Best British player of the SL era

[Manfred Mann]

24 minutes ago, ELBOWSEYE said:

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. 

Of course. "I would need a day to respond." That is a pretty feeble attempted escape hatch you are using. You mean to say; "I have no answer."

And you would be completely wrong to guess, on the basis of no knowledge, that I have never had the pleasure to watch live. i have had the pleasure to watch live in several different countries:  UK, France, USA, and Australia. I have watched club games, and Grand finals, and Challenge Cup Finals, and State of Origin and numerous internationals live. I saw the great Paul Sculthorpe play when he was the only star for Great Britain against Australia some 18 years ago. I watched live the late great legend Arthur Beetson innumerable times, and met him more than once in England. I have met Iestyn Harris and his family personally after a Test loss in England. I have sat near Andy Farrell watching a London Broncos home game. I am a friend of many former French international players. This is just a fragment of my life experience at games. So my live experience of rugby league is, I am sure, much better than yours.

[ELBOWSEYE]

8 minutes ago, Manfred Mann said:

Of course. "I would need a day to respond." That is a pretty feeble attempted escape hatch you are using. You mean to say; "I have no answer."

And you would be completely wrong to guess, on the basis of no knowledge, that I have never had the pleasure to watch live. i have had the pleasure to watch live in several different countries:  UK, France, USA, and Australia. I have watched club games, and Grand finals, and Challenge Cup Finals, and State of Origin and numerous internationals live. I met the late great legend Arthur Beetson more than once. I have met Iestyn Harris and his family personally after a Test. I have sat near Andy Farrell watching a London Broncos home game. I am a friend of many former French international players. This is just a fragment of my life experience at games. So my live experience of rugby league is, I am sure, much better than yours.

Again a childish response. Its what we call my dads bigger than your dad response. 

[Manfred Mann]

1 minute ago, ELBOWSEYE said:

Again a childish response. Its what we call my dads bigger than your dad response. 

You made the baseless allegation about my mythical lack of experience of live games. I simply rebutted your silly comment.

Again you have no intelligent answers, only pathetic attempts at personal insult based on no knowledge.

[ELBOWSEYE]

1 minute ago, Manfred Mann said:

You made the baseless allegation about my mythical lack of experience of live games. I simply rebutted your silly comment.

Again you have no intelligent answers, only pathetic attempts at personal insult based on no knowledge.

I think we are better ignoring each other, I will not respond directly to your postings so it doesn't get personal and I ask you to do the same. 

[JM2010]

10 hours 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, Roger Millward, Malcolm Reilly, Ellery Hanley, 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 

I'm not saying the players who played in the NRL aren't worth a vote but it's best British player of SL era so some of the names on the list played a big part of their careers in Australia so haven't made as big an impact on SL as players like Roby, Farrell, Sculthorpe etc

[Harry Stottle]

4 hours ago, Manfred Mann said:

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.

For once I am in total agreement with you Manfred.

[Harry Stottle]

I am always dubios about these 'who is the best polls' it is all down to personal opinions and carries no substance, just like a MOM award watching TV and seeing who has received the MOM, If anyone tells me they have never said out loud "WHO" or scoffed at the choice then I would find it hard to believe.

But, when asking for the best player of a certain vintage there are just to many ponderables, I would not expect a Prop to do what a Winger can do or vice a versa each has there own place.

[Tonka]

I've gone Farrell.  Marginally above Cunningham, Sculthorpe, Burgess and Roby for me.

[dkw]

Paul Sculthorpe for me, he had pretty much everything in his game with no weakness. He was a great leader and captain and gave everything for his team

Oh look, Manfredd Mann ruining another potentially good thread with a moronic NRLcentric post that has nothing to do with the question, bet no one expected that...

[M j M]

7 minutes ago, dkw said:

 

Oh look, Manfredd Mann ruining another potentially good thread with a moronic NRLcentric post that has nothing to do with the question, bet no one expected that...

Yes, DNFTT people.

[Davo5]

4 hours 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.

Not much point in replying to biased,unfounded & childish “putdowns” by a troll.

[Davo5]

20 minutes ago, dkw said:

Paul Sculthorpe for me, he had pretty much everything in his game with no weakness. He was a great leader and captain and gave everything for his team

Oh look, Manfredd Mann ruining another potentially good thread with a moronic NRLcentric post that has nothing to do with the question, bet no one expected that...

Yeap as per usual,but had to laugh at him calling Farrell a flop at Test level then putting Widdop on the list

[Dunbar]

While these types of polls are entirely subjective and there can never be any right or wrong answer, they always show two types of response.

The first is when people use a poll or question like this to remember the great players they have seen and describe why they were so good.

