Top class wingers this season

[OMEGA]

Some top class wingers in the comp, can’t remember so many clubs having great wingers at the same time. Maybe go back to Offiah, Robinson, Drummond, Gill, Preston, Myers, McCormack era

• Manfredi
• Burgess
• Marshall
• Makinson
• Grace
• Johnstone
• Jones Bishop
• Eden
• Charnley
• Lynham
• McGilvery
• Uate
• Briscoe

[DoubleD]

4 hours ago, OMEGA said:

Some top class wingers in the comp, can’t remember so many clubs having great wingers at the same time. Maybe go back to Offiah, Robinson, Drummond, Gill, Preston, Myers, McCormack era

• Manfredi
• Burgess
• Marshall
• Makinson
• Grace
• Johnstone
• Jones Bishop
• Eden
• Charnley
• Lynham
• McGilvery
• Uate
• Briscoe

Some top class finishers in that group, rather than top class wingers 

[Col81]

Tom lineham! He's no chance Charnley scored as many as him last year in half the amount of games. According to reports the new signing at hudd from the nrl UATE is supposed to be a good tryscorer

[bobbruce]

6 hours ago, OMEGA said:

Some top class wingers in the comp, can’t remember so many clubs having great wingers at the same time. Maybe go back to Offiah, Robinson, Drummond, Gill, Preston, Myers, McCormack era

• Manfredi
• Burgess
• Marshall
• Makinson
• Grace
• Johnstone
• Jones Bishop
• Eden
• Charnley
• Lynham
• McGilvery
• Uate
• Briscoe

The problem when you go back to previous eras is you merge them as your memory fades. I’m not 100% sure but I think Drummond or Gill were either retired or in the lower leagues when Robinson came through at Wigan. 

[ELBOWSEYE]

7 minutes ago, bobbruce said:

The problem when you go back to previous eras is you merge them as your memory fades. I’m not 100% sure but I think Drummond or Gill were either retired or in the lower leagues when Robinson came through at Wigan. 

The game has evolved since then ,wingers were speed merchants were now finishing abilities require agility, power,ability to hold the ball in one hand ,catching and acrobatic skills,ability to do international sprint times are not needed.

[Damien]

9 minutes ago, ELBOWSEYE said:

The game has evolved since then ,wingers were speed merchants were now finishing abilities require agility, power,ability to hold the ball in one hand ,catching and acrobatic skills,ability to do international sprint times are not needed.

Many wingers these days are just as fast, if not faster, as wingers from years ago anyway. As always there are a lot of rose tinted glasses used when looking back.

[Anonymouse]

a winger is only successful as the team inside him , if the halves and second row , centre play well and feed the ball to your side and you are capable and skillful you will score . it depends on the coaching and game plans , some very good wingers take part in the build up from dummy half but never get the ball in the final attacking plays . If you are on a wing where the team favours the play then you are going to get try's .

 

[ELBOWSEYE]

2 hours ago, Damien said:

Many wingers these days are just as fast, if not faster, as wingers from years ago anyway. As always there are a lot of rose tinted glasses used when looking back.

No rose tinted glasses, just stating whats required now is different. If you look at joel monaghan,he scored at a rate of one try per game over 170 plus games but had no genuine pace, if you speak to former wingers who played as the role of the winger evolved they will tell you the speed requirements were not as important because they would be required to do more work in the first three tackle coming out of their twenty and be judged on yards gained and ability to  get fast ptb .The majority of tries scored now originate in the attacking zones so finishing ability is now more important. 

 

[Damien]

4 minutes ago, ELBOWSEYE said:

No rose tinted glasses, just stating whats required now is different. If you look at joel monaghan,he scorrd at a rate of one try per game over 170 plus games but had no genuine pace, if you speak to former wingers who played as the role of the winger evolved they will tell you the speed requirements were not as important because tgey would be required to do more work in the first three tackle coming out of thrir twenty and be judged on yards gained and abiltit3to get fast ptb .The majority of tries scored now originate in the attacking zones so finishing ability is now more important. 

 

I don't dispute that and there are always exceptions to every rule, Monaghan certainly wasn't a slouch in his younger days either. As all wingers do he slowed as he aged. I was merely pointing out that in my opinion wingers these days are every bit as fast as wingers from yesteryear. They are just much more rounded these days and can do a heck of a lot more as you say.

I'd also argue that one very big reason that you see fewer length of the field tries as previously, again though I would say when you do the wingers look every bit as fast or faster, is that all the players on the field are generally much faster than previously. You don't just have fast wingers and a few quickish backs as you did previously. These days you even have forwards that can run a fairly quick 20 metres and can cover if a winger is getting on the outside and as such space is at a premium.

