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Was Brett Kenny underrated?

Twizzle

Twizzle

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
154,199
Totally different players. Bert started as a centre and ended up a running type 5/8.

Wally was more of a ball player, probabaly a better defender too.

Different players.
 
B

Basil Brush

Juniors
Messages
1,200
I believe Lewis never won an origin match when Kenny played 5/8th against him. Problem was Kenny played a lot of Origin in the centres.
 
OVP

OVP

Coach
Messages
11,627
Steve Ella was underrated. He was a constant nightmare to any team's defence.
 
Bobby DIGital

Bobby DIGital

Coach
Messages
12,732
I started watching RL in 89. As a kid I wondered why the commentators made such a big deal in regards to Kenny and Sterling. Daley & Stuart used to make them look like bums.They were broken down shells of their former selves at that point obviously.

So I'm going to say no, Kenny wasn't underrated. He lacked longevity.
 
snoozer

snoozer

Bench
Messages
4,491
i loved watching kenny. he had an economy of movement and style.

that parra team was close to the best of any era and he was a one of the best in that team.
 
POPEYE

POPEYE

Coach
Messages
11,397
Wally was always one play ahead and Kenny played for the moment . . . smart v elusiveness

Wally and Mortimer were ripped off by the selection of Kenny and Sterling on a Kangaroo tour, form was ignored

If you were selecting a team to save your life you'd pick Wally, if you wanted to beat a bookie you'd pick Kenny
 
Desert Qlder

Desert Qlder

First Grade
Messages
9,485
Kenny was a fabulous player.

No way is he underrated, in his time he was talked about as one of the best centres in the game.

There is no shame in being second behind Lewis at five-eighth. Personally I preferred Cliff Lyons but I might be in the minority there.
 
dannyt

dannyt

Coach
Messages
14,492
Bobby DIGital said:
I started watching RL in 89. As a kid I wondered why the commentators made such a big deal in regards to Kenny and Sterling. Daley & Stuart used to make them look like bums.They were broken down shells of their former selves at that point obviously.

So I'm going to say no, Kenny wasn't underrated. He lacked longevity.
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LOL- one of the architects of 4 premierships beginning almost 10 years before you started watching, with 3 in a row, the fourth 3 years later and the only player to score 2 tries in 3 consecutive GFs!

Anyway, Stuart and Daley were a great halves pairing, but they would struggle (IMHO) against Sterling and Kenny at their best.

Regarding Lewis- the reason why people doubted his ability was he never played first grade in the NSWRL comp in his prime. Some claimed he was scared to play in the NSWRL, but the reality was the QRL headed by Senator Ron McAuliffe blocked any move for him and Gene Miles to leave QLD. QLDers of the same era, such as Belcher, Meninga and Vautin, did play in the NSWRL and had extremely successful careers. Considering Lewis was probably a better player than either of these 3, you would think Lewis would've had a successful career in his prime in the right team. When Lewis finally did play in the top league on a weekly basis for the broncos in their inaugural year, he wasn't the same player and so wasn't as dominant.

So who was better- Lewis or Kenny? As 5/8s I would say Lewis. On pure footballing ability I would say Kenny. On my ideal, Lewis at 5/8 with Kenny in the centres.

Wished I saw that combination in the red V.
 
Vic Mackey

Vic Mackey

Referee
Messages
25,532
Basil Brush said:
I believe Lewis never won an origin match when Kenny played 5/8th against him. Problem was Kenny played a lot of Origin in the centres.
Click to expand...

I saw Gene Miles interviewed Once and he said they loved it when nsw picked Kenny in the centers as he wasn't nearly as effective. Said Kenny was the only player they ever feared in the 80s

The only people who would ever under rate him would be those who didn't watch league prior to 1987. If he was playing today he would be the best 5/8 in the game by some margain.
 
Hutty1986

Hutty1986

Immortal
Messages
34,034
dannyt said:
LOL- one of the architects of 4 premierships beginning almost 10 years before you started watching, with 3 in a row, the fourth 3 years later and the only player to score 2 tries in 3 consecutive GFs!

Anyway, Stuart and Daley were a great halves pairing, but they would struggle (IMHO) against Sterling and Kenny at their best.

Regarding Lewis- the reason why people doubted his ability was he never played first grade in the NSWRL comp in his prime. Some claimed he was scared to play in the NSWRL, but the reality was the QRL headed by Senator Ron McAuliffe blocked any move for him and Gene Miles to leave QLD. QLDers of the same era, such as Belcher, Meninga and Vautin, did play in the NSWRL and had extremely successful careers. Considering Lewis was probably a better player than either of these 3, you would think Lewis would've had a successful career in his prime in the right team. When Lewis finally did play in the top league on a weekly basis for the broncos in their inaugural year, he wasn't the same player and so wasn't as dominant.

So who was better- Lewis or Kenny? As 5/8s I would say Lewis. On pure footballing ability I would say Kenny. On my ideal, Lewis at 5/8 with Kenny in the centres.

Wished I saw that combination in the red V.
Click to expand...

Excuse Bobby, if they didn't play in the lime green, they are dead to him.
 
B

Basil Brush

Juniors
Messages
1,200
The other stat i believe i heard about Kenny against Lewis is i believe Kenny won 4 man of the matches in origin and they were all at 5/8th against Lewis.

This may need to be verified.

However Lewis was the better 5/8th. I am biased as a Parra fan, but i believe Kenny was the more all round player.
 
dannyt

dannyt

Coach
Messages
14,492
Basil Brush said:
The other stat i believe i heard about Kenny against Lewis is i believe Kenny won 4 man of the matches in origin and they were all at 5/8th against Lewis.

This may need to be verified.

However Lewis was the better 5/8th. I am biased as a Parra fan, but i believe Kenny was the more all round player.
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I'm definitely NOT a parra fan, but I agree with you that Kenny was the better footballer and Lewis was the better 5/8.

If I could only choose one of these 2 players (no specific positions), I'd take Kenny.
 
POPEYE

POPEYE

Coach
Messages
11,397
Take it from someone who watched every moment of their careers, Wally was better at creating opportunities and Brett was better at taking them. If you couldn't have both in your team you'd have to decide what you needed the most, chalk or cheese
 
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