State of origin 2025

[Chins]

Completely agree with this, that Newcastle team in particular was stacked. But the irony of the digs at Nathan is that if people held Thurston and Johns to the same standard, they should have won premierships even if the were playing with mugs.

I agree that you will need to wait till after your career to be viewed with perspective. I think people are going to scratch their head and ask how this team was so dominant. Look, I love all the guys but this isn’t a team that should be historically dominant; really only Nathan and To’o (and potentially Yeo) are really going to be viewed as generational players, and even To’o is going to be remembered for his stats than his play.

To'o is the best winger to have ever played the sport and the media pundits are starting to admit it. No one will argue it once he finishes up, hes completely changed the position.

 

[soc123_au]

To'o is the best winger to have ever played the sport and the media pundits are starting to admit it. No one will argue it once he finishes up, hes completely changed the position.

The guy is just a beast. Even his only real weakness defending high kicks he still manages to come out on top more often than not. Has a heart bigger than Pharlap

 

[The Realist]

I too wonder if anyone will ever be able to accurately rate this squad. We have watched them religiously these past 4 years and even we struggle to do it.

In short, I dont think Nathan has played with mugs this decade. Perhaps not the most stacked roster in history. Perhaps a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Perhaps individuals with unorthodox strengths. But mugs? Yeo. Crichton. Kikau. Api. Bizza. Luai. Fish. Dyl. Many more. We can't label these guys mugs in any sense of the word.

We have had a few 'muggish' players we have won with though, players who struggle to make grade outside of our team. Naden, Staines, Momo come to mind. Those guys have really struggled post Panthers.

Then there is the opposite - players who were ploddish fringe first graders before coming to us - Capewell, Sorenson and Garner being prime examples.

 

[Kilkenny]

There’s no shame in being a former Panther who perhaps is caught between NSW Cup and NRL.

There are many and will be many more.

In the NSW Cup game yesterday Brent Naden was playing 5/8 for the Magpies and he was very good, tried his guts out and in one particular play ran down one one our breakaway showing great pace and grit.

It is not a case of they are struggling, it is just the reality of being better than NSW Cup but not quite good enough for NRL week in week out.

There’s no shame in that, it is just the reality.