[Gates1]

If Eden and Luke Gale both stay fit, Eden is highly likely to be top try scorer - odds reflect that.

Only caveate been Powell's talk of a new game plan (could mean less expansive play/more balanced attack between right and left, etc!)

A left field each way shout could be James Claire at 66-1 (Same price as players like Harry Newman and Jake Trueman).  Likely to be Cas 1st choice right winger unless further signings are made, Cas are likely to attack right more than previous years (Trueman) and may move to the left wing if Eden is out for a spell.

 

[Ant]

Any semi capable winger on that left flank for Cas could score a hatful, put Gale anywhere else and he would be back to Calamity Greg 

Tom Johnson looks the business though, if he plays in Wakeys left he will go well, if he plays on the right he will be lucky to see the ball with Brough at halfback.

Charnley is a proven winger at two clubs so he'd be my pick for top try scorer

 

[Padge]

2 hours ago, bobbruce said:

The problem when you go back to previous eras is you merge them as your memory fades. I’m not 100% sure but I think Drummond or Gill were either retired or in the lower leagues when Robinson came through at Wigan. 

Gill's last season at Wigan was 89/90, Robinson's first season was 91/92, Mark Preston played 87/88 - 90/91.

 

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

Leeds might not have the best wingers in the league, (Huddersfield do IMO) but we certainly have the best centre pairing in Kallum Watkins and Konrad Hurrell 

[Dunbar]

6 hours ago, Damien said:

I don't dispute that and there are always exceptions to every rule, Monaghan certainly wasn't a slouch in his younger days either. As all wingers do he slowed as he aged. I was merely pointing out that in my opinion wingers these days are every bit as fast as wingers from yesteryear. They are just much more rounded these days and can do a heck of a lot more as you say.

I'd also argue that one very big reason that you see fewer length of the field tries as previously, again though I would say when you do the wingers look every bit as fast or faster, is that all the players on the field are generally much faster than previously. You don't just have fast wingers and a few quickish backs as you did previously. These days you even have forwards that can run a fairly quick 20 metres and can cover if a winger is getting on the outside and as such space is at a premium.

This is absolutely right. I look back at Ellery Hanley's famous try when he beat 4 men on a run down the right wing.

He wouldn't score that try today... not that he couldn't beat 4 men, just that another 8 or 9 would be there in cover defence.

The scramble defence of modern Rugby League is what has changed the most, not the abilities of the wingers.

(and let me be absolutely clear, this is no criticism of Hanley, he is the finest player I ever saw).

[OMEGA]

Martin Offiah is the best and fastest winger I’ve ever seen in my 50+ years in the game, nothing rose tinted about that view either.

He was far more than lightening quick though, he was also a natural world class support player who popped up on the shoulder of players making breaks whether they were on the left, in the middle, on the right, 80 yards out or 1 yard out!

He scored tries by burning straight down the wing, by weaving his way through defences and by going low and hard where the boots and knees were flying.

He scored tries at every level of the game and against the best defences in the world. He scored playing for Widnes, Wigan, St George & Great Britain. 

The bloke was a once in a lifetime talent and that’s no disrespect to the likes of Drummond, Robinson, Hall etc.

[snapski]

11 minutes ago, OMEGA said:

Martin Offiah is the best and fastest winger I’ve ever seen in my 50+ years in the game, nothing rose tinted about that view either.

He was far more than lightening quick though, he was also a natural world class support player who popped up on the shoulder of players making breaks whether they were on the left, in the middle, on the right, 80 yards out or 1 yard out!

He scored tries by burning straight down the wing, by weaving his way through defences and by going low and hard where the boots and knees were flying.

He scored tries at every level of the game and against the best defences in the world. He scored playing for Widnes, Wigan, St George & Great Britain. 

The bloke was a once in a lifetime talent and that’s no disrespect to the likes of Drummond, Robinson, Hall etc.

Agree with this. Even 20 metres from his own line, if he got the ball in any space you thought try.

 Not many players could scare you that way

[Wollo Wollo Wayoo]

36 minutes ago, OMEGA said:

Martin Offiah is the best and fastest winger I’ve ever seen in my 50+ years in the game, nothing rose tinted about that view either.

The bloke was a once in a lifetime talent .

Are there any stats to compare him to Berwyn Jones as I have seen both in my lifetime?

[Futtocks]

1 hour ago, OMEGA said:

Martin Offiah is the best and fastest winger I’ve ever seen in my 50+ years in the game, nothing rose tinted about that view either.

He was far more than lightening quick though, he was also a natural world class support player who popped up on the shoulder of players making breaks whether they were on the left, in the middle, on the right, 80 yards out or 1 yard out!

He scored tries by burning straight down the wing, by weaving his way through defences and by going low and hard where the boots and knees were flying.

