Ranking Robbie Farah

[Das Hassler]

Farah would have thrived in the 80s.

For sure. ..

 

[benched tiger]

RF has been the WT best hooker since the merger into the NRL especially in his first 6 or 7 seasons.
You only have to think back to last season and the options that were used at hooker be fore RF came back to the WT to realise how good he actually is, he will be missed when he retires but Liddle has enough ability to cover that position easily if he can stay on the paddock.

 

[billygilmore]

I’d say for a fair chunk of his career he was better than smith, the problem is when he was bad he was bad, as in shit, where as smith has remained consistently among the top 3 hookers his whole career

 

[Tigerm]

Who was better - Robbie or Benny ?

I think Benny was, but he shone with that great pack around him (Roach, Hemsley, Sironen, Brooks, Pearce and others), but I don't think he had the skill set of Robbie (different eras for sure) and if Robbie didn't have to carry the forwards like he does, then he possibly may still be playing SOO, same as Smith.

 

[Vic Mackey]

I think Benny was, but he shone with that great pack around him (Roach, Hemsley, Sironen, Brooks, Pearce and others), but I don't think he had the skill set of Robbie (different eras for sure) and if Robbie didn't have to carry the forwards like he does, then he possibly may still be playing SOO, same as Smith.

The sides Benny had between 91-94 made some of our recent ones look like the 94 Raiders. Yet he still played well and dominated at Origin until retirement.

 

[Fordy20]

Looking back over the last 30 years to when most say the hooker position changed from a primarily scrum based position to the modern day version of a spine playmaker, how many would be ranked ahead of Farah?

For mine you would have Cameron Smith (future Immortal) and Steve Walters (Hall of Fame) ahead of him and then arguably Ben Elias and Danny Buderus could be ranked above him. Danny will be a Hall of Fame inductee over the next few years I reckon.

I might just be a jaded, one-eyed Tigers supporter, but personally I think Buderus is overrated. The guy made a career out of giving the ball to the greatest player to ever strap on a football boot. When Johns retired from rep footy, the Blues were shit. When Johns retired from club footy, the Knights went to shit and Brian Smith shipped him off to England in favour of Isaac De Gois. If he was such a great hooker, those things wouldn't have happened. Also, I don't remember him being a kicking or playmaking hooker either.

 

[BrotherJim05]

Top 5 for sure.

 

[Old Time Tiger]

For the ‘fans’ who knock him,
I heard that Madge let RF head to Spain for the UEFA final as ‘a reward for his professionalism’.

That’s a good wrap and he has always had such a tag for the way he goes about his preparation and recovery.

I hope Liddle is seeing, listening, following. More importantly, gets more minutes going forward.

 

[Tiger05]

I’d say for a fair chunk of his career he was better than smith, the problem is when he was bad he was bad, as in shit, where as smith has remained consistently among the top 3 hookers his whole career

I reckon this is a really good assessment of Robbie. On song he was the best hooker in the game.

 

[Tiger Ted]

For the ‘fans’ who knock him,
I heard that Madge let RF head to Spain for the UEFA final as ‘a reward for his professionalism’.

That’s a good wrap and he has always had such a tag for the way he goes about his preparation and recovery.

I hope Liddle is seeing, listening, following. More importantly, gets more minutes going forward.

Too bad the shitbag mercenary Packer is totally devoid of the professionalism & integrity of the likes of Robbie & Rowdy.

 

[TheDefinitionOfMadness]

I just had a quick look at the website and 2018 was basically a wrap up and review of everything that had happened up until then so Elias didn't make it and I don't believe is eleigable in the future which is a shame considering what competitor and innovator he was. He changed the way hooker was played by introducing a kicking game out of dummy half and ball playing that wasn't seen before. His game would stand up today in my opinion. He was tough as well. In an era were you had to fight there were plenty who wanted to belt him just because he was a lebanese.

Farah should get in easy. There's some sort of metrics system to rate the players. In typical NRL fashion they don't mention what these are giving them the opportunity to make it up as they go along and look after their favourites. It does say there will be 2 to 4 inductees every year from now on. Again why the number isn't set has got me stuffed. Based on those numbers it'll be easy as shit to get in and there'll be a lot of future players getting in who won't deserve to.

To give a bit of comparison the NFL have 32 teams with each team having 53 players. Only 5 get in per year there. Based on this if we had 1 inductee every year that would be acceptable but still not comparable. It's bloody difficult to get in the NFL hall of fame. Some exceptional players have missed out, as have players like Elias and sironen in our hall of fame.

Going forward it looks a dogs breakfast but Robbie will be a deserving inductee.

If anyone visits the states. Go to canton Ohio and check out the NFL hall of fame. I spent a day and could have easily spent 2 to 3 more.

 

[Vic Mackey]

I just had a quick look at the website and 2018 was basically a wrap up and review of everything that had happened up until then so Elias didn't make it and I don't believe is eleigable in the future which is a shame considering what competitor and innovator he was. He changed the way hooker was played by introducing a kicking game out of dummy half and ball playing that wasn't seen before. His game would stand up today in my opinion. He was tough as well. In an era were you had to fight there were plenty who wanted to belt him just because he was a lebanese.
.

Benny is criminally under rated in terms of hookers throughout history. I never, ever understood how Steve Walters was rated ahead of him. Benny out played him at Origin level nearly every single occassion. Walters would often get him at club level however a lot of that was due to SW being in the best team assembled over the past 30 years and Benny being in a bottom 2 team for the last 4 years of his career.

The only player more criminally under rated of the past 30 years is Tim Brasher, who IMO is NSW's best ever fullback yet barely even gets spoken about

 

[Tiger Ted]

Benny is criminally under rated in terms of hookers throughout history. I never, ever understood how Steve Walters was rated ahead of him. Benny out played him at Origin level nearly every single occassion. Walters would often get him at club level however a lot of that was due to SW being in the best team assembled over the past 30 years and Benny being in a bottom 2 team for the last 4 years of his career.

The only player more criminally under rated of the past 30 years is Tim Brasher, who IMO is NSW's best ever fullback yet barely even gets spoken about

Totally agree especially re Backdoor Benny.

Brasher played for my old junior club Burwood United

 

[Shredder]

TT, he played up a year from me.

What was th name of his coach? lovely bloke.

 

[TheDefinitionOfMadness]

My 2 favourite backdoor Benny moments.

1. The charge down in the 89 major semi. We were gassed and absolutely on the ropes waiting to be knocked out. To charge it down was one thing but to get up off the ground and beat 2 south's players to it, who were both closer, was just pure determination and will to win. We scored off that set to go ahead and then wrapped it up shortly after.

2. When he bit himself on the hand and blamed it Mario Fenech. Fenech got send off and if I remember correctly we put a score on south's after that. I think fenech might have even got suspended for a couple of weeks.

Ah good times....

 

[Tiger Ted]

TT, he played up a year from me.

What was th name of his coach? lovely bloke.

He was a few yrs younger & I can’t recall the name