RLW: Best player over the last 30 years?

[perverse]

Sterling had everything Johns had except more control over the game and when things got tough he dug in and didn't blow up. Maybe didn't have the same aggression in defence but he did make plenty of great grassing tackles.

yeah i would have liked to have seen sterlo play more than just a few highlight reels every now and then. curse my relative youth.

 

[MSKnight]

Big Congrats to Joey on getting the number 1 Spot. Fully deserved it after his contributions to the Game.

 

[Whats Doing]

yeah i would have liked to have seen sterlo play more than just a few highlight reels every now and then. curse my relative youth.

Sterlo was brilliant. I remember where he laid on a 5 tries tries for Parra in a brilliant performance. He got a 10 rating in RLW which was rarity. He was a great organising half and the clashes of styles between him and Mortimer were engrossing.

The difference with Johns is that Johns created a whole new apsect to the game with his kicking and was much tougher in defence. I also believe he made average players look high qualiity. But now qualms with me about how good Sterlo was.

 

[pennywisealfie]

top 5 was announced on sky news:

1. Andrew Johns
2. Wally Lewis
3. Brad Fittler
4. Darren Lockyer
5. Allan Langer

this is the biggest bunch of sh*t ever. wally better than johns....lockyer and langer are/were better than fittler. it reeks of new south wales favouritsm as is always the case in rugby league.

 

[perverse]

top 5 was announced on sky news:

1. Andrew Johns
2. Wally Lewis
3. Brad Fittler
4. Darren Lockyer
5. Allan Langer

this is the biggest bunch of sh*t ever. wally better than johns....lockyer and langer are/were better than fittler. it reeks of new south wales favouritsm as is always the case in rugby league.

to be honest i couldnt split locky and freddy.. but would put alfie above both of them - just. he received that edge by coming back from england and having his origin swansong.. and rising to that occasion like a true champion.

but you know what they say about opinions and arseholes.. we've all got them.

what's also VERY interesting (and kind of unnerving) is that the official list mirrors our poll perfectly.

 

[Raider_69]

Sterlo was brilliant. I remember where he laid on a 5 tries tries for Parra in a brilliant performance. He got a 10 rating in RLW which was rarity. He was a great organising half and the clashes of styles between him and Mortimer were engrossing.

The difference with Johns is that Johns created a whole new apsect to the game with his kicking and was much tougher in defence. I also believe he made average players look high qualiity. But now qualms with me about how good Sterlo was.

Johns didnt create any new aspect with his kicking, that accolade belongs to Ricky Stuart, to which even Andrew Johns has said on a number of occasions. Ricky Stuart revolutionised the game with his kicking, which imo, holds him higher then the likes of Brad Fittler, Alan Langer, Darren Lockyer, Laurie Daley etc and imho in the same class as Lewis, Kenny, Meninga, Sterling and Johns

 

[perverse]

Johns didnt create any new aspect with his kicking, that accolade belongs to Ricky Stuart, to which even Andrew Johns has said on a number of occasions. Ricky Stuart revolutionised the game with his kicking, which imo, holds him higher then the likes of Brad Fittler, Alan Langer, Darren Lockyer, Laurie Daley etc and imho in the same class as Lewis, Kenny, Meninga, Sterling and Johns

johns took what ricky started and bumped it up a few notches. i'll certainly grant you that ricky is right up there with all of those names though.

 

[pennywisealfie]

although i dont agree with it, im ok with johns being number 1, but for fittler and lockyer to be ahead of langer is ridiculous.

 

[pennywisealfie]

and ricky stuart was def underrated, not as good as alfie but the 2nd best halfback ive ever seen.

 

[Raider_69]

johns took what ricky started and bumped it up a few notches. i'll certainly grant you that ricky is right up there with all of those names though.

The Johns kicking game got a f**k load of wraps but IMHO it wasnt ever as good as stuarts. Johns took was Stuart started and tried to take it to the next level, i dont believe he did, let alone a few notches... That said he was certainly a better defender and goal kicker then stuart which is why Johns will be considered better, but i think as far halfbacks main jobs, stuart had better kicking and organisation, johns had the better passing, running games... Vision wise, cant split em, a bees dick in it

 

[mongoose]

top 5 was announced on sky news:

1. Andrew Johns
2. Wally Lewis
3. Brad Fittler
4. Darren Lockyer
5. Allan Langer

this is the biggest bunch of sh*t ever. wally better than johns....lockyer and langer are/were better than fittler. it reeks of new south wales favouritsm as is always the case in rugby league.

I agree with the top 2. I would have any and all of sterling, kenny, daley or stuart ahead of the other 3.

 

[t-ba]

cbf'd reading the thread.

Johns for mine. It's a shame Wally never played in the NSWRL in his prime, because I think he would have shaded Johns for the honour.

 

[Kid]

The absolute correct decision. I have had the pleasure to see all these guys at their peak. Whilst i thought i would be proud to say i saw each one play, there is no question in my mind the greatest of them all was Johns. Love him or loathe him and off field antics aside, he made average players a hell of a lot better, showed remarkable skill and determination coming back and dominated after some horrific injuries (some off f**k all prep). He wasn't a role model off the field and openly admits that, but he more than made up for it on the park. I will never forget his game against the Broncs at Suncorp and i will never forget 2nd game in Origin 2005. The old saying "cometh the hour, cometh the man" was truely appropriate.

Well done Andrew, you deserve it.

 

[Whats Doing]

I think over time Johns will be regarded as the greatest ever.

From the final result , I think Lockyer would have been rated higher but may have suffered with his transition to 5/8 which took some time. Clearly the best full back and not far off and if not the best 5/8. A true champion over a long period of time at the highest level.

 

[adamkungl]

boof**kin hoo have a cry. Congrats Freddy.

 

[Brutus]

Surely Meninga would have to be in the running?

Not for the top 5 that's for sure in fact I always rated Gene Miles a better centre as did many of the players back in the day, but poor old Geno couldn't crack the top 30.

For mine

1. Lewis

2. Johns

3. Langer

4. Daley

5. Kenny


Putting Lockyer ahead of Langer is a f**king rort!!!!!

 

[perverse]

The Johns kicking game got a f**k load of wraps but IMHO it wasnt ever as good as stuarts. Johns took was Stuart started and tried to take it to the next level, i dont believe he did, let alone a few notches... That said he was certainly a better defender and goal kicker then stuart which is why Johns will be considered better, but i think as far halfbacks main jobs, stuart had better kicking and organisation, johns had the better passing, running games... Vision wise, cant split em, a bees dick in it

to be fair, for a large chunk of his career stuart played in a star studded lineup.. it's not hard to organise a team of champions. there's really no comparison between the organisational and leadership skills of stuart and johns. johns made the average joe look like a world beater.

i think johns kicking game at its peak was better than stuarts.. but stuart was probably more consistant over a longer period.

stuart was great.. but johns was better.

 

[Eelementary]

If maiking someone look great is a tough job, then John Morris is the greatest player ever. he made Tim Smith look decent in 2005, and Tim's doing f**k all since.

:sarcasm:

 

[crouching_tiger]

Daniel Fitzhenry.
The ONLY player EVER to score in a
WORLD 7's final(2004),
NRL Grand Final(2005) and
WORLD Club Challenge(2006).
Not a single one of those imposters in the top 30 have achieved that and NEVER will!!

 

[Misanthrope]

Good to see Johns is justifiably winning this vote. The only player in the poll worthy to lick his boots is Lewis, and he didn't achieve sh*t at club level.