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Best British player of the SL era


Best British player of SL era  

69 members have voted

  1. 1. Who’s the best British player of the SL era?

    • Andy Farrell
      12
    • Paul Sculthorpe
      22
    • Kieron Cunningham
      3
    • Paul Newlove
      1
    • Jason Robinson
      1
    • Keith Senior
      0
    • Jamie Peacock
      9
    • Adrian Morley
      2
    • Iestyn Harris
      1
    • Gareth Ellis
      1
    • James Roby
      9
    • Sean O’Loughlin
      1
    • Kevin Sinfield
      3
    • Sam Burgess
      2
    • Danny McGuire
      0
    • Other
      2


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Really tricky one this as there are some fantastic players in that list.

Thinking it through though, if I had to pick a team to win a game with each of these players available at their very best then the first name on the team sheet would be Kieron Cunningham.

"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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Peacock managed it at two clubs and in two positions.

Suggests above all others that there was no element of luck - none of the Ryan Bailey about his achievements.

 

That being said, the one I'd pay to watch above all others is Paul Newlove.

People called Romans they go the house

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I marvel over the Saints combination of Sean Long and Tommy Martyn. Individually, they were excellent, together, unplayable and could do things others could only dream off. 

It’s also hard to overlook McGuire and Burrow at Leeds, as a neutral, they were a great watch, as someone who watched the two of them during what felt like Groundhog Day, they were agonising to watch. 

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I actually think its pretty difficult to separate 4 or 5 depending on what criteria you choose. For all round talent Farrell and Sculthorpe could do it all. For sheer longevity and playing at an incredible standard for a long period Roby. Someone like Peacock was fearless.

For me players like Sam Burgess and Morley also reached their real heights in the NRL.

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Pains me to say it - but probably Andy Farrell. Played at half back, loose forward, even at prop. Could pass, field kick, goal kick and had incredible strength.

He and Sculthorpe both brilliant, but Farrell edges it for longevity.

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4 minutes ago, Chris22 said:

Pains me to say it - but probably Andy Farrell. Played at half back, loose forward, even at prop. Could pass, field kick, goal kick and had incredible strength.

He and Sculthorpe both brilliant, but Farrell edges it for longevity.

And yet, at the moment Farrell doesn't have any votes. 

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Why is James Graham not on the list? He is regarded very highly by Australian commentators. According to Phil Gould, James Graham revolutionized the way that prop forwards play the game.

The fact that there are only three players on the list who played in the NRL points to a political or cultural bias by the thread creator. James Graham, John Bateman, Gareth Widdop, and Sam Tomkins all should be on the list. John Bateman even won the Dally M second rower of the year in 2019!  It is those four, along with Sam Burgess, Gareth Ellis, and Adrian Morley (all NRL champions), plus Keiron Cunningham, and Paul Sculthorpe, who are the only legitimate contenders.

Before the SL era most of the best British players of all time had enjoyed success playing in the Australian competition. I am referring to Dick Huddart, Cliff Watson, Tommy Bishop, Roger Millward, Malcolm Reilly, Ellery Hanley, Gary Schofield,  Jonathan Davies, and Martin Offiah. 

Seven players with NRL achievements and only two without is about the right balance of contenders in this day and age.

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Sculthorpe probably, but Adrian Morley would push him close, given that Moz actually went and performed in the Big League. Not only that, he excelled over there. Sam Burgess for me, was a class apart in the more recent years.

Too many of these other guys never left the north of England. Sinfield was a great club 13,  but far too small and lightweight at Test level.

 

 

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50 minutes ago, Manfred Mann said:

Why is James Graham not on the list? He is regarded very highly by Australian commentators. According to Phil Gould, James Graham revolutionized the way that prop forwards play the game.

The fact that there are only three players on the list who played in the NRL points to a political or cultural bias by the thread creator. James Graham, John Bateman, Gareth Widdop, and Sam Tomkins all should be on the list. John Bateman even won the Dally M second rower of the year in 2019!  It is those four, along with Sam Burgess, Gareth Ellis, and Adrian Morley (all NRL champions), plus Keiron Cunningham, and Paul Sculthorpe, who are the only legitimate contenders.

Before the SL era most of the best British players of all time had enjoyed success playing in the Australian competition. I am referring to Dick Huddart, Cliff Watson, Tommy Bishop, Malcolm Reilly, and Martin Offiah. 

Seven players with NRL achievements and only two without is about the right balance of contenders in this day and age.

Sorry Manfred, next time I’ll include some more players with NRL experience like Richie Mathers and Jordan Tansey

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2 hours ago, DoubleD said:

Sorry Manfred, next time I’ll include some more players with NRL experience like Richie Mathers and Jordan Tansey

Don't try to be a smart aleck. Look at the list I have assembled. And then look at your skewered list.

