Went Luai and Cleary. That combination has played 5 grand finals, won 4 premierships and had an incredible amount of success at all levels. Both players have also been successful without the other.
I feel like every player who was in all 4 grand final wins deserves to be an automatic selection in any all time side.
I understand why you did it, but then it means we don't pick the best players to ever play for Penrith, just the most successful.
A great example of this is Stephen Crichton vs Brad Fittler. Fittler played for Penrith aged 17. Played in a losing GF aged 18. Played for NSW aged 18, won a GF aged 19. Played for Australia, captained Australia.
Crichton is a great player but has yet to prove he is better than Brad Fittler in spite of scoring in three grand finals. At aged 19 Brad Fittler was marking man mountain Mal Meninga, QLD and Australian superstar, in a grand final. He has played, lock, centre and five eighth with great success and won premierships in two different clubs.
Crichton may surpass him, but I have yet to see the ball playing skills that will allow him to play in halves and he would need to do that to match Fittler.
Is Crichton a better centre than Girdler? I have seen both play and Crichton is a better defender but in attack, Girdler was a much better player. Girdler had great awareness and ball skills and could have played five eighth. He has broken SOO point scoring records and scored a 101 tries for the club.
Both Fittler and Girdler played in some godawful Panther teams and in spite of our mediocrity still managed to shine. Critta was part of a team that is in the conversation for GOAT status. At the Dogs his stats suddenly look a lot more average.
All things considered, I couldn't in good conscience pick Critta over either of these two, they were simply better players and that's saying something, because Critta is an excellent player.
