Absolute stone cold legend as a player; someone I idolised growing up and I am glad I got to see live in the flesh, but he is the worst coach I can remember us having. I have to keep reminding myself of KC the player as I get angry thinking of KC the coach.

For much his career KC was fast and used to make a lot of clean breaks. When injuries caught up with him he developed a more limited but still very effective game.

I can understand people's memories of KC as a player being skewed by his current coaching exploits but I'm gonna pipe up, like a few others who like me, weren't about 4 years old when he was in his prime.

Defining Cunningham as just a barge over player is a bit like saying that Madonna had a decent pair of funbags on her in her prime, and ignoring all the big hits she released.

Cunningham ran the show, he made it all tick, he controlled the speed and direction of the game, he could also tear defences to pieces with his runs from dummy half, his defence was second to none. He got us to, and was instrumental to us winning Grand Finals, World Club Finals, Challenge Cups. He was feared by every team on earth, and they could not stop him even though they knew what he was going to do. You couldn't wind him up by smashing him with a high tackle. He didn't get involved in petty scraps and thus costing us penalties etc

There has been no better hooker, and I include Julia Roberts in that.

I concur with the Cunningham playing plaudits. He was awesome. The best player I've ever seen in the flesh in a Saints shirt. In his twenties he was not only immensely strong, but remarkably fast - pulling off long chase-downs of wingers on occasion. He was as quick off the mark as Roby, but hurt opponents more in the tackle. His passing was superb, and he had a unique ability to somehow shrug tacklers over his shoulder in order to get clear, as if these big men weighed no more than a rucksack. Add in an organising brain and the sort of steely-eyed professionalism which we lack across the whole team today, and you have the near-perfect rugby league player.

Shame about his coaching and player-selection/recruitment. But that shouldn't detract from his truly legendary playing career.

Totally agree

WOW I,ve never known someone to post so much inaccuracy on one of our great players. KC in his prime would have demolished Warrington last night, running fast/break through and pass is all what KC could do and don't forget the "Cunningham Tackle" on you tube.
I can only assume you've not been a rugby fan for a long period to make a balanced assessment. You seem to be still judging him as a coach and can't see the position as two separate entities. If I was you I would leave it alone you are just digging one massive big hole to fall into.