Who was the better player?

I have been having a debate with my mate over who is the better player of the 2 legends. Edwards may have won everything and Schofield nothing but I maintain Schoey was a better player. I know they were different positions but just who do you think is the better player?

What a stupid debate.

Edwards by a distance.

Got to be Edwards. Not only a great player but has proved himself as a coach (albeit on the dark side). And, of course, he's not a knob.

Whys it stupid?

Edwards never won the golden boot!! You may dislike Schoey as a person but he was head and shoulders above Edwards in terms of ability!! Edwards just played in a better team. Also Edwards never won the respect of the aussies in the same way Schoey did.

Also this has got nothing to do with coaching just how good they were as a player!

Schofield

Edwards didn't come close to making the impact Schofield (not to mention Hanley and a few others) did in Australia. Ask any Australian from that era who was better. Edwards may have won more trophies, but then again Ian Kirke has won more pots than Sam Burgess.

What Schofield has or hasn't become since being a player shouldn't have any bearing on this debate, but sadly I fear it will - as will the fact that Edwards played in the all-conquering Wigan team of the early 90s.

FWIW the OP needs to learn how to spell the names of both players

Edwards!! easily..

Different types of player, Schofield had natural talent whereas Edwards was a grafter. Its a bit like comparing Senna and Mansell.

Schofield for mine, but he lost the plot later in his career.

Would love to see how Edwards would work out back in league coaching.

obviously not.

This. Totally different players.

Schoey was more of an off-the-cuff player with the flashier and more natural individual skills whereas Edwards was a team organiser and motivator who did the simple stuff fantastically well at the right times and had the skills to fulfil that role. Both were lethal support players.

Both just as good in different ways. But yes, Schoey is a nob.

This sums it up for me – Edwards was a good player in a great team but Schofield was a great player. I think it is telling that Schofield stood out at both International level and in the Australian game more than Edwards

Schofield, I will never forget his try against the Aussies on their patch, cracker.

Schofield.
As has already been said far more accomplished at international level and a tremendous success in Australia.

Schofield, edwards was just a good support player.

Tony Myler.

Schofield for me too, played against him once.
Edwards was a great club player, Schofield was a great International player.
Both had a fantastic talent to read the game but Schofield had the edge on the bigger stage.

If I wanted to score tries - Schofield.
If I wanted to win - Edwards.

Brilliant post.

However, that doesn't mean to say Edwards couldn't score and set up tries. Edwards was a born winner though. This is spot on.

I didn't realise Edwards was such a good defender?

Seriously, I can’t agree with this statement. Edwards was a very good rugby player who absolutely made the most of his abilities but he was also very fortunate to play in a Wigan team that was head and shoulders above the rest of the league. Edwards undoubtedly contributed to this success but certainly no more than Hanley, Gregory, Lydon, Bell etc (and I don’t have any bias here, I am a Wigan guy who stood on the terraces of Central Part through the 80’s and 90’s)

I would sum it up by saying what would happen if you swapped Schofield and Edwards from their Leeds and Wigan teams respectively in that era. For me, Schofield would have shone in a multi talented Wigan team and Edwards would have been a good pro in the Leeds team

Add to this the success of Schofield at Balmain and Wests and some of the match winning international contributions and the conclusion is that Schofield was the better player

Only because it dug you out of the hole you dug yourself after your clueless, ignorant comment on the first page

It's just so difficult to not be swayed by Their respective performances since retirement.

Would not have swapped Edwards for big fat Gary.

Based on what I saw of both of them at Test level and in Australia Schofield was far better.
Schofield was very highly regarded in Oz.
Edwards was barely rated beyond "solid" either for GB or his Ozzie Club Balmain where he spent 7 games from 12 off the bench including his last 6 games.

Schoefield

Would have loved to see them in the same side, two players with different games.