Lewis vs Kenny

[undertaker]

With all the talk about inducting an 8th immortal at the end of the year, it just got me thinking about something...

In the past, I know there's been a lot of talk about who was the better player between Wally Lewis and Andrew Johns. Although I am a Knights fan, I do believe that the level of fitness and skill overall across the players during Johns era was far better due to players becoming full-time professionals as a result of the higher salaries that started during the SL war.

However, a question I'd like to throw to all those who were old enough to remember and see Lewis and Brett Kenny play (which I didn't get the chance to) is who was the better player between Kenny and Lewis? I've heard it mentioned in the past that Kenny dominated Lewis at Origin level when Kenny played 5/8 and one of the reasons why Kenny was shifted to centre for tests was due to strong QRL influence to accomodate Lewis in the side. I don't know the level of truth behind these claims, hence why I decided to throw this question open to everyone. Also, there's no disputing what Lewis achieved in Origin, but did he dominate at club level week in, week out to the extent that Johns did in his prime (this is more of a question to the old BRL fans, as Lewis joined the Broncos/Seagulls during the latter stages of his career)?

 

[Grail]

Kenny.
There is no doubting that lewis was great, he was tough, uncompromising with good vision and an amazing competitor. But Kenny was the more skilful and naturally gifted. Kenny was sublime.

 

[Fifty Metre Line]

Kenny.
Biased Parra fan talking.

 

[Fifty Metre Line]

Lewis couldn't spread bark chips over a garden anywhere near as well as Kenny can.

 

[sydraider]

Kenny > Lewis

 

[jonno_knights]

inb4 Fourex.

 

[undertaker]

So, my next question I want to ask is: why doesn't Kenny get the same level of recognition and accolades that "King" Wally does? Why do we always hear about King Wally, but Kenny barely gets a mention?

Also, a bit of a segue here (re: Lewis vs Johns). It's of my understanding that Lewis' last two seasons in the NSWRL yielded two wooden spoons at Gold Coast. Johns also played in a wooden spoon side (2005), but he missed half that season through injury and when he came back and produced that famous performance in S.O.O 2 (undoubtedly the best origin performance I've seen during my time watching league), the Knights were a completely different side and he fell agonisingly short of the Dally M medal, despite playing a fraction of the games Thurston did. The number of games Johns won the Knights singlehandedly, carrying the likes of players like Reegan Tanner, Todd Lowrie et al., is quite remarkable. Johns was in sublime form and hit a purple patch towards the end of his career from S.O.O 2 2005 to Rd 6 2006 (where he got injured in that top of the table clash vs Cowboys), irrespective of the plethora of injuries he had sustained up until that point in his career.

 

[cv8z]

Kenny was the better player but wally was the bigger personality
IMO origin was far better back then and wally's contribution was immense in the us vs them area

 

[Big Pete]

So, my next question I want to ask is: why doesn't Kenny get the same level of recognition and accolades that "King" Wally does? Why do we always hear about King Wally, but Kenny barely gets a mention?

Also, a bit of a segue here (re: Lewis vs Johns). It's of my understanding that Lewis' last two seasons in the NSWRL yielded two wooden spoons at Gold Coast. Johns also played in a wooden spoon side (2005), but he missed half that season through injury and when he came back and produced that famous performance in S.O.O 2 (undoubtedly the best origin performance I've seen during my time watching league), the Knights were a completely different side and he fell agonisingly short of the Dally M medal, despite playing a fraction of the games Thurston did. The number of games Johns won the Knights singlehandedly, carrying the likes of players like Reegan Tanner, Todd Lowrie et al., is quite remarkable. Johns was in sublime form and hit a purple patch towards the end of his career from S.O.O 2 2005 to Rd 6 2006 (where he got injured in that top of the table clash vs Cowboys), irrespective of the plethora of injuries he had sustained up until that point in his career.

Not really comparable.

