Deano G: Why take three paragraphs to make essentially the same point? In any case you're wrong. Robinson found it easy to carve up disorganised semi-pro defences. When SL players got fit and worked to carefully set coaching plans he was nowhere near the same threat.

I'm sorry this pops your cork, but reality is a swine. He was a very good player and a very nice bloke, but a great? No. He's one step below Offiah and no sane RL fan would claim otherwise.

kirkamania6: If the poster formats his argument in a non-painful way I'll address each and every point.

Thankyou.

Oh Look!

It doesn't show what you were replying to on my original post!

Maybe that's why I did it this way???????

Now why don't you go and show me these wonderful SDL players of the last 10 years that are better than :-

Gregory/Edwards/Hanley/Schofield/Goulding/Newlove/Connolly/Tait/J Robinson/Offiah/Steadman/Connolly/Deveraux/Currier/J Davies/P Newlove/Hunte/Lydon/Dermott/L Jackson/J Lowes/Betts/Clarke/Goodway/Farrell/K Ward/M Gregory/Skerrett/Platt

ETC ETC ETC!

Or in other words, You know what you said was Rubbish so I'll whinge and cry about my Eyes Hurting!

Jukesays: Have you lost your marbles? I've no idea what's going on above but I'll indulge your madness very simply:

Perhaps ... just perhaps ... you - like all those other old geezers camped around the TV in the local boozer on a Friday night - are overrating the players of yesteryear whilst underrating those of today?

Wading through your disorganised mess (I must be losing it completely):

Gregory: Taking solace from being the best of a bad - nay, hopeless - bunch is living in a fool's paradise.

Betts: When I was eight my dad told me a printed circuit board out the back of a radio was a bionic - that wasn't true either. But if we're to play THIS game - what are your thoughts on Keiron Cunningham? Because when I interviewed Gordon Tallis after the Australia vs Wales match he told me Cunningham's performance was the best he'd faced in his career.

Newlove: Much as it pains me to say it (mainly because he has all the craft of a brickie): Senior has achieved more for GB than Newlove ever did.

Connolly: Only a idiot glosses over an embarrassing try return for such an attacking position. Connolly was a great defensive centre. One of the best of all time. But a centre's job is to ATTACK and defend. He broke very few tackles and created little for his support players. I mean, for years Malcolm Alker has been the best defensive hooker in Britain, but nobody with anything between his ears would advocate him for the national team.

Edwards: The only thing Shaun Edwards ever did against Australia was inflict one of the most heinous head shots in living memory. At least Gregory had the odd competitive game. Edwards was a great club player and a fine captain. But he was never top line international class. And the lack of scintillating YouTube highlights vs the Kangaroos proves it.

Davies: Yep. He played well in the ARL.

Farrell: You included him. Not me. Get out of town. Graham and Burgess are easily as talented.

Robinson: Your sig is your choice - not an affirmation of reality.

Mugwump.


You are deluded.


Sorry m8, we all love RL but you seriously need to re-examine yourself over this one.

Start of a slippery slope Brett.

ok then this is clearly going nowhere, both name a side with the best of both era's, and we'll pick the bone's out of it

It wouldn't make a difference, the same arguments would be made over the same players

LOL, if Mr. Communist Cap's calling me a crank I MUST be sane.

just for fun though

Keep telling yourself that...........

I'm not sure what the pre-conditions of team selection are, but, off the top of my head and without qualitative statement:

1. Wellens
2. Carney
3. Senior
4. Ellis
5. Gardner
6. Martyn / Harris
7. Long
8. Graham
9. Cunningham
10. Peacock
11. Farrell
12. Burgess
13. Sculthorpe

Looking at the above I find it hard to believe anyone could suggest the salary cap has somehow leeched all talent away from our competition. The pack especially is very strong.

Mugwump - you say Robinson was poor towards the end of his career? He left Wigan in 2000 just one year after scoring a hat trick of tries against St Helens at CP in which he left the whole side for dead. Had they not 'found him out' that day?

Hanley turned his back to pass to his left? So did Wally Lewis (or to his right, but whatever you get the point) is he crap as well?

how anybody can put wellans before rads is beyond me

Not at all. Saints were appalling that day. But this doesn't alter the fact that Robinson was far less effective later in his career. I can't believe people are even debating this question. Once SL clubs were granted the same advantage the Wigan team and a handful of Leeds players enjoyed they could devote more time to countering the threat posed by Robinson. Half-backs had the opportunity to practice peppering him with high crossfield kicks toward which he was hopelessly disadvantaged because of his size. And once fitness was brought up to fully pro level there was far less broken field for Robinson to run into. Against a solid defensive line he was going nowhere - unless he speculated on a chip over. But most good coaches were prepared to accept such because of the major role of luck.



The fact that Gregory (not Hanley) turned his back is only one of his faults. He had a highly suspect temper (any fully pro outfit today would have him red carded within the first quarter), his fitness level wasn't great which meant he found it very difficult to support the ball carrier and his kicking to his left was hit and miss.

Yes, Lewis turned his back and that was a weakness to his game. But he made up for it and more besides. Gregory wasn't in his league.

Maybe Robinson wasn't as good due to his age and loss of speed?

Still scored one of the best tries in a GF.

Robinson's edge was his acceleration, not his speed (although he could shift a bit) - being able to explode past defenders and beat the cover within the first thirty yards - and from what I could see he possessed it for most of his career. Even in his final season at Sale he was leaving some fairly quick players for dead.



It was a good try.

Wellens before Radlinski


Robinson "worked out"


Judging Connolly by his international try-scoring record



You need to get out more Muggy

And I'm supposed to listen seriously to a person who adds nothing to the debate other than disbelief that someone could have the temerity to choose Wellens over Radlinksi? Besides, the team was picked to highlight the lack of any qualatitive degeneration since the 90s.

And HEAVEN FORBID we should ever judge a centre by the number of TRIES he scores? I know one thing - if Brian Noble signed a centre with a proportionally similar record for Wigan you'd be out on the streets with placards calling for him to be hung, drawn and quartered.

And your opinion is just that, not a statement of Fact!

Name me 1 better Winger than Him in the last 10 years!

How many did his winger score?

Here we go again having to decipher spaghetti madness...

What is your Problem??????
I don't give a flying toss what you think about the Neatness of my reply even though it is completely ledgeable!

I see you havent responded to any of the sensible repsonses you have been given?????

I suggest if you don't like the "Debate" then go somehwere else and listen to all of those who keep telling us that despite good hidings every year from the other Nations (And please don't quote me the series win against a 2nd string Kiwi squad!) this is the "Best Ever" SL and the competition is "More Competitive!".

I can get 26 drunks out of the Labour club and have a competitive Game!

It doesnt make them any Good!

Oh and BTW, Are you really as big of a Kn0b that you come across as???