lack of personalities and characters in the modern game here

[graveyard johnny]

the game used to be full to bursting with great players who also came across as great characters to love and hate in equal measure- endearing themselves to the fans - hanley- edwards- offiah -andy gregory sean long- the paul brothers- phil ford- harvey howard- barrie mac -sculthorpe -vainakolo -lowes- newton- morley- i could go on and on and on and on for hours and hours- watching the leeds team yesterday it was instantly forgettable 

most teams seem to consist of jordan bland - josh boring - jack humdrum - joe dull- tom drab - etc etc 

all with lovely coiffured stubble and undistinguishable amounts of pre school scribble on their arms and no doubt glowing instagram accounts but as interesting as tarmac 

 

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

I know what you mean - I was thinking about that when I heard that Tommy Raudonikas had died.

[Hela Wigmen]

There’s loads of players who are “characters” or have interesting, sometimes even emotional backstories, we’re just woeful as a sport of giving/helping these players with a platform to show the other side of their lives. 

[Southerner80]

1 minute ago, Hela Wigmen said:

There’s loads of players who are “characters” or have interesting, sometimes even emotional backstories, we’re just woeful as a sport of giving/helping these players with a platform to show the other side of their lives. 

Agreed. Gigot, Connor, LMS, Hastings, Fages, and many more. They are there. It would help if Skys intro featured Players rather than Robots. That would at least give People some Faces to remember. 

[graveyard johnny]

2 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

There’s loads of players who are “characters” or have interesting, sometimes even emotional backstories, we’re just woeful as a sport of giving/helping these players with a platform to show the other side of their lives. 

did john bentley, paul newlove or kurt sorenson  have a "platform?"

[Hela Wigmen]

Just now, graveyard johnny said:

did john bentley, paul newlove or kurt sorenson  have a "platform?"

Probably more so than now, yes. 

 

[graveyard johnny]

Just now, Hela Wigmen said:

Probably more so than now, yes. 

 

think they were just natural born with it rather than have it moulded by tv people

[Hela Wigmen]

2 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

think they were just natural born with it rather than have it moulded by tv people

That’s got very little to do with it. 

[graveyard johnny]

16 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

 have interesting, sometimes even emotional backstories

it's not xfactor

[Hela Wigmen]

Just now, graveyard johnny said:

it's not xfactor

No, it’s not. But we do have many characters from various walks of life, who’ve seen and experienced a number of situations and it would be nice if there was more coverage of players specifically and their experiences. We have Jonny Lomax, for example, a man who nearly died from a head injury while playing rugby league as a teenager, who fought back from that, made it professionally at Saints, then did both knees and has battled back from that, to nail not one, but two positions and is a back-to-back Super League Grand Final winner and going into a World Cup with England. That’s one example of “character”, something you were calling for in your original post, and is the sort of thing that is interesting, inspiring and not the generic “all credit t’boys” type stuff we do get. 

[Southerner80]

1 minute ago, Hela Wigmen said:

We have Jonny Lomax, for example, a man who nearly died from a head injury while playing rugby league as a teenager, who fought back from that, made it professionally at Saints, then did both knees and has battled back from that, to nail not one, but two positions and is a back-to-back Super League Grand Final winner and going into a World Cup with England. 

Can you imagine how the NRL would build up his profile if he was a player before SOO?

Lomax has a great story.

I remember a feature on Valentine Holmes before 2017 SOO. It was awesome as it told you about his upbringing and his Sister and him moving to Sydney from Queensland to pursue a Pro Career in RL.

[langpark]

There is a simple explanation for this. Raudonikis and previous generations were not under the microscope like the players today are. 

Players today have to be super careful as to what they say and do. If you need a recent example, google: Toby Rudolf, who made some comments a few weeks ago and got slated by the usual suspects: outraged PC mob.

The worst part is, those that lead the voices of criticism are usually those that have never had anything to do with our sport in the first place, but are always the first to chime in when there is an opportunity to rubbish it. 

