They are two of Super League’s greatest ever players who have played alongside some of the best the competition has ever had to offer.
But Paul Sculthorpe and Lee Briers have revealed which players they believe are the most underrated they’ve ever took to the field with.
The legendary duo were asked the question on Rugby League Back Chat and didn’t hesitate in giving their answers.
Warrington great Briers chose Simon Grix, while Saints superstar Sculthorpe opted for Mike Bennett.
“In today’s game, Simon would be a marquee player because he could play absolutely everywhere,” Briers said of his former team-mate.
“As tough as they come, he did all the dirty stuff, but he was so skilful and had natural talent.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Grixy, he probably struggled with injuries a touch, I think because he put his body on the line that much. But he could play prop, hooker, loose forward, centre, fullback, stand-off. He could play everywhere and do it unbelievably, he didn’t just fill in, he made a difference.
“If he’d stayed clear of injury he should have been an international for years. Now he’s becoming a great coach at Halifax which doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.
“You’ve either got to smash people, be flamboyant or fast to get acknowledgement. But actually, Grixy was all three. I’m not doing him unjust here, he wasn’t unbelievable at just one, he was very, very good at everything, but not just one thing stood out. But in my eyes that’s miles better. He was the complete player, he was awesome, a wonderful player.”
When asked to speak about Bennett, Sculthorpe said: “I talk about Mike a lot when I do talks and he’s an example I use to kids.
“You have some players who have so much ability but don’t have that dedication to improve or to stay at the level they’re at. I always say natural ability will open the door but you have to kick it in after that. Mike Bennett won’t mind me saying he was somebody who didn’t have a lot of natural ability.
“What he had was the work ethic. He’d work 150% on every part of the game. He’d be the first on the field, in the gym. This guy has got Super League rings, Challenge Cup winners medals and World Club Challenge medals, off somebody who on the ability he was born with probably shouldn’t have done.
“He’s a great role model for a lot of kids, in that if you want to achieve something that you can work hard enough to do that. I’ve seen a lot of players with so much natural ability but just didn’t want to work for it. There are players tipped as young kids to be the next this and that but fall by the wayside because they didn’t have that sort of dedication.”
