The Enigmas of Rugby League

[Jughead]

Kevin Penny could go 100 metres in seconds, which is always quite impressive to see but his problem was his inability to catch a ball. 

[Derwent]

Paul Cooke, superb and totally anonymous in equal measure.

[Wigan Riversider]

Andy Goodway.

[Cw25]

On 30/06/2023 at 17:17, Derwent said:

Paul Cooke, superb and totally anonymous in equal measure.

Off topic. I think he is a great pundit. I keep meaning to listen to a show he hosts on Radio Humberside.

[yipyee]

Dwain Chambers ,oh what could have been 

[Mumby Magic]

On 30/06/2023 at 20:01, Wigan Riversider said:

Andy Goodway.

Really?

[Cw25]

Denis Moran to a point.

[Stan Doffarf]

On 28/06/2023 at 09:27, Mumby Magic said:

No it's not a new book lol, more so players that had it all but never hit the heights for a long period of time, with a big piece of that bring attitude. 

Whilst having discussions either mates and 3 pop up.

Jarrod Sammut

Dane Chisholm

Rangi Chase 

All could have had long SL (in Sammuts case, which I didn't realise NRL) careers but between them have had dozens of clubs. Another with a Bulls connection is Karl Pryce. He was going toe to toe with Vainikolo in his pomp. At 6ft 6 could play hb with great awareness. (A world club challenge winning hb nonetheless).

You can add clubs or situations into the thread.

First time I saw Karl Pryce he was 17 and I was convinced he would become the best centre on the planet. I know people who know him well. Suffice to say, the kindest thing you can say about him is that he was a bit too laid back.

[WelshpoolMarauder]

Jarrod Sammut was the name that came straight to my mind as soon as I saw the thread title.

Capable of such magic, a recognisable face and full of character. 

I often wonder how different the Crusaders last Super League season might have gone if he'd been on the field more than he was. Still no idea why Iestyn Harris seemed so down on him, he was wasted doing meet and greets in hospitality before games when he could've potentially changed a few games for us. 

I'll always remember his post-match interview after getting man of the match in his first game for Cru at the Magic Weekend and saying he was giving the money to a breast cancer charity because 'I like breasts'.

[sentoffagain2]

On 30/06/2023 at 20:01, Wigan Riversider said:

Andy Goodway.

I remember when he got sent off at Fev playing for Oldham he two fingered the crowd all the way to the dressing room.The fact he lived in Cas may have had something to do with it.Cracking back row forward and when i lived in Ponte he was our milkman.

[Wigan Riversider]

9 hours ago, Mumby Magic said:

Really?

Always believed that he was going to be a world beater.

When he played for Manly they called him Andrew Sideways, after he had a good 1984 GB tour Down Under.

He was also referred to as Andrew Runaway by the Kiwis.

When Wigan picked the team for Wembley in 1989 he was gutted that he was selected on the bench and allegedly fell out with Hanley as a result. 

From memory he had some storming games but was never consistent.

[StandOffHalf]

Tim Smith is someone who had the world at his feet and never really put together the sort of career that his skills could have seen him reach.

He was magic when he was on.

Edited July 2, 2023 by StandOffHalf

[Kirmonds pouch]

On 28/06/2023 at 23:17, Jughead said:

Luke Gale had a great year at Cas in 2017. He’s been pretty poor since. 

Not on Friday he wasn't

[Jinking Jimmy]

11 hours ago, Wigan Riversider said:

Always believed that he was going to be a world beater.

When he played for Manly they called him Andrew Sideways, after he had a good 1984 GB tour Down Under.

He was also referred to as Andrew Runaway by the Kiwis.

When Wigan picked the team for Wembley in 1989 he was gutted that he was selected on the bench and allegedly fell out with Hanley as a result. 

From memory he had some storming games but was never consistent.

I believe his nickname was BA (Bad Attitude). He had some great games though.

[Jinking Jimmy]

Of the current players Jake Connor has got to be the biggest enigma. He’s a multi-talented individual but his temperament is shocking and ruins his game. The match on Friday at Wigan was a great example of this. He was niggling with every Wigan player who tackled him and argued with the referee on more than one occasion. The result was that his contribution to his team’s effort was mainly a negative one.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Jinking Jimmy

[Kirmonds pouch]

I’ll give you David Fifita.

He has a direct comparison in his identical twin Andrew. 
 

they are almost identical players, though Dave has more flair, but crucially Andrew is more serious.

Had David had the same intensity imo he’d have been better than Andrew, but he hasn’t , not even close. Could of been a genuine superstar had he got the drive.

Dave loves being a Robin Hood character, on the side of the little man stroke little club. He just doesn’t have the ambition to win just to be a winner. 
 

I think he just likes having fun and being a local folk hero. That’s fine with me and I’d definitely call the big bopper enigmatic.

[StandOffHalf]

Albert Kelly is somewhat of an enigma.

A half who could run through people, chip and regather, go the distance, break tackles for fun. A wonderfully exuberant talent, but someone who's never nailed down a spot in the NRL. His time in Hull was very enjoyable to watch. 

[north yorks trinity]

On 28/06/2023 at 14:14, Bedford Roughyed said:

To a less an extent (by the fact they had decent length SL careers) someone like Lee Briers or Danny Brough.  When the stars aligned they were unplayable and could almost win a game single handedly.  

Thats not to say they were bad at other times, just that they didn't hit those heights on a consistent basis.

I was always surprised and disappointed that they didn't get more international caps (at least for GB/England). I guess the coaches saw more risk than reward but for me it is exactly the sort of player we need to risk picking to have a chance of beating the Aussies.

As an aside at Wakefield they have a halt time crossbar challenge where the aim is to hit the cross bar with a kick from around the 20m line. Participants are given 3 attempts and successful attempts are, unsurprisingly, rare. Danny Brough was on the pitch at half time of the Leeds game a few weeks back and I don't know if it was pre planned but suspect it was impromptu, but he had a go and hit the bar with 2 out of 3, narrowly missing with the other. As they say, class is permanent! 

[moorside roughyed]

Rangi Chase for me. Some of the stuff he did,(occasionally) was mad.

[sentoffagain2]

1 hour ago, moorside roughyed said:

Rangi Chase for me. Some of the stuff he did,(occasionally) was mad.

  Yes he could have been equally at home in a circus or prison.

[Wolford6]

Simon Haughton, powerhouse forward who was capped by GB at 21 and got a Grand Final winners medal at 23. Fairly anonymous career after that.

[Wolford6]

Brendan Hill never had the career he should have had. Awesome at 19.

[Wigan Riversider]

52 minutes ago, Wolford6 said:

Simon Haughton, powerhouse forward who was capped by GB at 21 and got a Grand Final winners medal at 23. Fairly anonymous career after that.

He didn't love playing RL.

[Damien]

3 hours ago, Wolford6 said:

Simon Haughton, powerhouse forward who was capped by GB at 21 and got a Grand Final winners medal at 23. Fairly anonymous career after that.

Good shout. When Haughton first broke through at Wigan he looked like he could do anything in the game. He was a top, top talent. Unfortunately he just didn't have the heart and desire for the game.

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

Tony Gigot could be - still can be - very good or quite terrible.  A high spot was his Lance Todd winning display in Les Dracs' challenge cup final win.  A low spot would be Albi's elimination in this year's Elite 1 play-offs.  In that game, as I recall, Hakim Miloudi - another blow-hot-blow-cold sort of player - had a terrible game too.