[Robin Evans]

51 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

the game used to be full to bursting with great players who also came across as great characters to love and hate in equal measure- endearing themselves to the fans - hanley- edwards- offiah -andy gregory sean long- the paul brothers- phil ford- harvey howard- barrie mac -sculthorpe -vainakolo -lowes- newton- morley- i could go on and on and on and on for hours and hours- watching the leeds team yesterday it was instantly forgettable 

most teams seem to consist of jordan bland - josh boring - jack humdrum - joe dull- tom drab - etc etc 

all with lovely coiffured stubble and undistinguishable amounts of pre school scribble on their arms and no doubt glowing instagram accounts but as interesting as tarmac 

 

Gaz Hock? Mcnally. Brierley?  Chase? I can think of a few.

 

[graveyard johnny]

Just now, Hela Wigmen said:

No, it’s not. But we do have many characters from various walks of life, who’ve seen and experienced a number of situations and it would be nice if there was more coverage of players specifically and their experiences. We have Jonny Lomax, for example, a man who nearly died from a head injury while playing rugby league as a teenager, who fought back from that, made it professionally at Saints, then did both knees and has battled back from that, to nail not one, but two positions and is a back-to-back Super League Grand Final winner and going into a World Cup with England. That’s one example of “character”, something you were calling for in your original post, and is the sort of thing that is interesting, inspiring and not the generic “all credit t’boys” type stuff we do get. 

he may be determined and spirited in himself as a player but he doesn't have the sporting celeb factor that say jamie lyon had

[langpark]

Brandon "Cheese" Smith is quite a character if the current generation of players.

Aside from being the funny guy, he also has quite an interesting story and has overcome a lot to get where he has today:

 

[graveyard johnny]

2 minutes ago, Robin Evans said:

Gaz Hock? Mcnally. Brierley?  Chase? I can think of a few.

 

its 2021 now mate

[ELBOWSEYE]

Bateman, Hardaker, charnley, hastings, mcshane, plenty of characters but generally hidden on sky. 

[Robin Evans]

Just now, graveyard johnny said:

its 2021 now mate

Did the modern game only begin this season?

[graveyard johnny]

Just now, langpark said:

Brandon "Cheese" Smith is quite a character if the current generation of players.

Aside from being the funny guy, he also has quite an interesting story and has overcome a lot to get where he has today:

 

talking about the uk on this thread - the nrl is awash with characters and personalities 

[Hela Wigmen]

3 minutes ago, Southerner80 said:

Can you imagine how the NRL would build up his profile if he was a player before SOO?

Lomax has a great story.

I remember a feature on Valentine Holmes before 2017 SOO. It was awesome as it told you about his upbringing and his Sister and him moving to Sydney from Queensland to pursue a Pro Career in RL.

Exactly. Our pre and post game Sky stuff is woeful and rather than build up stuff like Lomax, LMS coming from London, Walmsley and/Grace’s unorthodox routes to the top, Fages coming to England at 16 or Thompson’s charity work in Australia, they talk clichès for 15 minutes. 

[Hela Wigmen]

5 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

he may be determined and spirited in himself as a player but he doesn't have the sporting celeb factor that say jamie lyon had

How do you know? We don’t give players an opportunity on Sky pre or post game, there’s no magazine programmes anymore and our coverage is decreasing due to various levels of ineptitude within the sport. Sixteen years ago, when Lyon signed, the sport was in a very different place and we’ve not moved with the times and embraced change, so it’s little wonder Lomax (or anyone else) don’t get the coverage they deserve. 

[graveyard johnny]

1 minute ago, Hela Wigmen said:

Exactly. Our pre and post game Sky stuff is woeful and rather than build up stuff like Lomax, LMS coming from London, Walmsley and/Grace’s unorthodox routes to the top, Fages coming to England at 16 or Thompson’s charity work in Australia, they talk clichès for 15 minutes. 

i will agree with that - you are saying sky are stifling character to suit their own agenda?

[Man of Kent]

[Hela Wigmen]

Just now, graveyard johnny said:

i will agree with that - you are saying sky are stifling character to suit their own agenda?

Not to suit their agenda. I don’t believe they have an agenda or any sort of prejudice against Rugby League but the opportunities for players to shine beyond what they do on a Thursday or Friday night onfield isn’t there in the way it was in years gone by or as it is in Australia through various poor decisions and ineptitude from various angles. 

[Stuff Smith]

1 hour ago, graveyard johnny said:

The game used to be full to bursting with great players who also came across as great characters to love and hate in equal measure...

That's what my dad used to say about the players you are eulogising.

Does any player compare as a character to Alex Murphy? He would have argued not. And he'd have been right too.