I think Priddis > K Walters and even though it might sound harsh Priddis > Simmons at Penrith.
Priddis a key man in both premierships he played in, overall a better player than Kerrod and 2003 CCM was one of the more dominant individual performances IMO.
But a lot is good maybe a little tweak here and there I might see what possibilities I could throw up for each side.
Priddis was very close to selection in both cases especially Penrith. I chose Walters over him because he played more matches and won one more premiership and Priddis was only there for 3 years compared to Walters 6.
Simmons was arguably a more nostalgic pick but in saying that he won man of the match in a State of Origin in 1986 and was the hooker in Australia's undefeated Kangaroo tour and really hooker was the toughest position for Penrith, Gower can consider himself unlucky too.
Ok I have a few to consider that may be worth noting.
Brent Webb
Richard Villasanti
Awen Guttenbeil
Feleti Mateo
Wiki was a prop in his time at NZ so I think he should be up front in place of Seu Seu and pick either Guttenbeil or Mateo. The rest are just considerations.
Priddis > Kerrod Walters
Berrigan > Hancock. CCM winner and better bench option than a specialist winger
Swap of Thaiday and either TC or Darren Smith
Sam Backo ahead of Tom Learoyd Lars
Perhaps an option to take Dugan out, put Mullins to the bench and Chicka Ferguson to the wing. A lot of the Raiders players have utility value making it easy to pick some positions.
Utai maybe for Halligan apart from that maybe Andrew Ryan is a tad unlucky.
Dykes, Covell, Davidson, Treister and McKenna all could be considered for spots.
Could argue Todd Carney ahead of Freeman but can see why it would be unpopular, Carney probably had the most dominant season in 2010 in the tricolours jersey since Fittler 04.
Gold Coast is good I do think Harrison should be in the starting side maybe ahead of Mini but that is semantics really.
I would take Michael Robertson ahead of Hoppa, big 2008 Grand Final and a good club man. Ballin on the bench would be good as well.
I would take Crocker ahead of Hoffman at the Storm and King over Bai, always thought Bai was overrated.
Cowboys a good side Fien a bit unlucky maybe as he was good in 2004.
Eels strong, maybe Buettner on the bench but good nonetheless.
Panthers, Galuvao for Ross, Michael Gordon would be putting pressure on the wingers and Carter unlucky.
For the Maggies swap Ken and Kevin and you are pretty much set.
Good work
Right i think Cleary had a bigger impact at the Warriors than Webb did though Webb can consider himself unlucky.
Villasanti i think only had a good career on the back end of 03 and that really wasn't enough.
Wiki was a prop at the Warriors but that may well have been out of necessity and i felt him playing in the second row with Seu Seu and Price starting was a better fit.
It was a straight choice between Swann,Mannering, Luck or Guttenbeil for the bench. So it was more a personal preference choice. Mateo wasn't really there long enough to oust Lauititi from a starting birth.
I commented on Walters vs Priddis. I chose Hancock because i just see him as a bigger club legend than Berrigan, Berrigan was great but it was a toss up between Hancock and Tuqiri for the wing spot so i sort of killed 2 birds with one stone by putting Hancock on the bench like he was towards the back end of his career. Shaun Berrigan was unlucky to be honest.
Thaiday is lock basically because i think he could play lock with those two and less about balance if i was going for complete balance i would of had Tonie Carroll in for sure.
For the Raiders i did have Backo in until the last minute maybe it was a lack of games it was a straight up choice between Learoyd-Lahrs and Backo and it was a toss of a coin for me i wouldn't disagree with Backo over Learoyd-Lahrs at all though.
Dugan is in more as a by product of picking someone from a Raiders side after 1994. Ferguson and Nagas were ridiculously unlucky and Mullins on the wing because i couldn't overlook Belcher. Like i said very difficult for all the top sides.
Halligan over Utai was the last choice i made out of all the sides. I compared Halligan,Utai,Williams and Dallas for the last wing spot. I gave it to Halligan on the basis that he scored so many points for the Bulldogs. I know with El Masri that wouldn't matter realistically but i felt it would be wrong to overlook his achievements. Again if you went for Balance you wouldn't pick Halligan and El Masri it would be El Masri with probably Utai on the other wing so i see where your coming from.
Dykes was very unlucky like i said it was out of him and Green for the bench spot. I put Campbell in at five eighth more out of necessity. Plus he could and should of been five eighth for the sharks when Kimmorley arrived.
Covell would of had to have Halligan like numbers to overtake Barnett or Rogers.
Les Davidson again was unlucky very unlucky, It was a straight choice between him Douglas and Hatch for a bench spot really i feel it might be an error.
