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Ellery Hanley...


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13 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Thought I would drag this thread back to the surface because I came across this today.

In 2004, in response to the 'Great Britons' survey (which didn't include any black people in the top 100), a survey to find the greatest black Briton was carried out... after a 100,000 responses the list was tallied.

The full list is here The top 100 list in full | London Evening Standard but there were no sportspeople in the top 10 but Ellery Hanley came it at number 11.

This is ahead of athletes like Daley Thompson (17), Linford Christie (53) and footballers John Barnes (43), Ian Wright (52) and Viv Anderson (60).  

 Martin Offiah also came in at 44 so great to see two Rugby League players recognized by the wider public.

Being quite introverted in Rugby League all those years ago it is interesting to see how Hanley and Offiah transcended the sport and were more recognized than some other really well known athletes.

If you held a survey of the general public now of Rugby League players these 2 would be the names that would be most prominent, but that's what you get for selling your soul to a satellite pay channel, it might finance the game at present but there's nothing super about Super League in terms of personalities or recognition by the public at large, the game has disappeared off the radar for most of the population.

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1 minute ago, Clogiron said:

If you held a survey of the general public now of Rugby League players these 2 would be the names that would be most prominent, but that's what you get for selling your soul to a satellite pay channel, it might finance the game at present but there's nothing super about Super League in terms of personalities or recognition by the public at large, the game has disappeared off the radar for most of the population.

Yes, I agree that is where we are. And the obvious and clearest way out of this is to get more Rugby League on terrestrial TV and in particular international League. This should be far and away the highest priority for the sport.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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10 minutes ago, Clogiron said:

If you held a survey of the general public now of Rugby League players these 2 would be the names that would be most prominent, but that's what you get for selling your soul to a satellite pay channel, it might finance the game at present but there's nothing super about Super League in terms of personalities or recognition by the public at large, the game has disappeared off the radar for most of the population.

Happy New Year! 😊

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16 minutes ago, Clogiron said:

If you held a survey of the general public now of Rugby League players these 2 would be the names that would be most prominent, but that's what you get for selling your soul to a satellite pay channel, it might finance the game at present but there's nothing super about Super League in terms of personalities or recognition by the public at large, the game has disappeared off the radar for most of the population.

Care to mention a major sport that hasn't sold it's soul to a pay channel?

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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11 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Care to mention a major sport that hasn't sold it's soul to a pay channel?

Can't help you with that, but can you name one of those sports that sky doesn't promote the participants of in other programming/advertising other than RL? Or why the game thinks they have done us a big favour by having Chris Kammara  pass comment on it?

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12 minutes ago, Clogiron said:

Can't help you with that, but can you name one of those sports that sky doesn't promote the participants of in other programming/advertising other than RL? Or why the game thinks they have done us a big favour by having Chris Kamara  pass comment on it?

Different question. That Sky Sports take us for granted is a long-established grievance, and nobody likes it.

And, may I add "UNBELIEVABLE, JEFF!"

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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3 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Different question. That Sky Sports take us for granted is a long-established grievance, and nobody likes it.

And, may I add "UNBELIEVABLE, JEFF!"

My contention is that despite what Uncle Mo' told us at the time (not that he had any thing to gain from it😶) RL was in a much stronger public position than it is now, and that is despite a magnificent GF that should have made a massive impact nationwide. National perception of RL at present centres around Rob Burrow, and to me that doesn't seem right however admirable the cause is.

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On 30/08/2020 at 16:08, GUBRATS said:

You mean like " he was a supremely talented player " ? , Like that bit you mean ? 

It's his ' persona ' I am not a fan of , which is my opinion , maybe if he'd smile a bit more often , as I said , he's from Yorkshire , so always seems a bit depressed 

Paul Scholes was a fantastic footballer , Roy Keane similarily , but they are THE worst pundits in the history of the game 

Are you mad Roy Keane is by far the best pundit on TV on any sport.

Back to Ellery Hanley and the radio interview that was linked to from a thread on this forum  few months ago. It was a fantastic insite into a driven top class athlete. You get the feeling that he would have been the best player in any sport he chose to play- I really cant praise him enough for his outlook on life and how to succeed.