Lewis spread himself thin as captain/coach of a side that shouldn't have been included in the competition and had one of the worst rosters in the history of RL.

Johns still had Buderus, Simpson & Gidley (among others) to help him out. Lewis didn't have anybody else.

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

I eagerly await for Big Pete to come in and explain why Lewis was better despite only seeing video of the two.

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

Damn. Too late.

 

[Big Pete]

Didn't say anything of the thing.

But thanks for proving you can't read.

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

Didn't say anything of the thing.

But thanks for proving you can't read.

Anything of the thing. Well done.

 

[Big Pete]

:lol: Desperate Tez picking out an online grammatical error at 1am. Where would this board be without you?

 

[MightyBronco]

f**kin NSW nuffies.

 

[RABK]

Look, i'm like the majority on these boards who can only really comment on 1990's onwards when comparing greats of the game but from what i have seen, read, heard and researched Lewis career is pretty severely overated and is very much a QLD pushed GOAT agenda.

Kenny on the other hand is criminally underated and is always left out of the Daley vs Lewis vs Fittler vs Lockyer arguments by most.

Wally is no doubt the King of Origin and proved himself an all time great in the toughest arena of all but QLD'rs will say how inferior Super League is to the NRL then try and talk up the mick mouse BRL of the 80's. Lewis has a lot of red x next to boxes that Kenny has ticked for the simple fact he really achieved shit all in any decent week to week competition.

 

[Loudstrat]

Put a highlights package from the entire Lewis career together, and run it against the 1985 Challenge Cup Final. Kenny - no doubt.

Big Pete forgets that Lewis had Dale Shearer and Brent Stuart - long term test men.

How did Lewis go in club football? Who the f*ck knows? By the time the world got to see him in club colours he was in his twilight. He got punted from his first big time club and won spoons with his second.

Kenny bumped Lewis out of the test 6 job in 82 and only QLD politics put him back there. Kenny was a victim of being phenomenal at 2 positions where Lewis was only good at 1. That's why the immortal system is bullsh*t.

Lewis was a showpony - evidenced by his stupid argument in Origin with an equally stupid Mark Geyer. One should have snotted the other. In comparison, no one baited Kenny. If someone like MG came at him, he'd merely shrug, get the ball, run around him like he was a statue, and score 3 tries.

 

[Big Pete]

Big Pete forgets that Lewis had Dale Shearer and Brent Stuart - long term test men.

Shearer didn't even play half of one season with Lewis at the Coast.

Stuart never played with Lewis. Probably thinking of Todd.

I still stand by that Coast squad was one of the worst rosters in modern times.

 

[Loudstrat]

Highlights of the 1985 CC final. Kenny and Sterling (and Chicka Ferguson) at their best.

It reminded me how cool Kenny was. He is the ex RL player least likely to suffer from high blood pressure.

Pete - yes it was. And I was thinking of Todd. But Johns only played half their spoon season. Lewis played the lot. And Brett Kenny never won a spoon - ironically thanks to Wally!

 

[Canard]

Dale Shearer was a bigger dinosaur than Hair Metal by the time he played at the Coast, and Brent Todd was like Adam Blair or Antonio Kaufusi, looked good in a good system (Canberra) but once he was out of it he was sub par first grade level.

What did Kenny achieve at club level from 1987 onwards again?

Kenny was one of the all time greats, and one of the few that played Origin as well as Lewis (but for a shorter period of time).

The fact that Lewis played the majority of his career in the BRL is now seen as some sort of negative by these boards, although 99% of threads on here are about how player x is a mercenary for accepting money from another club etc. Because Im sure that Lewis legacy would have been enhanced more by taking the money from Manly and winning a couple of NSWRL premierships?? Also interesting that the BRL is rated supbar, but the English Challenge Cup is used as the example of Kenny's greatness?

At the age of 37 Lewis is the best player Ive ever seen, but Kenny is not far off.