I’d put Tomkins up with Robinson and Offiah in terms of class tbh and as I say, I thought both of those were better players than Richards, so I wouldn’t lump Tomkins in with guys like Carney, Dallas, Burgess etc as he was a far better and more important player for us. I’d have loved to see Sam Tomkins in that Wigan side of the late 80’s and early 90’s. It would’ve been absolute carnage.

I get what you’re saying calling Richards steady but he was far more than that for me. Some of the things he could pull off were far more eye catching than being a solid citizen. Would he make a break like a Carney or Dallas and blitz the full length of the pitch? Not as often for sure but his all round game was superior for me. Solid as a rock defensively, imperious taking the high and low ball, a huge attacking threat in the air at the other end, great hands, made masses of ground from our end and his strike rate was very good. Add in all his kicking abilities and I thought he was a fabulous player.

I can't comment on Offiah or Robinson because I only started watching in 2001, but I'd definitely have Richards ahead of all of the others you mention. So many strings to his bow with his strength, aerial ability, defensive capabilities and the kicking. The only downside I can think of for Richards was his agility - he isn't going to step someone and go the full length like Dallas or Carney might, but he beats those players in so many other areas of the game.

That's all assuming we're talking about the best winger to win games of course, if we are just talking about excitement then it's a different question. Making good metres and finding your front coming out of yardage, making the cross field kick a non-option for the opposition and never being steamrolled by the bigger wingers trying to crash in at the corner aren't eye catching, but Richards did them better than the guys you mention IMO.

Edit - just realised NickyKiss has made pretty much the same points. Promise I wasn't copying!

Impossible question for me considering I have been watching Wigan since 1953 !

I think Dallas was better, an Aussie international and Origin player, speaks volumes

It's all opinions and Dallas was undoubtedly a great winger, but that's a bit of an unfair way to compare them given that Richards was ineligible for origin/international selection for most of his career by playing in SL. Even when he went back to the NRL at 32 years old there were a lot of aussie pundits calling for him to be selected for origin. I don't think there can be any question that he would have been selected if he had been eligible for selection during his prime.

I get what your saying but Dallas played half of his career at Wigan also

Oh yeah if it was a question of who had the better NRL career then Dallas, but I'd take Richards on who had the better overall career and better Wigan career. If it was top trumps, Dallas would win on agility and speed, Richards would win on strength, aerial ability, finishing, defence and kicking. Don't get me wrong, I loved watching Dallas more for entertainment, but I'd be picking Richards in terms of who would do most to help me win a game. Watching Richards score five tries in a game was the only time I actually felt sorry for an opposition player at SL level. Dallas was good but he couldn't dominate a game like that.

Gary Connolly
Tuigamala

How the hell could I forget about those two?

Spoiled to the point of gluttony.

I’ve never seen a player influence a team quite like Hanley, and he managed to stand out in a team full of stars, I feel so lucky to have witnessed those great Wigan teams from that period.

Tomkins was undoubtedly very good but you won’t find him commanding the same respect as Hanley still does both here and in Australia.

My Top 3 in my time of watching

1) Lockers

2) Hanley

3) Andy Greg

Sam would just make the top ten.

Lockers number 1?? Dont think hed make my top 10

Fair enough it's your opinion and i respect that.

My response--

How many pots has Lockers lifted as Wigan Captain in the last decade, widely regarded in Aus by the ockers as one of the best players in the world at the peak of his career.

England and Great Britain Captain for numerous years.

History will reflect very well on Lockers time as a Wigan player, one the greatest of all time without doubt.

Saw my first Wigan game back in 1947 and if I was forced to select the best my pick would be Ellery H. As I have said on here before the best Wigan team performance I have ever seen was in the CC final in 1959. That team included Boston, Bolton, Ashton, Sullivan, Griffiths and of course McTigue the MOM.

For once you make sense young Grimmy

Radlinski all the way for me, I also factor in a players attitude and how he treated the club, As we all know Tomkins was a bit of an when alcohol was involved also He binned us off twice for the lure of filthy lucre

Good players, but most of those not good enough to lace Tomkins boots imho.....

less than Edwards, not as good as Farrell for me either

Lockers was (feels terrible typing was) a great player and certainly top 10 and maybe even five material in my time but Hanley and Farrell were a level above. There’s no shame in that as both were probably the best players in the World at various times. Faz would’ve smashed it in the NRL. Lockers would as well but Faz could do pretty much everything Lockers could but was also an unbelievable ball runner and was more of an individual threat running the ball. Hanley was just a freak.

Hard to judge Hanley properly as Wigan were the only fully pro team and it wasn't even a contest most of the time.
Tomkins done it against top Leeds, Saints, Wire teams.......

Good point.

Well, except we weren't and he also did it in Australia every year as well.

Tomkins was quite subdued against Leeds compared to in other games. I think there was extra spice in the fixture when he was at Wigan, and Leeds’ kick chase game stepped up a level to close him down.

You may not remember, but Hanley also did it in a Leeds, GB, West’s and Balmain shirt. He was on a different level.

Except Leeds were the first full time team

In the grand scheme of things Hanley didn’t play for Wigan for the majority of his career anyway (204 appearances out of a career total of 489). He played a very fare chunk of it at Wigan and was brilliant but he was brilliant for Bradford, brilliant for Balmain and brilliant for Great Britain. I read somebody say earlier he wasn’t at his best at Leeds but the guy still managed 106 try’s in 114 appearances from Loose Forward.

I love Lockers, Tomkins, Andy Farrell, Edwards, Offiah or whoever but Hanley is the top of the tree.

Hanley was definitely still elite playing for Leeds. You guys won’t like the comparison, but he was similar to Danny McGuire in that he was 2 or 3 plays ahead. Ellery would just be more obvious in standing 10 metres In front of the his own teams play the ball when he knew a break would be made.

edwards special

Yes you’re right, thinking about it.

But that game in the summer of 2012 50-8win at Leeds he was on another planet.

Although Leeds got the better of Wigan that year.