hamstring and has a tendency to do some crazy things when it looks like he's on another planet, but he can score and has set up some amazing tries this year.

His team-mate is now out injured but played well in most of the 18 matches this year. I guess the injury makes it an easy decision for me. Watkins and Gelling.

Stand-off

It can be hard to gain individual recognition when you play for a team that's in the bottom half of the table, and even harder when you only play in half the games, but Kevin Brown demonstrated enough skill and vision to gain selection in my team of 2015.

If he'd been fit to play in another six games for the Vikings, I think that they'd have been in the Top 6. My other favourite No 6 doesn't play that often as a stand-off, but Stefan Ratchford is great in my opinion. Brown beats him this season so far.

Scrum-half

This newcomer to Super League looked great in round one and has continued to impress since then. Albert Kelly has been a great acquisition by Hull KR and is one of those players who you get excited about when you go to watch his team play.

He may miss a few tackles, but that's because he’s asked to make so many. He's the perfect Dream Team player.

Props

Several guys deserve a mention before I pick the two winners. Scot Taylor has impressed, as has the man he will replace at Hull next year, Micky Paea. Another black and white, Liam Watts, has caught the eye with his strong runs and offloads.

Andy Lynch is as reliable as daylight, he just keeps turning up and doing what he does. Jamie Peacock mirrors that consistency and Adam Cuthbertson has reminded us all of what a ball-playing prop looks like. I don't think that Alex Gerrard has ever had a mention on TV, but he's well respected by his team-mates and opponents.

However, I'd pick Chris Hill and Alex Walmsley and challenge whoever our opponents are to stop these two men from getting the team rolling forward.

Hooker

As the season has progressed, so has Daryl Clark, who looked back to his best when the Wolves beat the Warriors in round 20. Paul Aiton does so much invisible ground work to lay the foundations for his team-mates and rarely gets any credit.

If I ever need a heart and lung transplant, I hope I get a set as good as Danny Houghton's - his work rate seems only to be surpassed by my favourite No 9, James Roby. Still the best in my mind.

Second row

I got a bit stuck when I reached this point in my selection meeting. I had this list of names in front of me and couldn't decide who to go for...

Steve Ward, Elliot Whitehead, Ben Currie, Mark Minichiello, Liam Farrell, and Atelea Vea.

Sadly for the Saint, I ruled him out of contention because he'd only played seven games, even though he was great in them. Which means I've got to pick two from five, but frankly I like them all. I'd probably change my mind tomorrow and pick two others but for today I'd go for Liam Farrell and Elliott Whitehead.

Loose forward

Some teams play another big man in this role but I'm being more conventional and selecting a smaller, faster player. John Bateman played there in the World Club Series game against the Broncos and would start in that position if I had to select a team today.

What would your team be?