Gareth Ellis

[you_know_who]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/gareth-ellis-the-latest-pommy-start-to-become-a-hit-in-the-nrl/story-e6frexnr-1226107835912

 

[Mothermagpie]

Good story!

 

[Guest]

Gareth Ellis the latest Pommy start to become a hit in the NRL
Christian Nicolussi From: The Daily Telegraph August 04, 2011 12:00AM

AS he prepares for the Tigers' season-defining clash with premiers St George Illawarra, Gareth Ellis has revealed it was the success of fellow English enforcer Adrian Morley that inspired him to test himself in the NRL.

Such is the impact the hard-hitting Ellis has had with Wests Tigers, he is now being touted as one of the greatest Poms to have played the game in Australia.

Stats guru David Middleton last night ranked Ellis sixth behind Mal Reilly, Ellery Hanley, Garry Schofield, Morley and John Gray. Ellis said Morley was the player he recalled "making it" in Australia, and that he hoped more Englishmen tested themselves in the NRL.

He said if England wanted to improve on the international stage, more players needed to travel to Australia, even if it was to the deteriment of the UK Super League.

Morley, a premiership player with the Sydney Roosters, told The Daily Telegraph Ellis had already proven he deserved to be rated in the elite category.

"Gareth was a player in the Great Britain team who didn't have as high a profile as some of the others, but he's always been a top player, and the fact he wasn't as well known has worked in his favour and allowed him to fly under the radar," Morley said.

"I had no doubts at all he was going to do great. He's proven himself one of the greats already. I'm lucky to have won a premiership, but that shouldn't be the mark of greatness. What Gaz has done already at the Wests Tigers, he should be classed in that category."

Ellis, who belted Manly in a man-of-the-match performance last Friday - and will be called on for a similar performance against an under-fire Dragons pack tomorrow night - said the NRL had brought out his best.

He felt a mid-season setback with injury, and a return trip to England, had kept him fresh for the back half of the Tigers' campaign, which continues at the SFS tomorrow night.

"I'm feeling pretty good. I missed a few games so I'm probably fresher than most at the moment, and it's been a long time since I've said that at this time of year," Ellis said.

"I'd like to think my best years are ahead of me. If you had asked me that question at the start of the year I would have given you a flat 'no'.

"I had a persistent groin injury, an ankle injury had kept me in and out of the team, and I started to think, 'Is this my body telling me I'm over the hill?' But I saw some of the younger blokes with similar injuries and how hard they worked to get rid of them, so I gave myself a kick up the backside."

Middleton said Ellis had been the Tigers' best player since he arrived at the start of last year, and had the potential to get better. "I can see him going up that list," Middleton said. "It's just his quality, he hits hard in defence, he supports his centres out wide and can run those outside-in angles, which are hard to do."

 

[Flippedy]

Wow! A positive story on one of our guys in the DT! - perhaps the tide is turning :stuck_out_tongue:

 

[barra]

"I'm feeling pretty good. I missed a few games so I'm probably fresher than most at the moment, and it's been a long time since I've said that at this time of year," Ellis said.

"I'd like to think my best years are ahead of me. If you had asked me that question at the start of the year I would have given you a flat 'no'.

"I had a persistent groin injury, an ankle injury had kept me in and out of the team, and I started to think, 'Is this my body telling me I'm over the hill?' But I saw some of the younger blokes with similar injuries and how hard they worked to get rid of them, so I gave myself a kick up the backside."

I especially like this quote, and hopefully Gareth's current outlook will see him at WT for years to come!

 

[cunno]

They probably had no choice, it would be hard to write a negative story about Gareth, if they are fairdinkum.

 

[happy_tiger]

I rate him third behind Morley and Reilly . Hanley and Schofield were good but don't think they had the same effect as Ellis has had on the game While hanley and Schofield were in NRL they would not been classed as the best in their positions while here . Ellis and Morley are . Kevin Ward I also rated highly as well

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Morley was overrated IMO, but that's just my opinion. If Gareth Widdop plays the best years of his career in the NRL he could overtake them all.
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[jmp7875]

I rate him third behind Morley and Reilly . Hanley and Schofield were good but don't think they had the same effect as Ellis has had on the game While hanley and Schofield were in NRL they would not been classed as the best in their positions while here . Ellis and Morley are . Kevin Ward I also rated highly as well

i never saw reilly so i cant judge him against him.but ellis is a 100 times better player than morley was.but to say hanley was not classed as the best in his position is laughable,the guy single handedly got balmain to a grand final and if wasnt for that grub lamb he would of won us a premiership. in my time watching league i rate the poms in order at there best as
1 hanley
2 ellis
they are my top 2 englishmen ive seen play the game

 

[stryker]

Yeah agree mate…Hanley was the golden boot winner that year as well wasnt he? He was in a Balmain side chock full of internationals and was instrumental in us making the GF in 88.