Raper got picked in the 1995 World Cup squad which is why i went with him over Treister who was a good clubman but never reached that level.
Actually you caught me out with McKenna i had forgotten about him when you think of Sharks centres i automatically think McGaw,Ettingshausen and Richardson. McKenna can consider himself unlucky. I'm still not sure if i would have him in over the others though.
It was a toss up between Pearce,Lam,Hastings,Freeman and Carney for the Roosters halfback spot. It was a very tough choice i went with Lam for longevity and Freeman because he achieved the same as Carney with lesser players.
Hopoate was very good over two spells for Manly, Robinson was a very good club player as you say but i feel Hopoate was a much better player.
Ballin is unlucky due to Manly being absolutely stacked he would of actually been in the starting line up, If Cochrane hadn't won the Rothmans medal. Like i said Manly are utterly stacked Ridge,Innes,Daley,Cleal,Vautin all missed the cut.
Crocker over Hoffman is fair enough that was a toss up i went with Hoffman because he was there longer.
I rated Bai so no place for King who was unlucky to miss out Melbourne are another side who are pretty stacked with quality players missing the cut. As were Swain and Ross and a couple of others.
It took me ages to pick a five eighth for the Cowboys but in the end went with Prince.
I felt Buettner achieved more for the Bears to be honest it was pretty hard for any early 90's Eels to make this side.
Ross was better than Galuvao for Penrith plus with Puletua on the bench i thought a front rower should be added to the bench and Ross was really outstanding for Penrith i believe if he hadn't been suspended for the 04 finals Penrith may have made the Grand Final again. I actually think Matt Adamson was more unlucky than Galuvao and i like Galuvao.
Graham Mackay was probably the unluckiest winger to be honest. Gordon i think by the end of his career will be better than all of them.
Carter was unlucky it was between him and Preston and i feel Preston was a far better player.
yeah i agree with the Ken and Kevin swap to be honest.
thanks for the feeback. Do you have a top 8 ?
Wests Tigers pretty close but tuiaki had been out best winger.
Tuiaki was very unlucky i had him in and then went with Richards mainly as a result of the injury so he is very unlucky.
Cronin and Price retired in 86, but Kenny, Ella and Sterlo has stacks of great footy left in them.
Trade Cronin for Lyon, find a spot for Mark Laurie and pick Aaron Raper at hooker and then you might be closer to the mark. Need to consider Hodgeson, Schifcofske and possibly Andrew Ryan as well.
You are right i did use some liberties when it came to the Eels more out of the fact i feel it's unfair to overlook someone like Cronin for David Woods. So with Parramatta it is more of an on paper in their prime thing same as when i picked Steve Mortimer for the Bulldogs because it just had to be him same as Price and Cronin. Actually starting in 1986 was more for Parramatta's benefit than any other side when i decided the timeline.
So yes i more say look at them somewhat near there primes like for Price and Cronin etc. like you can take into account 84,85 etc it was more of an on paper thing.
Mark Laurie was unlucky but i couldn't find a spot for him great clubman but he has to beat out a string of internationals for a place.
Hooker was a complete toss up for me i considered Raper but i more remembered his Cronulla career than the eels where as Brad Drew's 2001 was pretty much all i could think of when it came to Parramatta dummy halves.
Ryan is sort of similar to Laurie in that Parramatta have had many quality second row forwards in that time period it was hard to overlook the others i guess McCracken is the luckiest but he did play well for the Eels.
I considered both Hodgson and Schifcofske it was out of those two and Luke Burt for the last spot in the backline but went with Burt because he has been with the Eels forever.
thanks for the feedback, do you have a top 8 ?
On the sharks
Preston played maybe 1 game at 5/8.
If that.
Wally Lewis is a pretty serious omission.
1. Darren Lockyer
2. Willie Carne
3. Steve Renouf
4. Justin Hodges
5. Chris Walker
6. Wally Lewis
7. Allan Langer
8. Shane Webcke
9. Kerrod Walters
10. Glenn Lazarus
11. Gorden Tallis
12. Trevor Gillmeister
13. Tonie Carrol
14. Petero Civoneceva
15. Sam Thaiday
16. Corey Parker
17. Shaun Berrigan
Coach: Wayne Bennet.
