think in toms case he's maybe suffered a bit both ways due to his surname. Whilst theres understandably a bit of hype and raised expectations due to him being a burgess, I also feel that some people are being overly negative about him and talking his performances down a bit for same reason. From little we've seen off him in 1st team so far he certainly made a bigger impact for me than crossly did in his appearances last year. I know Toms coming into a stronger team and deing eased in a bit gentler than crossley was but that withstanding think he looks a decent prospect so far.

There's a lot of sense in there.

In terms of people "talking him down" because of the hype or because of his name, I can only speak for myself and I deny that is the case. Tom has played in the U20s in a very similar fashion to how he's played in the first team. Solid but without "ripping it up". He's had his moments with some strong runs and big tackles, but hasn't really dominated games at that level, which is how many players announce their right to a first team spot. What has impressed me about Tom though, and I totally agree that his introduction has been a total success, is that he does look just the same in the first team as he did in the U20s, which ateotd is a big compliment when you think about it.