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Best Eastern Suburbs/Sydney Roosters team in 100 years

TheDalek079

Bench
Messages
4,432
If I had to choose a team out of the 2002 and 2013 squads there wouldn't be many 2013 players that would make the team. Maybe:

Jennings in for Hegarty
Maloney in for Craig Wing
Friend in for Bonetti
JWH in for Lomu

SBW and Cordner have to be there somewhere but geez who do you dump out of Fitzgibbon/Morley/Fletcher/Flannery/Crocker?

JWH starting instead of Cusack. LOD instead of Lomu
 

dice

Juniors
Messages
1,719
Yeah I meant JWH starting, and Cusack to the bench. LOD wouldn't make my squad. Just thinking about it a bit more I would have SBW in for Flannery. That is it. Cordner misses out.

So that is 5 players in total from 2013 squad. Yet some people seriously think this is the best squad in 100 years? I rate Manly's backline higher than ours.
 

Haffa

Guest
Messages
16,645
So did I. In fact I was at the ground often, including the grand final. Plus I have the video tape of the grand final.

Big Artie was the greatest prop forward ever. He would have been first choice prop in any team. John Brass would have been in the current team for his silky passing skills (in place of SKD). And twinkle toes Russell Fairfax would have been full back in place of Mini. But apart from those three I would take the current team.
No place for Ron Coote?
 

POPEYE

Coach
Messages
11,397
The '74/'75 Roosters dominated it's era far more than this current lot will this one. Gibson's mob had more class over more of the park, pay them the same and give them the advancements and it would take double the cap this mob takes to keep them
 

pantherz9103

First Grade
Messages
9,617
The Roosters teams of the early 2000's were better with better personnel. The Roosters of 2013 are made to look better than they are because of the number of mediocre teams in the comp, which is more than it used to be, due to the loss of talent to yawnion and super league these days. In early 2000's the likes of Bulldogs, Knights, Broncos, Eels in 00/01, Panthers in 03/04, even Sharks had a good team and were better than the top team's playing today.

Roosters of 2013 have produced some amazing stats with 6 clean sheets, the real stand out but it's still just one good season at this stage and they haven't won the prize yet. They came 11th and 13th in the past two seasons, so they really need to be string a few good seasons back to back to be rated at the same level as the Roosters circa 02-04 which made 3 straight gf's. I mean can you seriously rate Maloney anywhere near Fittler?.. or Friend near Wing? Just too bad for them they ran into a Panthers side destined for glory in '03 and were outplayed that night. While I believe they choked in '04 against the Bulldogs, led by 7 and lost by 3.
 
Last edited:

newman

First Grade
Messages
7,207
Albert Rosenfield.

4520721_640.jpg


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ex2vZeiupU
 

ek999

First Grade
Messages
6,977
Yeah I meant JWH starting, and Cusack to the bench. LOD wouldn't make my squad. Just thinking about it a bit more I would have SBW in for Flannery. That is it. Cordner misses out.

So that is 5 players in total from 2013 squad. Yet some people seriously think this is the best squad in 100 years? I rate Manly's backline higher than ours.

That's because Manly have a halfback :D

Seriously though, I agree with you re the backlines. Stewart, Lyon, Foran and DCE would all walk into the Roosters side and you could easily make a case for Jorge and Williams. I would take Jennings over Matai though.

It's really hard to pick the winner in this. I think Manly have the better squad if you are comparing them side by side but I think the Roosters will get up
 

madunit

Super Moderator
Staff member
Messages
62,358
Are you sure, the real Albert Rosenfeld was a Easts player who went to England and finished his career there.

he was also the last surviving player from the 1908 Kangaroo tour and has been inducted into the Jewish Sporting Hall of Fame.
 

dice

Juniors
Messages
1,719
That's because Manly have a halfback :D

Seriously though, I agree with you re the backlines. Stewart, Lyon, Foran and DCE would all walk into the Roosters side and you could easily make a case for Jorge and Williams. I would take Jennings over Matai though.

It's really hard to pick the winner in this. I think Manly have the better squad if you are comparing them side by side but I think the Roosters will get up

I agree with nearly all of that. Jennings and maybe one of Roosters wingers ahead of Jorge probably the only ones that would make Manly's backline. It does seem scary but the reverse true in the forwards. Watmough, Stewart, and maybe Buhrer.