The second is those who use it as an opportunity to pick out players and say how $%^& they were.  It says a lot about the personality of the poster for me.

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

A better question may be who would be in your all time Super League British 13. I’d pick.

1 Radlinski

2 Robinson

3 Watkins

4 Senior

5 Hall

6 Sinfield

7 Long

8 Graham

9 Cunningham

10 Peacock

11 Farrell

12 Ellis

13 Burgess

[Tommygilf]

4 hours ago, Manfred Mann said:

Some people seem to have forgotten:

Shaun Johnson vs "Kevin who?"

https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/11/23/johnson-magic-sends-kiwis-to-world-cup-final/

Any more evidence of NRL myopia than a man who has never won any trophy with any team being even put near Kevin Sinfield?

[DavidM]

29 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

While these types of polls are entirely subjective and there can never be any right or wrong answer, they always show two types of response.

The first is when people use a poll or question like this to remember the great players they have seen and describe why they were so good.

The second is those who use it as an opportunity to pick out players and say how $%^& they were.  It says a lot about the personality of the poster for me.

Thirdly , people who look at someone’s subjective valid opinion ... and tell them they’re wrong !!

[Just Browny]

1 hour ago, dkw said:

Paul Sculthorpe for me, he had pretty much everything in his game with no weakness. He was a great leader and captain and gave everything for his team

 

 

Yep, I voted for Judas too.

[arcticchris]

Wigan fan here and would put Sculthorpe and Farrell above the rest but incredibly hard to choose between them.

[Lowdesert]

Sculthorpe for me.  

He was an absolute stand out in the academy and was tough in enough to create an impact immediately he played in the first team (only 17 I think).  GB as a 19/20 year old in the 2nd row and had all the skills.  

Peacock & McGuire close runners up.

 

[Tonka]

It's a bit tangential this, but Farrell's achievements are something else really.  370 games for Wigan, over 3000 points, 45 GB/Eng caps, youngest ever GB captain, lord knows how many trophies at Wigan, 8 caps in union, coached Saracens, England, the Lions Munster, and Ireland in union.

He's still only 45 and looks like he could turn out for a Championship club!

I'm not arguing for him being anybody's best ever SL era player, but by any standards he's bloody prolific at the highest level.

I barely saw him play a bad game for Wigan, although the Aussies got to him a few times at international level I felt.

[OMEGA]

Its impossible to pick one player!

The positions are so different, how do you compare a prop like Peacock with a Centre like Newlove or a Half Back like Long?

Added to that the game is so much different to what it was 25 years ago, for example how can you judge who is the better Full Back between Wellens and Tomkins as their role in the team, their job description is almost unrecognisable from each other.

If I we’re picking a best of Super League era team with all players in their correct positions that is another matter but selecting one player can’t be done.

[JohnM]

10 hours 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. 

The title etc only asks "Best British Player of the SL era" No other distinction. 

[Mr Frisky]

10 hours ago, Manfred Mann said:

Of course. "I would need a day to respond." That is a pretty feeble attempted escape hatch you are using. You mean to say; "I have no answer."

And you would be completely wrong to guess, on the basis of no knowledge, that I have never had the pleasure to watch live. i have had the pleasure to watch live in several different countries:  UK, France, USA, and Australia. I have watched club games, and Grand finals, and Challenge Cup Finals, and State of Origin and numerous internationals live. I saw the great Paul Sculthorpe play when he was the only star for Great Britain against Australia some 18 years ago. I watched live the late great legend Arthur Beetson innumerable times, and met him more than once in England. I have met Iestyn Harris and his family personally after a Test loss in England. I have sat near Andy Farrell watching a London Broncos home game. I am a friend of many former French international players. This is just a fragment of my life experience at games. So my live experience of rugby league is, I am sure, much better than yours.

The biggest issue we have here with this joker is he is claiming to have some friends....

[OMEGA]

 

1. Tomkins - Wellens
2. Makinson - Robinson
3. Gleeson - Connolly
4. Newlove - Senior
5. Hall - Carney 
6. McGuire - Harris
7. Long - Brough
8. Peacock - Walmsley
9. Roby - Newton
10. Graham - Fielden
11. Farrell - Joynt
12. Burgess - Ellis
13. Sculthorpe - O’Loughlin

 

[Human Punk]

Some great names on that list. among them I think Sculthorpe and Farrell were iconic figures of their time - Scully v Farrell was almost as keenly anticipated as Saints v Wigan itself.

I went for Sculthorpe down to his GB displays, which were at times brilliant. Farrell, as captain, tended to try too hard - it was like he felt he had to lead by example for the full 80 minutes - and his performances suffered badly for it.