NRL - Best goalkicker

[leek123]

Whos the best goalkicker in the NRL and why? id say Hodkinson.

 

[lockyno1]

Reynolds. Then it is close between Sezer, Hodkinson, Michael Gordon, and Gareth Widdop.

 

[Swarzey]

Either Richards or JT.

They're in a class of their own in comparison to the rest of the league.

 

[Tommy Smith]

1. Reynolds
2. Hodkinson
3. Maloney

They're the clear top 3 I'd imagine.

 

[lockyno1]

Tend to agree Tommy. Sezer is underrated though.

 

[MacDougall]

It's Richards and it's not even close.

Tommy is an idiot? Maloney is a nuffy kicker.

 

[nrlnrl]

Either Richards or JT.

They're in a class of their own in comparison to the rest of the league.

agree, proven track record over many years for these guys

 

[thorson1987]

Cameron smith

 

[skeepe]

It's Richards and it's not even close.

Tommy is an idiot? Maloney is a nuffy kicker.

Both Richards and Jarrod Croker have the same success rate, 87%. So I'd say it's fairly close.

 

[jono]

Michael Gordon

 

[Bulldog Force]

Whos the best goalkicker in the NRL and why? id say Hodkinson.

You didn't say why. So... why?

 

[Didgi]

Hmm... I wonder what makes someone the best goalkicker.

Potentially the ability to kick goals, or is there something more? Interaction with the crowd? Kindness to ballboys? How poncy their run-up is?

 

[legend]

Their ability to kick a difficult goal in a clutch situation. Croker is good but his miss against the Tigers in 2010 still haunts Raiders fans (and Croker too I'd imagine).

Croker also has a legitimate shot and being the all time leading point scorer if he continues his career with few injuries. He'll hit 1,000 points next year and if he continues at 200 per season for the next 5-6 years, which is entirely possible, he will break the record.

 

[TheFrog]

Hmm... I wonder what makes someone the best goalkicker.

The guy who gets the most and misses the fewest?

Pat Richards has 36 at 88%. I'd say it's him.

 

[forward pass]

There is a difference between the 'best' goal kicker and the 'most accurate' goal kicker.

Hodkinson, Reynolds, Thurston are certainly the most accurate. But some kickers eg Richards, will attempt kicks the others wouldn't because they get so much more distance. Their accuracy drops due to the distance, but they strike the ball probably better than some of those other guys.

 

[Packy]

Richards & Hokko as pressure doesn't seem to affect them.

 

[Bulldog Force]

Adam Reynolds.

 

[blaza88z]

Joseph Paulo

 

[Walt Flanigan]

Their ability to kick a difficult goal in a clutch situation. Croker is good but his miss against the Tigers in 2010 still haunts Raiders fans (and Croker too I'd imagine).

It was very kickable but I don't hold it against him too much. He was only 19 years old and it was at the death of a semi final in front of a sell-out crowd. We were toast after Campo snapped his knee in half anyway.

Last year he nailed one from the sideline to put away the Roosters when the scores were level with less than a minute left. I think he's learned to deal with that pressure.

 

[TheFrog]

There is a difference between the 'best' goal kicker and the 'most accurate' goal kicker.

Hodkinson, Reynolds, Thurston are certainly the most accurate. But some kickers eg Richards, will attempt kicks the others wouldn't because they get so much more distance. Their accuracy drops due to the distance, but they strike the ball probably better than some of those other guys.

The kick from over half way has been lost from the game, due to the change in the game's balance towards scoring more tries. So the hardest kick now is from the sideline 20 metres out. People like Kevin Longbottom and Bob Landers used to put them over from the sideline and over halfway. It's a big loss from the game in my opinion.