I think he was talking about the other gentleman who has been watching Wigan a long long time. (Not Roy

).

I can consider myself extremely fortunate to have witnessed so many great players pass through our club since my first season as a supporter (1982).

Hand on heart, for all round completeness as a Rugby League Player, I think Sam is a talent right up there with Ellery Hanley.

Something I never thought I would see.

Cherish every game he plays for the club.

Rogues,I saw all the players you mention (I also rated Steve Hampson,he was so brave it was unbelevable).
The first Wigan fullback I saw was Jackie Cunliffe in 1953/4,who could also play standoff and centre.
Sam is as good as any of these even though it is a different game these days. The try Sam scored on Saturday reminded me so much of the one Jonathon Davies scored against Australia a few years ago,I think the one by Davies was better if only for the reason that he ran past some very good Aussie backs,including running round a very quick fullback in Brett Mullins.
Something in me still wonders how he would go at halfback,then you could compare him with the best halfback I ever saw,Alex Murphy. But before people start shouting about being fed up with some fans calling for Sam at halfback,this is just my view.

Josh Dugan and Brett Stewart are both better fullbacks than him at the moment.

People always say if he played in the old era he wouldn't laugh five minutes because someone would "have him" but he's proven he's a tough customer over the last 3 years and stood upto a lot of flack he's received on the field. The scary thing is that's all hes played 3 and a bit years of rugby and he's already this good. Give him his other 3 years remaining on his contract and the sky is the limit for him I really do think he could take his game to any level he wants to

I've never gone for hating of great players, I like watching greats even if they don't play for Warrington, it makes you more nervous as a fan coming up against them but also that's part of the excitement of the game, the danger that a great player presents when he's coming up against you, and why it's so extra exciting when one plays for you and you know how the opposition feels, which is why I got so excited about GB games when Hanley, Schofield, Offiah and co were around because that's when they were in my team, so its similar when Tomkins plays for England.

In my opinion though as an opposition fan, I don't put Tomkins in the league of Robinson or Hanley. I can't compare him to Hanley anyway because he's such a different player, the only player I have ever thought you could compare to Hanley was Sonny Bill Williams and even then he was a fair way behind. Hanley to me is just off on his own, for one man to be able to have so much influence, I think he's the greatest rugby player of either code in history.

It's easier to compare Robinson and Tomkins as they are both such elusive runners, as has been pointed out by someone else, Tomkins isn't out and out quick but he's pretty quick and has the best balance and footwork of any player for a while, so I certainly rate him very highly but I would put Robinson ahead and by enough to make a clear distinction as well. Robinson was faster and more explosive from a standing start. As an opposition fan Robinson put more fear into me than Tomkins does, I don't think Tomkins has ever really ripped Warrington.

As to the question what will he become onwards and upwards, I reckon that will end up being an unanswered question as in 2 or 3 years time he will go off to play union, it's got the Iestyn Harris feel about it, its not a question of if but when. I would love to see him go to the NRL, keep him in league, get him away from playing against us, and see how he'd go in the NRL where he'd be a credit to British RL.

when was the last time you watched them play?
when the 4nations was on i said on the vt board that brett stewart was the 2nd best full back in the world after billy slater but this season he hasn't been as good as last season and he defo isn't better than sam either is josh dugan there's another man made out of glass.

i watch every game of the nrl every week as all the games are shown on the sports channel here and sam would fit in any nrl team with out a shadow of doubt.

1st billy slater
joint 2nd sam and inglis.

i reckon by the end of the season inglis will have out performed slater tho. the more time he spends and fullback the better he is getting.

Don't worry about watching the games, don't you know every player who plays in the NRL is automatically better than anyone who plays in SL? That seems to be the view some fans have!

Hes the best player ive ever seen in a Wigan shirt with me only being 21, long may it continue.

What makes it even better? Every other opposition fan hates him

Your talking about current form I'm sorry but Brett Stewart is better and always will be than Sam Tomkins at playing fullback and I see Josh has having more raw ability as well. Don't patronise me with this "i watch all the nrl games" trust me I watch a LOT of nrl games too my opinion is well founded.

It's strange this thread has come up because if anything I think he's been quieter this year than last.

I don't think it's his fault - he still makes devastating breaks, but the pack is so on top and the halves have so much time and space to dictate play that Tomkins' brilliance isn't needed as much.

Josh Charnley having more raw ability than Sam Tomkins?

I think Tomkins is a better athlete and his ball handling skills are out of this world. That's before you factor in his instinctive feel for the game (seeing things others simply don't). I rate Charnley very highly.....but he can't touch Tomkins.

pretty sure he meant dugan.

well if you did you would just see josh dugan is just another good player (strong and fast) not special and sam tomkins is, and tomkins is also alot better than stewart was we he was sam's age. stewart's best season was last season and doesn't look half as good just watch the world club challenge for proof.

how is me saying i watch every game of the nrl patronising? i know for a fact you dont get to watch all the nrl games in the uk unless you download them? but i do watch them all and get to see all the players in the nrl and tomkins is joint 2 best full back in the world maybe 3rd if inglis keeps it up as he is looking better than slater atm.

You know what i had a talk a couple of weeks ago someone else said the same to me but we all expect it from Sam week in and week out and he doesn't let us down we are so used to it people dont take on how good of a game he does have

People are looking more at the likes of Finch and Micky Mac which tbh have been awesome this season but the amount of tries what have come from Sam this season is unreal

That 2nd try on Sat is what people do in training to have the balls to pull that off in a big game like that is very classy

Inglis is the best fullback in the game. He just also happens to be the best centre in the game by an absurd margin so before he moved away from Slater it always made more sense to have GI elsewhere, and still does for Origin and . Slater is then next and then there is a significant gap. Slater often looks better, but when was the last time he played without Smith, Cronk, Thurston, Lockyer in the pivots? Would be interesting to see how he would perform with a poor spine like Souths'.