Everyone remembers Chris Walker for the much-publicised Sydney meltdown and failures, but in his prime and under Bennet's tuteage, he was lethal. Yeesh. Thinking about Carne/Renouf and Hodges/Walker operating off Langer/Lewis... the mind, she boggles
Most others speak for themselves. Berrigan was a hard one to leave out as he fulfilled every role asked of him to exacting standards over the years, but that versatility was what kept him out of top spot as well; he was never really in any one position long enough to demonstrate he was more than merely very good at it. By Bennet's own admission he should have listened to Shaun about his brother Barry sooner and believes he would have made a top-flight hooker; even when his body was beginning to falter and without a full NRL career he was up there with the Broncos' best. Ah, what might have been.
Parker is probably the only other selection that would require a defence; I believe he is heavily under-rated and warranted a return to the Maroon jersey many seasons ago. He started as a prop and delivered a performance even Webcke admired, but has transformed into a machine-like back-rower since then. He might not terrify defences like Tallis, but he turns up again and again and again, and like Webcke will fight to the last for victory no matter how remote the prospect actually is.
I think the axe was incredibly unlucky to miss out really he was the one i wanted to put in more than anyone but really the Broncos were always going to have great players miss out and Thorn's 2000 season put's him in for me he was absolutely awesome that year.
Walker i agree with you but he is up against Sailor , Tuqiri , Carne ,Hancock De vere and Yow Yeh,Kilroy. Brisbane have had the best wingers these past 25 years easily.
Berrigan was unlucky like i said earlier it was a toss up for me between Tuqiri and Hancock for one of the wing places so i took the easy option moving Hancock to the bench.
I had Gillmeister over Parker and he didn't make the team. Parker really never came in to my consideration despite him being an excellent servant for the Broncos.
Why do the Steelers, St. George, Dragons, Wests, Balmain, and Tigers teams all seperately, yet consider the Titans and Seagulls as one club? How does that work?
Simple Steelers have from 86-98, Dragons 86-98, joint venture 99-11. So both have been given the same time period to pick a team. Tigers and Magpies same reason. Same reason i picked the Bears they were separate entities.
Gold Coast don't recognize there history because it is so bad if they had a good history i am sure they would recognize it. Plus the original Gold Coast teams had 10 years in the league behind them and the current Gold Coast only have 5 season it is just easier and more fair to combine these teams. Rather than pick a terrible Gold Coast early teams and a too young current Gold Coast.
Anjado, what was your criteria for selection: Players who played the best from 1986 onwards, or the best overall players whose careers included 1986 onwards?
For Parra, I think you went the latter. My interpretation would have been for the former. Mick Cronin played a handful of games in 1986 -including his classic GF - finale, and Price and Grothe's best days - possibly Ella's, were behind them.
Its your call, just wondering.
A few controversies - Big call going Cronk at half over Kimmorley. He basically won them the 99 comp in the back half of the GF as a young player who took the game by the scruff of the neck in a way that I havent seen done since - and rarely before.
Good job though. Although one glaring error. John Monie would be Parra's coach, not Brian "guaranteed to f*ck up a good team in a grand final" Smith.
Yeah it is more on paper rather than there form in 86 you can consider them say mid eighties not like Cronin when he is 21 and playing for Gerrigong. So it is an on paper side mainly.
It was a toss up between Kimmorley and Cronk to be honest i went with Cronk mainly down to longevity. Kimmorley was only there for 3 seasons.
Yeah Smith over Monie again it was more a longevity thing, It's a choice between one finals appearance and Premiership or many finals appearances i understand you preferring Monie.
For the souths Team David Boyle would have to be in the team. He played a fair few origins from memory (even made the twelth man tape...."boyle trying to squeeze the pus out but he can't").
Also Joe Thomas, Jim Sedaris ,Terry Hill maybe even Brian Fletcher maybe should be in the team.
David Boyle was very unlucky he would be the 18th man i tried to get him in but it was tough.
Terry Hill only played 9 matches for Souths so didn't consider him at all.
Sedaris was unlucky but i feel Fenech is a club legend and consistently excellent and Luke has done enough to overtake him.
Joe Thomas only played 9 games for Souths after 1986.
Brian Fletcher was pretty unlucky too i considered him but went with Michael Andrews mainly on the amount of games Andrews played.
I actually thought Field over Coleman might create some controversy that was a tough choice.
For the Warriors, I'd probably have Phil Blake in at number 6 ahead of Maloney, and Brent Webb at fullback. I'd also include Bartrim in the St George Illawarra side.
Apart from that, bloody good work.
Maloney did enough this year and last year to get in over Blake in my opinion. Cleary was more a safe option Webb was a very good player in my opinion and can consider himself unlucky.
To be honest i never realised Bartrim played so many matches for the joint venture. So maybe can consider himself unlucky.
thanks everyone for the feedback has anyone got a table for these teams or a top 8.
