The biggest signing in history

[typicalfan]

Mark Carroll Souths to Manly
Trevor Gillmeister Roosters to Broncos
Gavin Miller Roosters to Sharks
Ben Kennedy Raiders to Knights
Craig Fitzgibbon Dragons to Roosters
Ryan Girdler Steelers to Panthers

 

[Loudstrat]

Also, some of those players weren't at the peaks of their careers, as you suggest

Bob Fulton - Manly - Easts 1977
Petero Civoniceva - Brisbane - Penrith 2009
Les Boyd - Wests - Manly 1982
Steve Rogers - Cronulla - St George 1982

Were all nearing the end of their careers

Bozo led a Kangaroo tour at the end of 78, so he was still quality.
Petero - possibly right, but has still done 2 more seasons in Origin and Test front rows. Rogers was still pulling blinders in 1984. Maybe you are right, there are some better options. However, they are not.......

Ellery Hanley to Balmain 1988
Wally Lewis to the Broncos
Mal Meninga to Canberra

But above all of those and all listed in the poll

Brian Bevan from Easts to Warrington

from 1942 to 1946 Bevan played 7 games for Easts, kicking 1 goal.
In 1946 he shifted to Warrington, where he stayed until 1962, scoring 830 odd tries in just under 700 games.

If we want to go further.

Duncan Thompson when signed by Toowoomba from North Sydney.

My criteria precludes Wally and Mal as they were joining new comps.
Bevan was nothing at Easts, and The Fox simply quit Sydney and went home.

Had you mentioned Pony Holloway - Easts to Balmain, I may have been impressed

 

[Jason Maher]

Inglis. Definitely the biggest signing in Rugby League history. The only one who would have gone even close would have been Big Artie.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

What about Ron Coote from Souths to Easts?

Bingo.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

I'll thow in Glenn Lazurus x 2.
Canberra to Brisbane and then Brisbane to Melbourne.


And Chicka Ferguson from Easts to Canberra.

 

[madunit]

Bozo led a Kangaroo tour at the end of 78, so he was still quality.
Petero - possibly right, but has still done 2 more seasons in Origin and Test front rows. Rogers was still pulling blinders in 1984. Maybe you are right, there are some better options. However, they are not.......


My criteria precludes Wally and Mal as they were joining new comps.
Bevan was nothing at Easts, and The Fox simply quit Sydney and went home.

Had you mentioned Pony Holloway - Easts to Balmain, I may have been impressed

seems a bit silly to ask for the best signing ever and then have parameters.

Halloway's career wasn't near it's peak in his time at Easts (wasn't far off, but he started to master league a lot more in the halves at Balmain then he did at Easts)

Thompson's home was Warwick, not toowoomba.

He was signed by Toowoomba to be their captain-coach. He quit Sydney based on principle. He was at the very peak of his career from 1921-25 - a time when Norths won 2 titles, Norths went undefeated in a season, Toowoomba went undefeated in 1924-25 and beat every touring team they came up against, and beat the undefeated Souths team of 1925.

I'd rate his signing much higher than any others, bar the few I mentioned.

Hanley would have to be the biggest of all time almost. Inglis is not in the league of Hanley, Lewis, Meninga, Thompson or Beetson. Those guys were all the best in the world, Inglis couldn't take that title undisputedly like these guys did.

 

[Special K]

I went Tallis to the Broncos. I was a kid like 9 or so and remember all the fuss about it, with him sitting out etc.

Tallis was awesome. I wish he was still running around

 

[umina panther]

I went Tallis to the Broncos. I was a kid like 9 or so and remember all the fuss about it, with him sitting out etc.

Tallis was awesome. I wish he was still running around

Yeah it would be much better then his commentary work

 

[Loudstrat]

seems a bit silly to ask for the best signing ever and then have parameters.

Halloway's career wasn't near it's peak in his time at Easts (wasn't far off, but he started to master league a lot more in the halves at Balmain then he did at Easts)

Thompson's home was Warwick, not toowoomba.

He was signed by Toowoomba to be their captain-coach. He quit Sydney based on principle. He was at the very peak of his career from 1921-25 - a time when Norths won 2 titles, Norths went undefeated in a season, Toowoomba went undefeated in 1924-25 and beat every touring team they came up against, and beat the undefeated Souths team of 1925.

I'd rate his signing much higher than any others, bar the few I mentioned.

Hanley would have to be the biggest of all time almost. Inglis is not in the league of Hanley, Lewis, Meninga, Thompson or Beetson. Those guys were all the best in the world, Inglis couldn't take that title undisputedly like these guys did.

You have to have parameters, because the question is otherwise ambiguous.

I was after the one deal where a CEO, coach or secretary signed a mega player and got mega value.

There are a stack of young players signing for chicken feed by a club enthusing over their potential - eg NQ signing Thurston, Parra signing Sterlo, Melbourne signing INglis.

There are plenty of instances of players doing the old of season run. We got the likes of Hanley, Davies, Boulton, Bishop, Offiah, Crooks, Gregory and Schofield, and the Poms got Sterlo, Kenny, Wally, Mal, Guru, Anderson and others. Signing players that was was common, signing that calibre in the same comp not as common.

Ok?

 

[Red&BlackBear]

Half of north Sydney to manly.

 

[Loudstrat]

Lucky they took the crap unloyal half!

 

[Moffo]

Glenn hall to cowpats

 

[grouch]

INGLIP

 

[Bring it home Knights]

It's not the best signing, but Ben Kennedy was a HUGE addition to the knights. I have fears that we wouldn't have finished first in 2001 without him. He was an incredibly inspirational player.

 

[Mr Spock!]

These players are listed in more than one club's dream team or team of the century.

Ron Coote Souths Easts

Ray Branigan Souths Manly

John O'Neill Souths Manly

Harold Horder Souths Norths

Glenn Lazarus Canberra Brisbane

 

[Dragon]

INGLIP

:lol::lol::lol:

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

INGLIP

Thy lord has cometh and we shall do his bidding. ALL HAIL INGLIP!

 

[GongPanther]

No raper from newtown to saints?

And he was poached from the canterbury district to Newtown.

Fittler for mine.

If he had to go anywhere,I'm glad it was Easts.

 

[madunit]

Gary Freeman - Balmain to Easts
Illawarra to St.George

Ricky Stuart - Union to Canberra
Messenger - Union to Easts

 

[Third Bugler]

These players are listed in more than one club's dream team or team of the century.

Ron Coote Souths Easts

Ray Branigan Souths Manly

John O'Neill Souths Manly

Harold Horder Souths Norths

Glenn Lazarus Canberra Brisbane

Lazarus. Enormous signing. The front rower Bennett had tried to turn other of his forwards into with no success. (Donnelly & Tronc were two good examples).

Already a winner of two GFs, he won two more with the Bronks and one with the Storm.

Seems a grumpy prick of a bloke, but the winningest multiple-club OZ prop ever AFAIK.