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Johns vs Thurston

Who is better Thurston or Johns?

  • Thurston

    Votes: 47 25.7%

  • Joey

    Votes: 136 74.3%
  • Total voters
    183
Johnnie Red

Johnnie Red

Juniors
Messages
631
Craig Johnston said:
johns could have comfortably played all positions from 1-13. he smashed webcke in the frontline numerous times.

thurston can cover halves and wing.
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Put the crack pipe down....there is no way Joey could play all those positions.
Defend, maybe.....play, no.

I am a huge fan of 'The Eighth' but to think he can play outside back or second row is a bit of a stretch.
 
Canard

Canard

Immortal
Messages
35,971
Johnnie Red said:
Put the crack pipe down....there is no way Joey could play all those positions.
Defend, maybe.....play, no.

I am a huge fan of 'The Eighth' but to think he can play outside back or second row is a bit of a stretch.
Click to expand...

I reckon Johns would have been a great front rower.

He would average 150m+ for sure, he would also regularly get 40+ tackles a game.

He would also have averaged 30 tries a season at Fullback or Winger, and easily be the fastest player on any field.
 
Johnnie Red

Johnnie Red

Juniors
Messages
631
Canard said:
I reckon Johns would have been a great front rower.

He would average 150m+ for sure, he would also regularly get 40+ tackles a game.

He would also have averaged 30 tries a season at Fullback or Winger, and easily be the fastest player on any field.
Click to expand...

Dally M team of the Century:

Fullback: Joey
Winger: Joey
Center: Joey
5/8: Joey
Halfback: Joey
Lock: Joey
2nd row: Joey
Prop: Joey
Hooker: Joey

Pretty decent line up :sarcasm:
 
Hutty1986

Hutty1986

Immortal
Messages
34,034
Canard said:
I reckon Johns would have been a great front rower.

He would average 150m+ for sure, he would also regularly get 40+ tackles a game.

He would also have averaged 30 tries a season at Fullback or Winger, and easily be the fastest player on any field.
Click to expand...

Imagine Joey in the centres or on the wing. He'd be gurning his opposite number every game.
 
Tommy Smith

Tommy Smith

Referee
Messages
21,344
Chicken_Hunter said:
Why does brad fitler never get mentioned in GOAT debates.

I grew up in the Joey and freddy generation and I always thought there wasn't much between the 2. Brad fittler was a tremendous leader and was just a beast of a player.

If I was to pick a 5/8 out of JT, Lockyer or Fittler it would be Fittler and I'm a qld supporter.
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I think he's just become unfashionable in the debate. Similar to Sterlo who bizarrely never gets mentioned in these debates.

When you talk to people in football though most say Fittler was a freak and one of the greatest to ever play the game.

I would argue he's the most unique player I've ever seen (been watching since 99 when I moved here from England). His passing game was amazing and his running game was sublime, especially that step which made him virtually unstoppable close to the line. He was also the greatest defensive half/5-8 I've ever seen (and given defence wins Premierships I'm always amazed how it's never factored in when rating a player... it IS 50% of the game). And he was also a tremendous leader.

I find JJs assertion that he drifted in and out of club games interesting. Care to elaborate? Again, JT has led the Cowboys to 1 top 4 finish in 10 years. Fittler led the Roosters - a team that flat out couldn't win without him - to 8 top 4 finishes in 9 years. 6th in the other year. 6 Preliminary Finals, 4 GFs and 1 Premiership (it really should have been 2 but still that's a great record). That's very consistent which doesn't suggest a player who drifted in and out of games.

And again as soon as he left we were awful. That's a remarkable record from the 2nd most dominant and influential club level player I've ever seen. I don't think there's an aspect of his game that rated below 9/10 (except goal kicking). And I'd have given his passing, running and defending all 10/10.

But yes for whatever reason both he, and Sterling, never even rate a mention alongside Joey, JT and Lockyer - hell even Cameron Smith and Greg Inglis who are decidely inferior all round rugby league talents imo. Again, people just get caught up in the "now" so easily.
 