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7 hours ago, ghost crayfish said:

I always thought Iestyn Harris was highly overrated. Sean Long would sit much better on this list, to me. The winner is surely Paul Sculpthorpe though. In his prime years, he was in the same class as Fittler and Johns. 

Iestyn Harris from Oldham is the most overrated "Welshman" ever, apart from his former team mate Ian Watson.

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Again a poster fails to see what this poll is for, SL players who are British and played in the SL not the NRL. Top list agree on Graham as one of the top, this was a difficult choice but Farrell for me and as a wire it was not easy to vote that way. 

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1 hour ago, ELBOWSEYE said:

Again a poster fails to see what this poll is for, SL players who are British and played in the SL not the NRL. Top list agree on Graham as one of the top, this was a difficult choice but Farrell for me and as a wire it was not easy to vote that way. 

Sorry to have to correct you, but you have got it very wrong. The thread title says nothing about players who played in the SL, not the NRL. It says "greatest British player of the SL era." That can include players who did and didn't play in the NRL.

My list would seem to be the most relevant:

James Graham, John Bateman, Gareth WiddopSam TomkinsSam Burgess, Gareth Ellis, Adrian Morley, Keiron Cunningham, and Paul Sculthorpe,

Maybe one could add Jamie Peacock and Danny McGuire

But Iestyn Harris, and Andy Farrell, who was a complete flop, who went missing at international level, should not be on the list. Ditto Keith Senior And for heaven's sake, the often much overhyped Kevin Sinfield, was always anonymous at international level  -- except on the occasion that he ran out of the defensive line against New Zealand at the 2013 World Cup semi-final, and allowed Shaun Johnson to sidestep him and score the winning try. Sinfield's absurd winning of the Golden Boot one year made the award the laughing stock of Australia and New Zealand.

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40 minutes ago, Manfred Mann said:

Sorry to have to correct you, but you have got it very wrong. The thread title says nothing about players who played in the SL, not the NRL. It says "greatest British player of the SL era." That can include players who did and didn't play in the NRL.

My list would seem to be the most relevant:

James Graham, John Bateman, Gareth WiddopSam TomkinsSam Burgess, Gareth Ellis, Adrian Morley, Keiron Cunningham, and Paul Sculthorpe,

Maybe one could add Jamie Peacock and Danny McGuire

But Iestyn Harris, and Andy Farrell, who was a complete flop, who went missing at international level, should not be on the list. Ditto Keith Senior And for heaven's sake, the often much overhyped Kevin Sinfield, was always anonymous at international level  -- except on the occasion that he ran out of the defensive line against New Zealand at the 2017 World Cup semi-final, and allowed Shaun Johnson to sidestep him and score the winning try. Sinfield's absurd winning of the Golden Boot one year made the award the laughing stock of Australia and New Zealand.

Again your ignorance knows no bounds, most of those on the list are LEGENDS of the British game. And even as a wire widdop would struggle to make the top 100 British players of the SL era. 

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26 minutes ago, ELBOWSEYE said:

Again your ignorance knows no bounds, most of those on the list are LEGENDS of the British game. And even as a wire widdop would struggle to make the top 100 British players of the SL era. 

Most of those on the thread poster's list list are legends only in your eyes.

Widdop's reputation should be based on his best days, which were in Australia. He was groomed by and played for the top notch Melbourne Storm, where he was a fixture. Bellamy and the club did not want to let him go, but St George offered him more money. At St. George-Illawarra he was on the short list one year for the Dally M.  Gareth Widdop is still so highly regarded that some NRL clubs are now trying to lure him back.

And you have no response to my put downs of Oldham "Welshman" Iestyn Harris, or the sad international flop Andy Farrrell, or Keith Senior, or especially Shaun Johnson's play toy Kevin Sinfield ("Kevin who?" they asked in Australia when he won the Golden Boot.)

So it seems that you are the ignorant one.

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18 minutes ago, Manfred Mann said:

Most of those on the thread poster's list list are legends only in your eyes.

Widdop's reputation should be based on his best days, which were in Australia. He was groomed by and played for the top notch Melbourne Storm, where he was a fixture. Bellamy and the club did not want to let him go, but St George offered him more money. At St. George-Illawarra he was on the short list one year for the Dally M.  Gareth Widdop is still so highly regarded that some NRL clubs are now trying to lure him back.

And you have no response to my put downs of Oldham "Welshman" Iestyn Harris, or the sad international flop Andy Farrrell, or Keith Senior, or especially Shaun Johnson's play toy Kevin Sinfield ("Kevin who?" they asked in Australia when he won the Golden Boot.)

So it seems that you are the ignorant one.

I did not go through your post line by line it would need a day to respond to the range of remarks to players I can guess you have never had the pleasure to watch live, your "putdowns" are infantile at best. 

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