OT best player I have ever seen

[blacktip-reefy]

Was brought up in conversation yesterday so I thought id you tube him, see what was there.
This guy is still the fastest, most balanced runner I ever saw. Played against him & his brother in the country & they were impossible to stop when they went to work.
He had the most blistering acceleration imagineable. Forget Slater, barba & Stewart etc This guy was the goods.
Poor vision but some classic stuff in there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LW3vBK61B8

 

[webShark]

Joey

 

[carcharias]

I remember him.
The Gerry Lopez of rugby league .

 

[blacktip-reefy]

haha Ewan would have torn fat arsse a new one. Still cant believe somebody that slow can be an immortal.
Phucken boyz club that is.
ET never missed too many guys when they were on their way to line, but he could never catch Ewan. & Ewan wasnt even in full flight. Most times he never went flat out for more than 10 strides.
Compare a jeoy johns highlights reel, just for laughs.

 

[Gallen=God]

Joey and Locky. In fairness I never saw Ewan play.

What Joey didn't have in speed he had in everything else. Lockyer is the most complete player I've ever seen.

 

[Special K]

I remember his footy card from when I was a kid

How badass were footy cards!

 

[Ausguy]

Scanlens gum... Lasted 100 seconds before it needed to be thrown away. Used to be 30c a pack

 

[blacktip-reefy]

The other thing with Ewan, nobody knew how old he was. In the country Jason& Ewan were playing first grade with John Harvey, against players like Larry Corowa, Graham Ogrady, Stumpy stevens etc. jason was 16 we knew. But Ewan was laready married & between 22 & 26. This was 3 years before he went to Sydney. So his debut rookie age in Sydney as somewhere between 25-29. Even more incredible was he hated Sydney & wanted out of there everyday aparently, but he lasted 3 years.
Very different entry in the toughest league comp in the world then what Lockyer & Johns had.
Lance Lockyer in particular.

 

[carcharias]

Scanlens gum... Lasted 100 seconds before it needed to be thrown away. Used to be 30c a pack

The MSG of bubble gum.

 

[Since 73]

If I could watch a 10 min highlights reel of each player's absolute best I'd watch Sludges.

If i was building a team of the best ever the first bloke I'd pick would be Joey.

 

[blacktip-reefy]

I still think fittler was a better half/organiser than Joey.
Definitiely picky Fittler & mcgrady before Johns. Reason being, your team would win.

Reminds me of the time the mcgrady clan got invited to play in the rugbly league 7's on the Gold Coast, early 80's. All the big guns were there playing. the Blakes, the Faheys, the Ellas, meningas etc etc.
Ewan gets the kick off in their first game, under the sticks. hed scored 3 times off 3kick offs. Nobody got a hand to him. The mcgradys won the grand final of that comp. It was played in 7 minute halves. I think ewan scored 30 odd trys during the 2 day tournament. Needless to say everytime they took the field, everybody stopped what they were doing to watch. 4 years after that he would debut for the Dogs despite nearly every club chasing his signature for 4 years.

 

[Southern Shark]

Sludge. No player covered the back page like he use to in the Sun and Mirror. Headlines lie ROGERS OUT when he would miss the weekend round. Never missed a tackle once he developed and was the talk of every Shire school yard.

 

[Snoop Shark]

GI...speed, skill, vision, power, agility and he hasn't even passed the half way mark of his career

 

[PJ]

Gavin Miller.

Always heavily marked, everyone knew what he could do and planned for it but he did it over and over again regardless.

And geeze he could take some punishment.

 

[bluey]

Lots of Great players but i always liked Clyde

 

[carcharias]

I don't rate the real big guys with a massive
physical advantage over the others.
Mal is one

Yep great player, but take 20 kilos off him and see how he goes.
Plus
He ran at scrawny wingers and centers all his career.

Unless there is a science in trampling over the top of someone.

Little blokes who could tackle impressed me.
Treister was one.
Speech
Slater is up there ... Way up there.
Maybe even the best fullback ever seen

 

[sharknows]

GI...speed, skill, vision, power, agility and he hasn't even passed the half way mark of his career

You left out lazy.....no doubting his ability but you could be excused for thinking he didn't play in Souths last couple of games & the Aus/NZ test.

 

[blacktip-reefy]

I saw inglis play on the same country ground that Ewan did, before he went to Melbourne. He tore the other team apart alright, but Ewan would have beaten him by 10 metres over 50 metres. Inglis, Slater, Stewart are probably the only players that could have actually layed a hand on Ewan in a half break(which always turned out to be a full break).
Ewan is still playing somewhere & I think he is now in his 50's

 

[coolumsharkie]

Pretty impressive highlights clip.

 

[tom of poland]

I saw Ewan McGrady and he was great, but I'll give my vote to Tommy Bishop, who had the flair, and a great football brain, great awareness, and exemplary playmaker, great flick passes. And he was also tough and take a lot of crap and dish it out as well.