Last edited:
JJ

JJ

Immortal
Messages
32,798
Tommy Smith said:
I think he's just become unfashionable in the debate. Similar to Sterlo who bizarrely never gets mentioned in these debates.

When you talk to people in football though most say Fittler was a freak and one of the greatest to ever play the game.

I would argue he's the most unique player I've ever seen (been watching since 99 when I moved here from England). His passing game was amazing and his running game was sublime, especially that step which made him virtually unstoppable close to the line. He was also the greatest defensive half/5-8 I've ever seen (and given defence wins Premierships I'm always amazed how it's never factored in when rating a player... it IS 50% of the game). And he was also a tremendous leader.

I find JJs assertion that he drifted in and out of club games interesting. Care to elaborate? .
Click to expand...

It's an impression, I first saw Fittler in about 1990 - no question he was a freak, and I have huge wraps on him - I think he should be in debates, just also have the feeling that he might have even been better - not sure I've seen anyone more talented.

Agree on Sterling, I'd have voted for him as an immortal before Johns - he was just flat out great, and still argue Brett Kenny gets left out when he shouldn't - completely dominant at club level, awesome at SOO (again, why NSW selectors dicked around was beyond me), initially kept the King out of the test team, and then played at centre ahead of Meninga...
 
Tommy Smith

Tommy Smith

Referee
Messages
21,344
Fair enough.

We'll call him the Brian Lara of Rugby League :D A once in a multiple generation freak that made the game look too easy.

Just imagine if he competed on every play like JT :D
 
madunit

madunit

Super Moderator
Staff member
Messages
62,358
DiegoNT said:
It shows that the official 'best player in the world' isn't always really the 'best player in the world'
Click to expand...

No it doesn't.

The official best player in the world is official.

Your opinion is worth less than peanut butter dipped testicles
 
madunit

madunit

Super Moderator
Staff member
Messages
62,358
DiegoNT said:
I dislike Thurston because of the way he approaches refs during games and the whole conspiracy thing after the sharks finals match. That lost him a lot of the respect i had for him (I was a fan until then). My dislike for him doesn't come into it when I judge him as a player, many players are disliked by many, Lewis, Johns and cam smith spring to mind, but there's no doubt they are all great players. I still think Thurston is one of the best players today and one of the greatest halfbacks of all time. I wouldn't of started a johns vs Thurston thread if I didn't think it was a legitimate question. When this debate comes up people always bring in that Thurston hasn't had a good team behind him, but arguably Joey's knights team was very similar, they try argue joey's been played out of position, so has Thurston, and you can't bring off field dramas into it because they've both had them. The only way to judge them is by playing ability.
I don't let commentators influence my decision, if I believed them saying Thurston was the GOAT then I'd be a simpleton who just agrees with anything, if I disagree with the commentators I'm butthurt.
My opinion on Thurston vs Johns comes purely from having seen both in their prime, and in my opinion johns was slightly better
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I'm amazed that you think Johns only received the effects of the drugs he consumed while he was the off the field
 
bottle

bottle

Coach
Messages
14,126
Never having 'pinged' myself I wouldn't know, so I'll have to take the feedback from the experienced souls in the forum.
 
DiegoNT

DiegoNT

First Grade
Messages
9,378
I think I heard somewhere (and I may by wrong, as I usually am) that he took the pills after games to unwind, knowing that the drugs would be out of his system before training started the next Monday, there by not having to worry about testing positives. I've never used 'pingas', but seeing people on them, they barely look like they are functioning and I'd be surprised if they had anything other than a detrimental effect on your game if you played while on them.
The only case I've heard of a player admitting to using recreational drugs while playing was from Paul Vautin in his autobiography. Paul says that he unknowingly took 'uppers' handed to him before an origin game, by a well known and established origin player. He then goes on to explain that he put in the worst performance of his life and that he was sure he would get dropped and never play another origin
 
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