Dugan showed great potential but he is looking to have a career ruined by injury perhaps even more that Stewart, Minichello etc, just due to the sheer persistance, rather than really bad injuries. Gordon looks similar at the moment, but it is always hard to distinguish when the players are older if this is just good form or real class finally showing through. Perhaps his good form before the injury was a run of good form like Roberts had here, never to return? Barba is all attack and no defence, it's come on massively this season but I don't see this ability surviving an injury or age, as soon as his speed drops even slightly he's gone imo, needs to develop more skill as a 3rd pivot rather than just a killer runner and support player. Hayne is another who could be anything, but is dragged down by an embarrassingly poor team around him. He's the only player to destroy the NRL by himself in 09, but the expectations on him are just absurd, like putting Sam in the Widnes team and expecting them to start winning games. Boyd is overrated. Coote and Gardner are ok, not much more.

IMO Sam is behind Slater and Inglis (once Inglis really starts going, if uninjured a Dally M at the end of the year wouldn't surprise me despite Slaters awesome form too), though if Hayne was in a decent team he could easily be in Slater's class if not Inglis', who knows.

We really aren't likely to see better than Sam for a very, very long time though imo. Really special.

Sam Tomkins > Josh Dugan or Brett Stewart

If Sam goes to union he will be back within 2 years. His style of play just doesn't fit into Union. No matter where they play him on the pitch he simply can't be as 'off the cuff' as he is in league because he'd lose the ball if he got tackled as he'd have run away from his forwards. He couldn't run across the line and back like against Salford or Hull KR and he certainly couldn't try what he did on Sunday. He just wouldn't work in Union so I do honestly believe that if he leaves Wigan then it will be to the NRL especially now they're raising their cap.

Roy? Brian? Matty? It can't have been me I never saw Ryan play...................................oh oh oh was it Ste?

Been watching since 1980 and he's already right up there with the best for me. The only thing stopping him becoming a Wigan or RL legend is injury or unfortunately going over to the rah rah game. I agree with Conroy that his game wouldn't suit and he would come back.

Would love to see him in NRL (after he's done another 5 or 6 years with us). I don't watch NRL, but genuinely don't get the Slater hype. Every time I've seen him play he always makes mistakes. (Last state of origin yet another example.) I'm convinced that if he went over there people would then give him the credit he deserves and put him in the truly world class bracket. Yes, he probably would score as many tries due to better defenses, but he would still terrorise opposition defenses wherever he played.

It is interesting to see that some people think that Sam is a lot quieter this year. Last year, I thought too much was put on him and at times, especially when Pat Richards was injured, he was a one man attacking machine. By the end of last year and from the Challenge Cup onwards he looked like he was carrying a few knocks, had issues with his shoulder and began to look a bit stale. This year Wigan are scoring more points and Sam Tomkins is providing opportunities as well as finishing them. I think this is a much better situation for both Sam Tomkins and Wigan. In the current try scoring charts, Josh Charnley is top with 20 and Sam is the only fullback in the top 10 with 13 tries - not bad for a quiet season!

the lad is a freak , and i mean that in the nicest possible way

as allready mentioned , his footwork and vision are his greatest assets

he can see the play 3 or 4 seconds ahead of others , so he is in the right position when it matters


he has scored trys that he simply shouldnt have , the elusiveness and style of running he employs , coupled with the strength that shouldnt be there makes this KID very very special indeed , i am honoured and priveleged to witness what he does



same class as the black pearl ? hhmm very difficult as pearl was a born leader and winner , for me pearl stills nudges it , but god only knows what sam is going to do next , he certainly doesnt !

As I have since said, I added Slater and Johnson in to that. On form Sam is better than Benji Marshall IMO too

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Raising the bar to new heights and building momentum is mine and Wigan’s goal from now until the end of the season. We are really starting to hit our straps and hooker Michael McLlorum is playing out of his skin. I have been singing his praises all year and he is one of the form players in Super League – a quality forward and a real big asset. We have been fortunate enough to beat arch rivals Saints three times so far and McLlorum has won his battle with James Roby. It is not that Robes has played badly - we have done our homework and come up with plays to combat Saints’ threats. Robes is a pivotal player but McLlorum is tough, aggressive, good in the loose and very strong defensively. Our man has definitely had the edge. The Magic Weekend win over Saints was special. The venue was perfect, the fans bought into it and this could prove to be a significant win. We are five forwards down for tonight’s game at Leeds and we are expecting a tough contest. The Rhinos will be fired up but we aim to notch it up. As a Super League player I consider myself to be in a very privileged position. It is a dream job and if I am honest, when you start out, you never expect to progress to the very top. It is a case of graduating and learning all the time. Most young lads in Wigan will say they want to play for Wigan, but it is not so easy. No one can become a professional player from what I would term a fluke situation.

You have to work mighty hard, make sacrifices, be totally dedicated and you need a few lucky breaks. I simply love playing the game and I am proud to play for Wigan. My feet are firmly on the ground – my mum and dad make sure of this. I have the same friends that I did when I was at school and I welcome constructive criticism from those people who are close to me. You have days when you score a hat-trick of tries but they’ll still pull you up about the knock on in the 78th minute – this is what I mean about staying level headed and firmly focused. Things are going well for Wigan, we are coming into our own and Shaun Wane, the coach, is bringing out the best in all the players. Shaun is a winner. Having played for Wigan, he knows all about the pride that goes into pulling on a Wigan shirt and what the fans expect. Some big games are looming but these are the ones you want to be involved in and to be on this stage .