He scored tries at every level of the game and against the best defences in the world. He scored playing for Widnes, Wigan, St George & Great Britain. 

The bloke was a once in a lifetime talent and that’s no disrespect to the likes of Drummond, Robinson, Hall etc.

Astounding pace, and learned to read the game well as the years went by. Not an all-rounder by modern standards, but a thriller of a player.

Still, he finished half a metre behind Parramatta's Lee Oudenryn when they had a 100m race in 1992. 

[DavidM]

1 hour ago, OMEGA said:

Martin Offiah is the best and fastest winger I’ve ever seen in my 50+ years in the game, nothing rose tinted about that view either.

He was far more than lightening quick though, he was also a natural world class support player who popped up on the shoulder of players making breaks whether they were on the left, in the middle, on the right, 80 yards out or 1 yard out!

He scored tries by burning straight down the wing, by weaving his way through defences and by going low and hard where the boots and knees were flying.

He scored tries at every level of the game and against the best defences in the world. He scored playing for Widnes, Wigan, St George & Great Britain. 

The bloke was a once in a lifetime talent and that’s no disrespect to the likes of Drummond, Robinson, Hall etc.

Agreed . Seen nothing like him . Add in pure showbiz on the pitch . Characters in the game ? Boy he was one . Freakish talent 

[Tonka]

Hard to say how new players like Naiqama and Uate will go.

But Charnley, Johnstone and Manfredi to occupy top spots for mine if un-injured.

[Rupert Prince]

2 hours ago, Futtocks said:

Astounding pace, and learned to read the game well as the years went by. Not an all-rounder by modern standards, but a thriller of a player.

Still, he finished half a metre behind Parramatta's Lee Oudenryn when they had a 100m race in 1992. 

It's right about Offiah, both his speed and wider abilities. And I agree is is the best I've seen (since I mainly saw Billy Boston when he was older!).  However it's not only speed, and both I and other Wigan fans will I suspect have a healthy respect for John Ferguson who was quick but also a finisher... and as a finisher I mean someone who scores in tight spaces.

And not to be too biased I have a vast respect for Tom van Vollenhoven. Elegant and deadly.   And Burgess of Barrow was eye watering quick.

I remember Boston and Vollenhoven walking off together after the game when Vollenhoven retired.

[graveyard johnny]

don't be surprised to see Lachlan coote up there with kn 

[Denton Rovers RLFC]

8 hours ago, OMEGA said:

Martin Offiah is the best and fastest winger I’ve ever seen in my 50+ years in the game, nothing rose tinted about that view either.

He was far more than lightening quick though, he was also a natural world class support player who popped up on the shoulder of players making breaks whether they were on the left, in the middle, on the right, 80 yards out or 1 yard out!

He scored tries by burning straight down the wing, by weaving his way through defences and by going low and hard where the boots and knees were flying.

He scored tries at every level of the game and against the best defences in the world. He scored playing for Widnes, Wigan, St George & Great Britain. 

The bloke was a once in a lifetime talent and that’s no disrespect to the likes of Drummond, Robinson, Hall etc.

you never saw Ken Irvine then in the 60s, easily the fastest rugby player of either code ever?

Craig Calvert at his peak was lightening quick, there's a vid of him on YT from a game against Hull KR. Collects the ball behind his line on the full about 5m to the side of the sticks and runs a diagonal plus jogs in and arcs the last 10m towards the posts and does this in around 12seconds according to the timing codes. That's with ball in hand, well over 100m and slowing up. Few players from any era could do that

Offiah best winger, not for me, a professional playing in a pro team amongst many semi pro teams. Top 10 winger, yeah, you'd have an argument for that based on try scoring and in his era had what was needed to make him a superstar, but I'd have other wingers in the modern game over him, a lot of wingers in front of him in fact including many from before his time.

An all time great is one that you could say would slot in any team, any era, any style of play. Offiah isn't that player IMHO, great pace and super backing up, not much else I'm afraid.

[Allora]

I always liked Eric Grothe (senior)

Extreme Power and Pace in his day.

 

[Wolford6]

One contributory factor for a  tryscoring winger is how good his hands are. Gerald Cordle could be a  brilliant winger ... depending on whether he'd caught the ball in the first place.

Lesley Vainikolo had the best catching ability of any winger I've ever seen. He'd pick the ball off his toes whilst running pretty fast.

I never saw Berwyn Jones play. Probably the noticeably-quickest Bradford winger I've seen is David Barends. However, players' fitness and tactical defence has improved out of sight since Superleague so comparison is not really possible.

Anybody remember Rocket Rod Jenson at Huddersfield? He could certainly shift. So could Darren Albert at Saints.