The Greatest Team

[DavidM]

On the main forum there's a thread about clubs greatest all time teams and it's very interesting and engendering debate .It's pretty dark times right now but we've had great periods in history . Apologies if this has been done but what is your greatest team or the best you've seen from watching ? I'm still working on mine ...

[DavidM]

From the mists of my memory to recently 

1. Mark Mulligan.                              2. Des Drummond.                         3. Paddy Tuimavave.                        4. Tony Kay.                                      5. Stuart Cocker.                              6. Ken Kerr.                                      7. Shane Varley.                              8. Jimmy Pickering.                        9. Phil McKenzie.                            10. Rowland Phillips.                         11. Jarrod Stack.                            12. Martin Oglanby.                           13. Brad Hepi.                                  

14. Jarrod Sammut.                       15. Colin Armstrong.                       16. Barry Williams.                         17. Lusi Sione

apologies to many I'll have missed / temporarily forgotten or can't sneak in 

[Old standoff]

So are  we picking this dream team on say teams from our recent history and disregarding  our all time great players which that team surely suggests with no Charlton, Edgar, Risman,Southward, to name a few David.

[DavidM]

No whatever , either , I thought I'd said , sorry .

[westizbest]

Limmer instead of sammut surely 

[Town Army]

All personal opinion really isn't it. My teams are usually the players I've enjoyed watching most, even if others had a bit more ability.

1. Mulligan

2. Drummond

3. Kay.

4. Fawcett.

5. Baildon.

6. Ellis.

7. Sammut.

8. Pickering.

9. Limmer. 

10. R. Phillips.

11. Stack.

12. Williams.

13. Hepi.

Bench - JT, Sione, McKenzie, Oglanby. 

Could probably start again and pick a completely different 1-17.

 

[westizbest]

Mick Jenkins was a good un

[Onreport]

Eddie Bowman, Brian Edgar,Les Gorley  and Boxer would have to be in surely??

[townie88]

Every team needs a weldon saymen ?

[DavidM]

22 minutes ago, townie88 said:

Every team needs a weldon saymen ?

Like us now ! 

[Onreport]

Virtually Impossible to compare players from different era's but I have gone for the guys who I believe would have been able to play in any era. But you can bet I will have overlooked someone.

1. Paul Charlton

2. Ike Southward

3 (Cant decide between these 2 locals) Tony Kay or Ian Wright

4 (Again toss up between two great centres from outside the area, Paddy Tuimavave.or Kieran O'Laughlin

5.Des Drummond

6. John Burke, Didnt see the best of him due to injury but surely the best I have seen in no. 6

7. Boxer Walker

8. James Pickering

9. Phil McKenzie (squeezed Smiler out but only just)

10. Eddie Bowman

11. Les Gorley

12. Brian Edgar (recently voted best second rower of all time by Alex Murphy)

13. Ken Goodall (but Bill Patt ran  him close)

 

And on my bench

John Lomax

Ken Kerr

Kevin Ellis

Ray Glastonbury

[DavidM]

1 minute ago, Onreport said:

Virtually Impossible to compare players from different era's but I have gone for the guys who I believe would have been able to play in any era. But you can bet I will have overlooked someone.

1. Paul Charlton

2. Ike Southward

3 (Cant decide between these 2 locals) Tony Kay or Ian Wright

4 (Again toss up between two great centres from outside the area, Paddy Tuimavave.or Kieran O'Laughlin

5.Des Drummond

6. John Burke, Didnt see the best of him due to injury but surely the best I have seen in no. 6

7. Boxer Walker

8. James Pickering

9. Phil McKenzie (squeezed Smiler out but only just)

10. Eddie Bowman

11. Les Gorley

12. Brian Edgar (recently voted best second rower of all time by Alex Murphy)

13. Ken Goodall (but Bill Patt ran  him close)

 

And on my bench

John Lomax

Ken Kerr

Kevin Ellis

Ray Glastonbury

Are those all from players you watched chief ?

[Onreport]

Just now, DavidM said:

Are those all from players you watched chief ?