He actually reminded me of that Mohammad Ali quote when he said it didnt matter what he did in life he would have been the best in the world - he said if he was a bin man he would have been the best bin man in the world and you get the feeling that's exactly how Ellery looks at life. In my eyes hes the greatest British sportsman ever.

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2 hours ago, Mr Frisky said:

Are you mad Roy Keane is by far the best pundit on TV on any sport.

I like him he's entertaining. Also an RL fan, as are a few former footballers. It would be good to figure out how to do something with that. 

I was born to run a club like this. Number 1, I do not spook easily, and those who think I do, are wasting their time, with their surprise attacks.

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11 minutes ago, Jinking Jimmy said:

I think that was Green Vigo in 1977.

Thank you. 🙂 Yes you are correct.  It may be I'm dreaming or seeing things, but i believe either up thread or elsewhere someone else corrected me.

In any event it was a spactacular try.

Amongst others about Gill himself was a try I believe he scored at Knowlesly Rd.  A long fizzing miss out pass from Brett Kenny.  A pass so long that Gill was not in the TV frame when he caught it. 

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3 hours ago, Davo5 said:

It really is criminal that Ellery hasn’t been actively involved with the game in this country for over a decade.

He is involved in the Man of Steel weekly voting and presented the trophy at Wembley a few years ago.

He has also appeared as a very good pundit on Sky this season

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1 minute ago, LeeF said:

He is involved in the Man of Steel weekly voting and presented the trophy at Wembley a few years ago.

He has also appeared as a very good pundit on Sky this season

Indeed. Hanley is chairman on the Man of Steel voting panel.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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4 hours ago, Rupert Prince said:

Thank you. 🙂 Yes you are correct.  It may be I'm dreaming or seeing things, but i believe either up thread or elsewhere someone else corrected me.

In any event it was a spactacular try.

Amongst others about Gill himself was a try I believe he scored at Knowlesly Rd.  A long fizzing miss out pass from Brett Kenny.  A pass so long that Gill was not in the TV frame when he caught it. 

Henderson Gill was a special player and a great character.

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afraid if offiah and hanley were at playing age these days then offiah would never have come over from ru as they are now pro and hanley would prob be a full time nrl player and personality - if people want to look at reasons modern sl is void of talent and character there are a lot more factors than sky tv

see you later undertaker - in a while necrophile 

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People also forget when he was Wigan , Leeds and GB captain he very rarely spoke to the media and contributed nothing off the field, often refusing to give interviews. Having said that still the best player I've ever seen.

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On 30/12/2020 at 20:55, Clogiron said:

If you held a survey of the general public now of Rugby League players these 2 would be the names that would be most prominent, but that's what you get for selling your soul to a satellite pay channel, it might finance the game at present but there's nothing super about Super League in terms of personalities or recognition by the public at large, the game has disappeared off the radar for most of the population.

Sam Burgess, Sir Kev and Peacock's faces and names are known amongst 'sports fans' down this way  (basing this on non RL specific work/pub colleagues)...... Not sure many would be able to connect the names to faces but there you go... . Peacock from his CC stuff for the Beeb probably .... A lot would again know the face of Nobby/Robbie-Paul too

Among my RU team mates about a third are nailed on RL fans.... SL and NRL.... All mostly southern with some Irish/Welsh chucked in

For all the lamenting people do on here about the 90s Wigan side being the last time RL was known nationally - I just don't think it's true.....whenever I bring up with new non rugby people I'm a RL fan they are as likely to bring up the Rhinos period of dominance as much as Wigan's. 

Terrestrial CC games and internationals make a mark down here, loads of people watch and talk to me about it who are not 'rugby' fans. Plenty that enjoy the weekend Sky NRL stuff too

This is despite ALL sport's personalities becoming less visible/well known in the general publics view in my opinion..... I'd wager most people would know have known a lot of the faces in the England soccer team in say 2004......i bet the general public would be much less likely to know as many now

We need to stop beating ourselves up.... RL is an amazing sport/spectacle/drama...... Class will prevail. We will survive and thrive long long into the future 

Remember it's TGG

 

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