Oh god.

There are more than 3?

There is Eliss, Burgess... that bloke who plays for The Storm...Widdles was it or something?

Apologies but I can't think of any more.

Mind you the amount of attention I pay to players from developing nations in the NRL ranks only slightly above my interest in what goes into a box of Tescos frozen microchips

Henderson, Flanagan off the top of my head, there's two more.

Our pack more than matched the Aussies. It's the backs that let us down.

We dont produce good enough backs. Graham will be a awesome player whether he stays in the UK or moves to OZ.

I wish people would stop licking the ring holes of people from down under.

well said! Alot of english players (brough,roby,briers etc) would be classed as legends if they had an oz accent

I challenge you to find one coach in the world who would prefer dowes or huby to graham! Or Morley or peacock either for that matter.

If he goes to the NRL his game will change as he wouldn't be asked to play 80 minutes very often at all.

Good for him I say.

Wonder if Ryan Bailey fancies following Graham to the NRL so they can continue their argument.

=#8040FFI never said Dowes or Huby were better, just that they put up similar stats in less game time, meaning Graham is over rated, and there's at least 2 coaches who would have Peacock & Morley in front of Graham.

No there isnt

Being a prop myself I can see that this is a load of rubbish. A prop's just isn't just to break the line. James Graham is playing a smart forwards game, he's hitting the line, taking out 2/3 players to tackle him, then finding the floor quickly and getting up to play the ball. There is nothing to be gained from wrestling with 2 or 3 players aside from wasting your energy. When you say "playing as a stand off." This is a technique used to create indecision in the defensive line, instead of giving yourself up carrying the ball under one arm, the ball is carried in two hands with a pushing player coming up with you. This gives you the opportunity to hit up, or get infront of the line and pass the ball, either way this is creating uncertainty in the defensive line.

Graham isn't so impressive because of the metres he makes per carry but just the fact he makes so many carries. He must have one of the best engines i've ever seen from a prop and he plays like a demon. He will take a drive in, play the ball and then get ready to take his next drive in and he goes on and on and on and on.

Guys like Huby and Dowes simply can't do that and to be fair theres not many props in the world that can. Due to his age he doesn't quite have that aura of a Peacock or Morley but he'll get that in time. In all honesty he's probably now a better player then the pair of them.

=#8040FFSurely he would be better suited to hitting the line and looking for an offload, creating an overlap in doing so, or is that just a second rowers thing?

If you have somebody pushing with you, this will create uncertainty in the line and can create overlaps. The idea is as a prop you take the ball in and draw in the A defender, you can then either step out, or step in taking that man with you. Next time we're on Sky watch Graham's footwork, that's exactly what he does.

Everyone seems to be overlooking one quite important fact about James Graham.





If you remove your red and white tinted sunnies ....he isn't actually all that good......

the guy trying to sign graham is the same guy who spotted billy slater, greg inglis and israel folau

so yeah the roosters dont know what they are doing chasing graham

Can we stop comparing Graham to the likes of Fielden, Morley and Peacock.

Graham is a ball playing prop in the mould of Lee Crooks, as opposed to just a one dimensional "drive it up from first receiver". The fact that he can also do the hard yards, makes him unique in SL.

ahh but who's better, Graham or Burgess?


Personally Grahams the better prop, Burgess probably all round player although according to the aussie media Burgess is the best thing since sliced bread.

name them?

Burgess will always stand out more because of the big hits he puts in - therefore fans and media are likely to hype him up. Graham is a completely different type of player, the work he puts in doesnt get the likes of Eddie & Stevo creaming themselves but is a lot more valuable to the overall team effort.


Both are great players - and Super League will be a worse off place without them.

Just to correct you, as you appear to be misinforming my countrymen back home. Sully was informed about Slater, Inglis and Folau. He went to look at them and then signed. He didn't spot them as you incorrectly suggest.

You really know nothing Dally. Keep telling us about Foxtel viewers instead.

If Graham does go at the end of the season it will be a blow to the Saints squad.
They have a number OOC at the end of this year who need replacing but finding a prop to replace Graham will be nigh impossible.

Graham wont go......................ginger ninjas burn easily

This is the perfect description of Grahams style of play, observed by someone who knows the game. Over in Oz he will get smarter, when you talk to him he comes across as a clever lad who knows the finer points of the game.

As for GASLIGHT in this discussion he definitly has a minority viewpoint and is the weakest link on this topic.........and should go away with nothing.

burgess id say

jeeze hes a big unit

so he did spot them for the storm. thanks

why did the other queensland nrl teams miss talents like slater, smith and inglis, or even folau

why did a club with zero juniors like the roosters sign the guy

because he has the best eye for talent in the business