Absolutely, been watching Town home and away since mid sixties Used to sit on the wall them days), To be honest I could have picked a few more but only saw them towards end of their careers so hard to judge.

[DavidM]

Great stuff

[Brookie]

No Matt McLeod?

[Onreport]

4 minutes ago, Brookie said:

No Matt McLeod?

Afraid he didn't make the cut mate

[DavidM]

47 minutes ago, Onreport said:

Absolutely, been watching Town home and away since mid sixties Used to sit on the wall them days), To be honest I could have picked a few more but only saw them towards end of their careers so hard to judge.

My first season I recall was very early 80s and mainly Johnny Jones scoring tries , Lynn kicking goals and Shane Varley scampering around . Bit of a sentimental pick that one from misty but good childhood memories 

[Old standoff]

1 hour ago, Onreport said:

Virtually Impossible to compare players from different era's but I have gone for the guys who I believe would have been able to play in any era. But you can bet I will have overlooked someone.

1. Paul Charlton

2. Ike Southward

3 (Cant decide between these 2 locals) Tony Kay or Ian Wright

4 (Again toss up between two great centres from outside the area, Paddy Tuimavave.or Kieran O'Laughlin

5.Des Drummond

6. John Burke, Didnt see the best of him due to injury but surely the best I have seen in no. 6

7. Boxer Walker

8. James Pickering

9. Phil McKenzie (squeezed Smiler out but only just)

10. Eddie Bowman

11. Les Gorley

12. Brian Edgar (recently voted best second rower of all time by Alex Murphy)

13. Ken Goodall (but Bill Patt ran  him close)

 

And on my bench

John Lomax

Ken Kerr

Kevin Ellis

Ray Glastonbury

Just about exactly the same as I had NSW but maybe could slot in Harry Archer and Okesene too.

[DavidM]

I wonder if anyone who watched Sol and Boxer would say who was the better . My old man thinks Harry Archer and Sol are the absolute tops to this day , and still has a craic with Harry regularly . He told him the key to a good side is a good pack , and we had one 

[Old standoff]

Ye, I would say boxer  was an enigma and one off and was probably more creative but Sol  Roper was no slouch  either but he was an absolute tackling machine and as many say probably the best uncapped scrumhalf of his era.

[Onreport]

19 minutes ago, Old standoff said:

Just about exactly the same as I had NSW but maybe could slot in Harry Archer and Okesene too.

Fair shout but hard to go past Jimmy and Eddie up front, rated John Lomax very highly but wedd didnt  see the form he subsequently showed for Canberra and NZ. Harry great player but maybe a little off the pace for today?

[shaun mc]

Just those I've seen play

Mulligan (didn't quite see Charlo at his best)

Drummond

Kay

Kerr

Fawcett

Sammut

Boxer

Pickering

McKenzie

Bowman

Gorley L

Gorley P

Pattinson

Bench - Lunt S, Buck, Hepi, Varley 

 

[DavidM]

I may have to ' rest ' Cocker and put in Vinny Fawcett .  Remember thinking that was a pretty unimpressive signing but boy when he got going he was the real deal for that relatively short time . Honourable mention to Ged Byrne. Him and Mackenzie really kicked us on with their experience 

[Seaton Sandy]

As some have pointed out the game was totally different in the days when scrums were fiercely contested and a good rake could provide shedloads of possession. Alan Banks was the best hooker I've seen in that era. Put Harry Beverley and Ian Hartley into the mix along with Brad Hepi and Bob Blackwood and you have a pack that would strike fear into most visitors. Tony Kay and Shemmy Collister would boss the job out wide while king Kenny Kerr and Boxer would run the show. I'm drooling at the very thought of a line up like that!

 

[Old standoff]

Good to see  Ken Goodall mentioned Irish RU international shame he ended with a serious injury seen him score a few full length of the fielders was like a great giraffe when he got motoring. My mate knows Harry well and he said if anybody threw him a bad pass he didn't bother trying to catch it and just knocked it down so I don't think we would see much action out of him with our current passing.