Benny Elias Vs Robbie Farah?

[Roosterman]

If you had a time machine and could have either one now aged 18 who would you guys pick? im curious



 

[Tigersman]

I'm not old enough to answer…

 

[happy_tiger]

Farah doesn't choke under pressure like Benny did

Farah by a mile

 

[Goose]

good debate.

Benny changed the game for hookers before Benny the best hookers played a very different game.
HIs toughness was always under rated and he was soo good for the Tigers and atg rep level.

Robbie played in an era where all hookers are alot more skillful, but dont have to win scrums, he is probably the most skillful hooker of his generation also.

Id reckon id go ELias, just, due to him being so revolutionary at the time

 

[yeti]

That's a tough one Roosterman. As they say, it's a different game these days. Both are/were fierce competitors, both clever with ball in hand, and both good defenders. Robbie is probably a bit better out of dummy half and definitely quicker. Elias was definitely a 'niggler' - not as bad as Ennis - but was well capable of putting some opposition players off their game (especially South Sydney's Mario Fenech)!
If I had to choose one, I'd probably go for Robbie - just!

 

[happy_tiger]

good debate.

Benny changed the game for hookers before Benny the best hookers played a very different game.
HIs toughness was always under rated and he was soo good for the Tigers and atg rep level.

Robbie played in an era where all hookers are alot more skillful, but dont have to win scrums, he is probably the most skillful hooker of his generation also.

Id reckon id go ELias, just, due to him being so revolutionary at the time

Benny didn't change the hookers role in the game ,Steve Walters did and he had it all over Benny any day of the week

 

[Flippedy]

I'm not old enough answer…

Me either :wink: but I'll go with Farah for the sake of it.

 

[larrycorowa]

Nope it was Benny. Elias kicked and ran different angles. Steve Waters was more of a traditional dummy half.

 

[Roosterman]

Well keep in mind Benny would be 18 in nowadays… with modern training and techneques

 

[Tigerdon]

That massive unit behind Benny (in the top pic) must have been Sironen. Legs like tree trunks. Both those players would go well in today's game. However id have Robbie as dummy half in today's era.

 

[Goose]

good debate.

Benny changed the game for hookers before Benny the best hookers played a very different game.
HIs toughness was always under rated and he was soo good for the Tigers and atg rep level.

Robbie played in an era where all hookers are alot more skillful, but dont have to win scrums, he is probably the most skillful hooker of his generation also.

Id reckon id go ELias, just, due to him being so revolutionary at the time

Benny didn't change the hookers role in the game ,Steve Walters did and he had it all over Benny any day of the week

Bit of QLD bias, for starters he came much after Benny, he didn't kick and didnt ball play.

He was however the first dynamic DH ball runner I can remember though, and was much better at that role than Benny.

When (im going to say Peter Louie, but it may have been a different coach) moved Mark Soden to hooker (a half back) he openly said, that he watched Benny play and noticed how much extra you got from having a ball player at dummy half and an extra pivot option, and took the chance of giving him a game, from there Ben Alexander followed than everyone did it.

Walters and Benny swapped at rep level a number of time, I reckon if you had great halves, (which at rep level you normally did) you would be much better off having walters, if you didnt , than Benny was your man.

 

[happy_tiger]

I'm not old enough answer…

Me either :wink: but I'll go with Farah for the sake of it.

You don't have to be 90 to answer Flip :roll

 

[king_sirro]

Benny is the best hooker of all time. Not much time for him as a person but as a player he is without peer.

QLDers will try and mention a guy called Steve Walters or Cam Smith….both are the biggest myths to come out of north of the boarder. Both very good players but not even close the best.

So Benny over Robbie.

 

[king_sirro]

Every Queenslander will tell u Steve Walters changed the game for hookers….its a myth. Benny was the Shane Warne of hookers, the Michael Jordan of hookers, the Andrew Johns of hookers.......Steve Walters was the Steve Waugh of hookers...very good but not quite Bradman....if u know what i mean....and deep down every Dragqueenslander knows it

 

[Goose]

When I pick my best ive seen, I normally go with Benny at hooker.

I actually think Cam Smith is over rated as well. He gets a lot of credit for the work around him, and never goes the other way.

People say that Smith makes Cronk, but never does it go the other way!, and Cronk isw a machine like decision maker and communicates very well. Cronk helps smith every bit as much as smith helps cronk.

 

[Milky]

Robbie > Smith

If Robbie was at Storm playing with Cronk & Slater, he would be the Australian hooker.

 

[diedpretty]

Elias had a great pack and good halves for most of his career which allowed him to run the ball more than most hookers in that day. Robbie has produced outstanding results with some ordinary packs and constant changes in the halves. I'm not sure Benny would have done as well under the same circumstances.

 

[happy_tiger]

Benny is the best hooker of all time. Not much time for him as a person but as a player he is without peer.

QLDers will try and mention a guy called Steve Walters or Cam Smith….both are the biggest myths to come out of north of the boarder. Both very good players but not even close the best.

So Benny over Robbie.

Benny played behind fantastic forward packs whether it was Balmain ,NSW or Australia KS

Smith is a better player than Walters ,Farah and Elias in that order

Elias was highly over rated and just lucky he had Blocker to protect him

Farah would of beaten Elias from here to hell in the 80's and was far more skilful

Elias had far better forward packs than Walters and still struggled to dominate

Of that 80-90's side of Balmain he was easily the most over rated player in it

He was the reason you never won a premiership in that time

 

[mctiger]

Benny is the best hooker of all time. Not much time for him as a person but as a player he is without peer.

QLDers will try and mention a guy called Steve Walters or Cam Smith….both are the biggest myths to come out of north of the boarder. Both very good players but not even close the best.

So Benny over Robbie.

Benny played behind fantastic forward packs whether it was Balmain ,NSW or Australia KS

Smith is a better player than Walters ,Farah and Elias in that order

Elias was highly over rated and just lucky he had Blocker to protect him

Farah would of beaten Elias from here to hell in the 80's and was far more skilful

Elias had far better forward packs than Walters and still struggled to dominate

Of that 80-90's side of Balmain he was easily the most over rated player in it

He was the reason you never won a premiership in that time

Surely this is a beat up? You might be confusing Benny with John Elias? In that case I agree with you. If not you can't have watched much of Benny play. In his heyday he was without peer. The skill of a halfback and the toughness of a forward and a football brain to match. I would take him over farah but only just.

_Posted using RoarFEED V.4_

 

[Guest]

I rate Elias ahead of Steve Walters. I'd probably just take Farah over Elias though.