Danish Moo Cow said:
His game yesterday was nothing more or less than his average all year yet it's all of a sudden praise worthy? Was it just cause it was his last game here?
I agree, but I suppose he rarely gets credit so I won't try and take shine off the praise he is being given.
He didn't make overtly terrible mistakes on Sunday, but he certainly wasn't a standout. But that is what Rudder has been over the years - a guy that tries his best each week and when he manages to put in a relatively mistake-free game we can give him credit.
I reckon that those stats tell us something that most people in here don't want to acknowledge... and that is that he is actually a decent player.
120 odd games, but I think this is because he has remained injury free. He isn't a target of opposition players, and therefore is less likely to suffer an injury. To his credit he tries his guts out each week, and although I have never agreed with the idea of Rudder as a permanent 5/8, he has filled many roles quite capably over the years.
I won't remember Rudder as a "great" - no amount of last-game heroics would have changed my perception of him. But for all the criticism of Rudder over the years, flowing from my keyboard, I still can't fault his humilty and gutsiness. I have never had anything personally against him, I just didn't agree with the notion that he was the best 5/8 we had in the club. I still think England will benefit from his 'talents' though - he is experienced, can be relied upon to remain injury-free, and brings with him the badge that says "I've played next to Andrew Johns, the world's best player, for several seasons" - that is something that he can wear with pride.
I say all the best to him - the Knights have benefited from his ability to play every week, and the English club will do likewise.