Churchill V Slater? Who's the best fullback ever?

[TheDalek079]

Ok. There has been many great fullbacks but at the end of the day Clive Churchill is considered the greatest of them all. Yes there's some like Mini and Bowen who are superlative and are probably the best their respective clubs have seen but aren't in the same league as Churchill. The closest rival he has is Changa.


Then along comes Billy the Kid. In an era of exciting fullbacks he has been without peer the last few seasons and more and more people are labelling him the best there has ever been.

So where do you stand on the matter? Who's the best #1 of all time?

 

[slammingsam]

I'm assuming 90% of this forum have never seen Churchill play. This is the older league players and commentators chip in and it always seems to be Churchill.

 

[chrisD]

Could Churchill smash a bloke in the face with his forearm and not miss a game for it?

 

[madunit]

Churchill mastered and changed the way fullbacks played the game.

Langlands was a great player anywhere in the backline, but I'd regard CHurchill as more innovative and thus slightly better.

Slater still has brain explosions at times. Whenever this topic comes up I always think "2008 World Cup Final" which puts Slater out of Churchill's league

 

[pennywisealfie]

Darren Lockyer.

 

[thorson1987]

Could Churchill smash a bloke in the face with his forearm and not miss a game for it?

In his era, more then likely.

 

[nohope]

You can't analyse Churchill's game like you can for Slater. You can't judge any mistakes or even see them. Every game of Slater is available in video, if we were to go based on what people saw live for Slater you would have the same accolades that Churchill has. Everyone's memory is never 100% so I'm sure they would never bring up Churchill missing or making critical errors.

 

[firechild]

Churchill would be the top I would imagine, hard to compare them for a number of reasons. Langlands and Eadie would be above Slater as well.

 

[Brutus]

Alan Mills.

 

[Danish]

There aren't too many people alive today who could even make such a judgement.

For a start,you'd have to be a minimum of 75 years old to even pretend to have an opinion on this. Any younger than that your only memories of Churchill would be that of a starry eyed teenager or child. Hell when push comes to shove most of the media types that always go on about Churchill admit to never having ever seen him play live and are just going off the opinions of the coaches and players of the day.

Not taking anything away from Churchill, just saying that this comparison is essentially impossible to make as no one on this forum would even be halfway equipped to make such a call.

 

[Walt Flanigan]

No idea. Never got to see Churchill play.

Slater is the best fullback I've seen in my lifetime though.

 

[Mr Angry]

Inglis

 

[I Bleed Maroon]

Darren Lockyer.

And we're done here.

 

[Grapple]

The best there ever was. The best there'll ever be.

 

[Parra Pride]

Paul Carrige.

 

[POPEYE]

I'm 65 but never saw Churchill play, the rest I did and no-one would be able to match Slater in everything he can do, his goal line defence alone would leave all others a yard short.

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

The best there ever was. The best there'll ever be.

Well, it's an accurate likeness at least. Note the lack of ball control.

 

[Grapple]

He's happy, that's all that matters.

 

[Evenflow]

Slater still has brain explosions at times. Whenever this topic comes up I always think "2008 World Cup Final" which puts Slater out of Churchill's league

How could you possibly know how many mistakes/brain explosions Churchill had when you never saw him play? You couldn't just as none of us could so it's pure speculation and guessing at best.

I'm not for one second saying Slater is the best because it's ridiculous to even make comparisons of players that played in era's so far apart. I couldn't care less if Bill is remembered as the greatest or not, it's all subjective and a matter of opinion where there's not definitive answer.

Though at the very least IMO he'd be in the top few and i consider myself very fortunate as a Storm fan to have been able to watch him every second week live at OP/AAMI over the years. Sure he's had brain farts just like every single other player and great in the game has for that matter, but for every one of those he still produces many many more moments of brilliance.

 

[umina panther]

Inglis and Lockyer are better