Bit of fun this.

Anyways in all my time watching the Trin the one sort of player who has been a continual disappointment at the club has been "the big ex NRL barnstorming prop".

Now don't get me wrong we've had some good props from down under but we've never as far as I recall signed that established tackle busting crowd pleasing monster that that you can build a pack around and who clubs like Cas and Hull seem to unearth on a regular basis.

It's not like we don't try, going back to the late 80's we signed Mark Graham and Brent Todd who should have been two of the best in the game. Todd in particular couldn't break sweat let alone a tackle and so it's gone on. I think we as fans have hankered for that player ever since and when he eventually arrives hero status is guaranteed.

The list of super to minor failures includes Shelford, Paea, Poore, O'brian, Tronc, Hood and the crowning turd in the water pipe Hickey. Now some of those obviously did better than others and you can decide who yourselves but non IMO attained their NRL capability and none really stayed around. Some of it won't have been their fault because I think we all accept the club has never been truly professional but all the same we deserved better from some.

Now don't get these players mixed up with your Korkies, Watenes and McGillivary's who offered great VFM but were not monsters or established. Watene for me was the best.

Fifita for me sit's between the two camps. Not really an established player but definitely a giant who should be able to scare the opposition if his heart is in it.

Let's hope he ends this particular jinx.

PS: English props are a whole different story



No pressure David

Shane Tronc was the real deal - he was an outstanding forward; the club treated him like $hit however, and he understandably jacked it in and went home. Genuine shame, and he doesn't deserve to be on that list.

Other than that - I agree with the sentiment; other clubs seem to be able to find these players, but we haven't had much success over the years.

Agree with Bren in relation to Tronc.

Can I offer James Stosic to the latter category - of little heard of gems unearthed to play at Belle Vue - always loved watching Stosic take the ball in - just a real shame how it all ended.

Nrl and super league are very different.... And prop is one of the most significant areas of difference.... Here props are either hit up mechants or tackle breakers and tackle breakers are used sparingly... There are very few tackle breakers with stamina... A Fifita is one of the few who can play longer minutes... At Cronulla we also have tagetese who plays far fewer minutes.


L will sod off soon .... Honest

I don't quite agree with all your ratings.

To include Mark Graham for a start is a long way from the truth. He was an outstanding player, he just didn't stay for very long.
So I agree we didn't build a team around him but he was value for money for the time we had him.

Brent Todd, Paea, Hood are definitely in the useless to us category. O'Brien I thought was ok but not worthy of the State of Origin tag he brought with him by a long way.
Poore should have been better in the long run. If he'd stayed and got past his injury/propensity to hit people, he might have been something.

But above all those, the one I think you have very wrong is Adrian Shelford. He is in the Watene and Korkidas category for me. He was in my opinion easily the best forward in a team that had a good pack of forwards. He really rated him.

The other issue for the players that we've "imported" at Wakefield is, that we have brought over very few players at the peak of their game.
We always end up with players returning from serious injury, players right at the end of their careers and bargain basement players.

One of the best forwards that we brought over and he was definitely at the end of his career was Ray Price and what a player plus, Glen Morrison (I iknow he came from Bradford but, he was class)

Totally agree about Tronc. Was absolutely gutted to see him leave and a real shame as a club we didn't get to see more of him.

Lets hope Fifita is the man though and he finds SL ideally suited to his playing style.

Good call.

Surprised at you Bren, if you read my post I gave a number of criteria including not being here long and the club being un-professional. As I also stated I'm not blaming the players entirely as I don't suppose props are any less decent people that S/R's who we've done well with - so I'm sorry but he belongs on the list because he didn't meet the full criteria no matters who's fault it was. Thanks.



PS: What did the club do I heard it was his wife who had issues?

Yep as I said to Bren it's the full criteria - I loved Shelford but he didn't stay long. So again yes on Tronc and Stosic and the rest for me.

Half a season?no matters who's to blame that's a failure - how good he was in those games is not all that relevant tbh.

I also have to ask how the club treated him like $hit ???

He was staying just around the corner from me in a nice 3 bed semi down in Durkar, and the only reason I recall him leaving was that his wife got homesick very quickly.
What did the club do wrong ?

Darren Fritz ? Great signing but does he fit the category, size wise.

Good call was for the guy who mentioned Stosic mate. He was here for a year, although he didn't get that Passport sorted for the next season,imo we got our money's worth.

Plus the knee injury that kept him out, his first game away against Wigan on a snowy night, awesome, run his blood to water a cracking prop

Shane Tronc is the best prop I've seen wear the Trinity shirt although it was too short as from my memory I read that there were issues about false promises made by the club to him and his wife was homesick.... news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 624755.stm Think Tronc must have started playing again in 2014 after retiring in 2011 aged 29 ...as he's mentioned in the article below and is still only 34..... www.totalrl.com/my-time-down-under/

Shane Tronc is the best prop I've seen wear the Trinity shirt although it was too short as from my memory I read that there were issues about false promises made by the club to him and his wife was homesick.... news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 624755.stm Think Tronc must have started playing again in 2014 after retiring in 2011 aged 29 ...as he's mentioned in the article below and is still only 34..... www.totalrl.com/my-time-down-under/

Aye forgot he was out weeks with that injury, hit the ground running soon as he was back like you say.

I was told some time after the event that the club made promises to him that weren't delivered - and that the homesick wife was a story they agreed in return for releasing him to go home.

I seem to recall that it ended badly for him - didn't he break his neck back in Aus and end up embroiled in a drug scandal?

I would go so far as to say that he was the best prop I've seen at BV; he topped the table for metres made for some time after he stopped playing for us - he was a class laiker.

Edit - fair comment Vasty - I didn't read your original post properly.

I forgot about him, possibly the closest we've come but gain the one year only bit spoils it - though playing an off season in the UK was a common thing then.

No problem, I have that effect on people.

He was a brilliant prop forward - not very tall, but very wide! Tree trunk legs



Built a little bit like Les Boyd (if you don't know who that is, ask yer Dad!)

Didn't he play in the Cas away game with a fractured eye socket/cheekbone?

Another great player - built like a stork but hard as nails.

Liked a drink on Westgate..........so I heard

He probably did, he picked up the fractured eye socket after a grubby cheap shot while lying in a tackle from Kieron Cunningham.

I've put on other threads he was one of my favourite props to play for Trinity. Was a top guy to boot.

Clinton o brien only played one origin series and it was 5 or 6 years prior to him coming over

I think he had serious back problems from memory. He player well in the handful of games he did play for us before he went back to aus

agree with everyone re James Stosic. Was a real shame he could get a work permit to continue playing for us