Whino in peace. I've said before on the Leeds board that Sam is the best player I've seen (followed RL from early 90's).
Is that justified? Interested in the thoughts of those who've seen an awful lot of him, and know about his influence on the field....

He doesn't ever come close to being the best player,i would say that Hanley is the best that i have seen followed by Edwards and Gregory

Henry Paul was special also

Hanley was before my time so never saw him at his best.
Tomkins mental fortitude and desire to win was unrivalled in my eyes.....

I'd say if you were putting together a top 5 or 10 over the last 25 years he'd be in the conversation. Depends whether you're assessing him at this peak or over the course of his career. 2012 he was unplayable. Absolutely certain that we win it that year if he stays fit. Shame that his career in the NRL and subsequently SL was curtailed so badly with injury.

I guess we have to judge them at their best for these types of discussions. I've never been more relieved than when news filtered through he was missing 2012 playoff semi!

Hard to judge really, how do you compare him and Andy Farrell when they had totally different roles? Plus do you only consider him at his peak, or his whole career? He did have a couple of down years after he returned, and didn't take the NRL by storm even though he wasn't as bad as people made out. I'd say in the time I've been watching that Andy Farrell was better because he never had a bad season. I didn't get to see Hanley live but I think most tend to say he was the best. 09-13 he was unplayable though, it was like playing a video game on 'easy' mode watching him skip past defenders.

Hanley.

He's the best fullback I've seen at Wigan in well over 60 years of watching.

Agreed. In my top three (British Wigan Players)

1. Hanley
2. Gregory
3. Tomkins

He’s so underrated it’s unbelievable.

Makes me laugh when people are putting all time dream teams together for super league and are debating Wellens/Radlinski/Webb etc. It’s Tomkins by a country mile.


The best ball runner in super league history. Electric.

Summed up nicely.

He’d underrated because he rubbed too many opposition players up the wrong way and even some of our own fans at times. He was majestic between 2009 and 2013 and I’m glad to see that whilst his style of play is totally different, he is back where he belongs as one of the leagues best players.

I’ve seen debates about who should be England’s fullback in the World Cup. Tomkins, Evalds, Ratchford, Hardaker and Connor all getting mentions. Do me a favour! He is streets ahead of those guys and his game nowadays may well suit international rugby more than it did in those years he was skinning everyone. His creative game has come on leaps and bounds.

Oh for sure, if we're going off 09-13 anyway. Although I tend to cheat and put him in at 6 to accommodate Radlinski

The more I think about it, he's the best I've seen by miles, not even close....
And I've grown up watching Mcguire and Burrow!

Gene Miles was the best centre and Offiah the best winger

The best, by far more than a country mile, was one William John Boston.

Radlinski is my favourite player of all time, i just loved watching his positioning in defence and attacking run..............

But, if i was picking a team of all the players I've seen i would probably, reluctantly, pick Tomkins before Radlinski.


For the oldies here, Peter Thompson was and is my favourite wendyball player of all time..

Mine was George Best.

He's a completely different fullback to Radlinski and Wellens.
If Amos Roberts hadn't have got injured I think we could have been discussing him in the same conversation too. Before that, the nearest we've seen to Sam was Henry Paul before he moved to 6.

Agreed. I like Radlinski there because of his defensive capabilities. Tomkins wouldn't be capable of doing what Radlinski did in the 02 Challenge Cup Final for example, and there were times when he came unstuck under the high ball. Plus it's not like Radlinski was a poor attacker either, not as devastating as Tomkins but he was the League's top try scorer in 01. Tomkins is the better player but Radlinski is the better full back IMO, hence why I pick Tomkins in the halves in these debates.

I’m 30 and he’s the best I’ve ever seen, hands down.

i remember watching his 1st game for Wigan and phoned my dad as he was on holiday
dont want to get carried away but this Sam Tomkins looks pretty special



For me he would be in the top 5, but it has to be Ellery, and dont think anyone else comes close. I've seen lots of special players since i 1st went to Central Park in 1982, both from here, Oz & NZ, but Ellery stands out head and shoulders above the rest. He did it week in week out for Wigan, GB and Balmain.

In the SL era couple of standouts for me are Scully & Faz who were fantastic RL players

1982 start for me too! How lucky as Wigan fans have we been?
We could list a top twenty, top thirty, possibly even a top forty and those players would still be absolute top class. I bet we could do thirty players without even having to think hard about it (and still miss obvious choices out).

Sod it, here goes:

Hanley
Gregory
Edwards
Gill
West
Lydon
Platt
Bell
Goodway
Kevin Iro
Kenny
Ferguson
Ella
Dowling
Betts
Clarke
Platt
Offiah
Miles
Renouf
Robinson
Henry Paul
Barrett
Radlinski
Dallas
Andy Farrell
Lockers
Sam Tomkins
Hoffman
Charnley
Liam Farrell
French
Hastings

Rattled those off without really having to think about it. I bet I've missed a few off too.

How spoiled we've been!!

Hanley is the best I've seen, he was more than a player, he was a talisman, the 1991 Wembley final is the best example of that, we were not expected to win, we had a few injury's and Hanley was one of them, before kick off saints fans singing and dancing, Ellery walks out of the tunnel runs up and down the touch line in match kit as a "fitness test", saints fans sit down, wigan fans stand up. Ellery plays we won 13-8.

Miles was special too, but like Kenny, Ella, Maninga, not here long enough

in terms of superleague, Sam was and is a special player, if you watch a player and are envious of the opposition Jamie Lyon at saints was a player that had that air of quality every time he touched the ball

I was in the Saints end that day (long story), the groans from that end when he walked out for his on-pitch fitness test was tremendous!