Roosters deserve to be slight faves but too close to call. My only wish is for the pink pansies to stay out of it and let the nutcases from both sides fight to the death.
 

nomis88

Juniors
Messages
715
Any player that wins a premiership in every first grade game he played would have to be picked. Johnny Rheinberger come on down. Also are you sure that Craig Gower wasn't around in the 1930's?
 

madunit

Super Moderator
Staff member
Messages
62,358
Easts side of 1935 contained

Jack Beaton (10 tests for Australia)
Dave Brown (9 tests for Australia)
Gordon Favelle (1 game for City)
Ross McKinnon (8 tests for Australia)
Max Nixon (1 game for NSW v Kangaroos)
Ernie Norman (12 tests for Australia)
Andy Norval (3 tests for Australia)
Sid "Joe" Pearce (13 tests for Australia)
Henry Pierce (5 tests for Australia)
Ray Stehr (11 tests for Australia)
Viv Thicknesse (7 tests for Australia)
Fred Tottey (3 games for NSW)

Easts side of 1935 had a points difference of +442 after the regular season had finished, which is greater than the total points scored for the season by the second best attacking team.

It wasn't until Parramatta in 1982 that the 1935 Easts side of 633 points in a season for a team was surpassed.

Parramatta scored 673 points in 29 games in 1982.
Easts scored 633 points in 18 games in 1935.

And as far as I'm concerned, that side is the best team that has ever graced a field, based on its sheer dominance, not just in winning games, but in the excessive margins in which they won by.

Here are all of Easts results from 1935:
Round 1 - defeated Newtown 14-5
Round 2 - defeated St George 16-8
Round 3 - defeated Wests 23-16
Round 4 - bye
Round 5 - defeated University 61-5
Round 6 - defeated Canterbury 87-7
Round 7 - defeated Norths 57-9
Round 8 - lost to Souths 11-18
Round 9 - defeated Balmain 15-2
Round 10 - defeated Newtown 40-10
Round 11 - defeated St George 16-13
Round 12 - defeated Wests 27-12
Round 13 - bye
Round 14 - defeated University 40-5
Round 15 - defeated Canterbury 65-10
Round 16 - defeated Norths 53-15
Round 17 - defeated Souths 21-9
Round 18 - defeated Balmain 53-13
Semi Final - defeated Wests 15-10
Final - defeated Souths 19-3

Dave Brown scored 38 tries, 62 goals for 238 points

Easts averaged 37.44 points per game in attack and had the best defence, conceding just 9.81 points per game.
 

1 Eyed TEZZA

Coach
Messages
12,420
Easts side of 1935 contained

Jack Beaton (10 tests for Australia)
Dave Brown (9 tests for Australia)
Gordon Favelle (1 game for City)
Ross McKinnon (8 tests for Australia)
Max Nixon (1 game for NSW v Kangaroos)
Ernie Norman (12 tests for Australia)
Andy Norval (3 tests for Australia)
Sid "Joe" Pearce (13 tests for Australia)
Henry Pierce (5 tests for Australia)
Ray Stehr (11 tests for Australia)
Viv Thicknesse (7 tests for Australia)
Fred Tottey (3 games for NSW)

Easts side of 1935 had a points difference of +442 after the regular season had finished, which is greater than the total points scored for the season by the second best attacking team.

It wasn't until Parramatta in 1982 that the 1935 Easts side of 633 points in a season for a team was surpassed.

Parramatta scored 673 points in 29 games in 1982.
Easts scored 633 points in 18 games in 1935.

And as far as I'm concerned, that side is the best team that has ever graced a field, based on its sheer dominance, not just in winning games, but in the excessive margins in which they won by.

Here are all of Easts results from 1935:
Round 1 - defeated Newtown 14-5
Round 2 - defeated St George 16-8
Round 3 - defeated Wests 23-16
Round 4 - bye
Round 5 - defeated University 61-5
Round 6 - defeated Canterbury 87-7
Round 7 - defeated Norths 57-9
Round 8 - lost to Souths 11-18
Round 9 - defeated Balmain 15-2
Round 10 - defeated Newtown 40-10
Round 11 - defeated St George 16-13
Round 12 - defeated Wests 27-12
Round 13 - bye
Round 14 - defeated University 40-5
Round 15 - defeated Canterbury 65-10
Round 16 - defeated Norths 53-15
Round 17 - defeated Souths 21-9
Round 18 - defeated Balmain 53-13
Semi Final - defeated Wests 15-10
Final - defeated Souths 19-3

Dave Brown scored 38 tries, 62 goals for 238 points

Easts averaged 37.44 points per game in attack and had the best defence, conceding just 9.81 points per game.

Stats don't say everything. To label them the best side? How can you do it? Like back then, it's pretty well known that Easts and Souths pretty much owned the NSWRL..
 

Brutus

Referee
Messages
26,355
I always liked the Easts team of 87 coached by big Artie.

Loved watching pommy Joe Lydon that year. He scored one hell of a solo try against Cronulla one Sat arvo at Caltex Field.
 

Brutus

Referee
Messages
26,355
Let's hope the 2013 GF can be half as good as the 87 Major Semi between the two teams.

What about when the Chooks broke Manly's winning streak on a dull Sunday afternoon at Henson in 87.

Or Gilly being sent off against North Sydney on another dull Sunday arvo at Henson.

87 - the most isolated finals year in the Chooks history.
 

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