Cardiff rugby league statues - vote now

[The Hallucinating Goose]

13 Welsh Rugby league legends have been shortlisted to appear as statues to be erected in Cardiff. Vote for your 3 now! You can also donate to the project. 

https://www.rugbycodebreakers.co.uk/

[Rupert Prince]

1 minute ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

13 Welsh Rugby league legends have been shortlisted to appear as statues to be erected in Cardiff. Vote for your 3 now! 

https://www.rugbycodebreakers.co.uk/

Well, Jim Sullivan is one obviously. Plus Billy Boston.

I would imagine the other would Roy Francis.

Is it really worth putting up a competition after that?  A 'fourth plinth' might be of interest.

[Damien]

Sullivan, Boston and Francis for me but a lot of great names on that list.

[Futtocks]

I voted Clive Sullivan, Billy Boston and Roy Francis. But there are some other good choices available.

 

[Derwent]

Gus Risman should be first name on there

[The Hallucinating Goose]

44 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

I voted Clive Sullivan, Billy Boston and Roy Francis. But there are some other good choices available.

 

That's what I went for as well. 

[audois]

Boston and Risman figure already at Wembley ? If so I went for Clive and Jim Sullivan plus Roy Francis

[The Hallucinating Goose]

4 minutes ago, audois said:

Boston and Risman figure already at Wembley ? If so I went for Clive and Jim Sullivan plus Roy Francis

Isn't there a Billy Boston statue in Wigan as well? Don't see that it matters though, one of the greatest players of all time and it would be nice if thousands of Welsh people walked past him every day in Cardiff Bay and found out who he is, that would be great for all the players on the list to be fair because I imagine the vast majority of the names are pretty much unknown to the Welsh General public. 

[Rupert Prince]

1 minute ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Isn't there a Billy Boston statue in Wigan as well? Don't see that it matters though, one of the greatest players of all time and it would be nice if thousands of Welsh people walked past him every day in Cardiff Bay and found out who he is, that would be great for all the players on the list to be fair because I imagine the vast majority of the names are pretty much unknown to the Welsh General public. 

This is ths point, its supposed to be in Cardiff and specifically for Welsh RL players.  Limiting it to 3 is a problem.

But in the context of iconic players then the first ought to be Jim Sullivan.  I seem to have read that Sullivan could not afford shoes so went north.  This is the whole ethos of Welsh players going north in a nutshell.   I cannot see how you cannot put Boston on the list. Some very tough decisions after that, but if the criteria is iconography then Roy Francis must be close.  This is hard on Gus Risman and Clive Sullivan. 

[jannerboyuk]

About time https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/54348482

[Hopping Mad]

4 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

That's what I went for as well. 

Me, too.

[Niels]

I was surprised David Watkins wasn't on the list, though he wasn't born in Cardiff. 

He was the first Welsh player I was aware of in the 70s - he seemed to be a thorn in the side of my team at the time, Bramley!

[Red Willow]

Loved watching Colin Dixon play, Salford and Halifax sometimes play for the trophy named after him

[Clogiron]

Voted for Jim & Clive Sullivan & Roy Francis but hard not to include Boston or Risman

[Ullman]

6 hours ago, Futtocks said:

I voted Clive Sullivan, Billy Boston and Roy Francis. But there are some other good choices available.

 

 

5 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

That's what I went for as well. 

Me too.

[Clogiron]

Nice to see Johnny Freeman's name in there, he's often a forgotten man, in the 57/58 season he scored 38 tries in the first 20 games and looked likley to challenge Rosenfields 80 tries in a season record and secure a tour place unfortunately he suffed a serious knee injury in December and was out of the game for a year. When he came back he had lost the electric pace that made him such a standout player but still remained a good winger up until retirement in 1967

[Futtocks]

Of all the more recent converts (i.e. from the age of colour TV), Gerald Cordle seems an unconventional choice. Fine player, but still.

[M j M]

In the overall context of the history of the game Jim Sullivan is arguably the top pick - but it's very very hard and recency bias counts against him I fear.

I went for Sullivan x 2 plus Francis but hard to say in particular Boston and Risman shouldn't be included.

[jacksy]

8 hours ago, Damien said:

Sullivan, Boston and Francis for me but a lot of great names on that list.

that is my 3

[bobbruce]

Boston, Sullivan and Sullivan for me. 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

It seems we're all pretty much picking from Boston, Sullivan, Sullivan, Risman and Francis with just about every one of us saying Boston. Anyone make a case for any of the other 8 players? 

[George Watt]

18 hours ago, Derwent said:

Gus Risman should be first name on there

He is in my 3 together with Jim Sullivan and Roy Francis.

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

Boston, Jim Sullivan and Francis for me. 

[bromleybulldog]

Very hard to leave out Clive Sullivan and Gus Risman but I voted for Jim Sullivan, Francis and Boston. Also have some great memories of Johnny Freeman and Colin Dixon. A difficult choice!

 And although he was born in Milford Haven, Wattie Davies played all his RU in Cardiff. As a Batley fan it would have been nice to see him on the list!

[audois]

Update via Tony Collins blog

Rugby Reloaded

136. The Rugby Codebreakers redux with Carolyn Hitt