Ellis is second best for mine but he isnt done yet.

 

[happy_tiger]

I rate him third behind Morley and Reilly . Hanley and Schofield were good but don't think they had the same effect as Ellis has had on the game While hanley and Schofield were in NRL they would not been classed as the best in their positions while here . Ellis and Morley are . Kevin Ward I also rated highly as well

i never saw reilly so i cant judge him against him.but ellis is a 100 times better player than morley was.but to say hanley was not classed as the best in his position is laughable,the guy single handedly got balmain to a grand final and if wasnt for that grub lamb he would of won us a premiership. in my time watching league i rate the poms in order at there best as
1 hanley
2 ellis
they are my top 2 englishmen ive seen play the game

Five eights around when Ellery played in NRL Wally Lewis ,Brett Kenny ,Cliff Lyons , Greg Florimo and Terry Lamb Still think Ellery was the best five eight in the NRL ???

 

[TuiTui]

well Hanley was good enough to have Lamb given the directive to knock him out, not vice versa…he may not have been the best 5/8 arround, but i'll agree with jmp7875 in saying that 1\. Hanley 2\. Ellis as the two best Englishman i've seen play NRL.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

funny how as soon as they start winning,all the talk of him being homesick and wanting to go home early dissapear
greatest Pommy import since Harvey Howard :wink:

 

[Chadman_s_Ghost]

Ellery Hanley was the best Englishmen to come to Australia. I see it argued he wasn't the #1 5/8 at the time- but that's likely because he split his time between lock, 5/8 & centre. In fact, I think his best position was lock- the position he played for Great Britain.

It's fair to say he & Schofield didn't have the same impact as Morley & Ellis- but that is likely more due to them only ever playing short stints- 10 or so games- in any 1 season. They never came out here for a full season.

1 guy not mentioned on the list was big Kevin Ward that played for Manly- highly under rated if he doesn't get a mention.

 

[supercoach]

"milk bottle legs" Garry Scholdfield was unbelievable, played about six season straight, in those day it meant he was playing about 50 weeks a year. If he had just played the Aussie season and had a rest he would have been right up their with the best ever.

Ellery, had that one magic run with the tigers, but his other stints were less effective.

Topliss had attacking skill similar to Benji

Lockwood was a chapion

Currier could not tackle but was great in attack

Ellis is better them all of them, their is a one percent drop in form between a good game and a bad one, meaning every week he turns up. Just a pro

 

[larrycorowa]

Hanley was awesome. Almost single handedly took an average Balmain team to 1988 premiership from a midweek play-off for 5th. Think we had to win a few games on end to even slip into the finals.

He had an awesome left- hand fend. Probably 6 wasnt his best position, he was more an individual talent.

Ellis > Schofield IMO (and Schofield was a very good player), John Gray i think used to play for the bears and was an average old school hooker type. One of the first round the corner kickers in league - probably wouldn't get a game in NSW cup nowdays.

 

[Alf_Duguid]

Harvey Howard was an unsung hero. A tank with legs

 

[Old_Bluebag]

Ellis v Reilly. I saw Reilly play many a time. He was a very good footballer - had the lot, could run, pass, kick, and set up supports. He was also a footballing grub with great skills at stiff-arms, knees in the back and just about any other foul that you could think of. There ws never any scandal about his private life and I've no reason to think that he was anything but a good bloke off the field (even though he played for Manly), but Boy! was he a nasty bit of work on it. Gareth, on the other hand, can do everthing that Reilly did (except perhaps the kicking) and as far as I've seen has never done a 'grub' act during his stint with the Tiges - seems to be a thorough gentleman on the field and off it. A great advertisement for the code, in fact.

 

[wtfl1981]

Great british import in the tradition of balmain and magpies.. Smash em ellis
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[Goose]

I rate him third behind Morley and Reilly . Hanley and Schofield were good but don't think they had the same effect as Ellis has had on the game While hanley and Schofield were in NRL they would not been classed as the best in their positions while here . Ellis and Morley are . Kevin Ward I also rated highly as well

i never saw reilly so i cant judge him against him.but ellis is a 100 times better player than morley was.but to say hanley was not classed as the best in his position is laughable,the guy single handedly got balmain to a grand final and if wasnt for that grub lamb he would of won us a premiership. in my time watching league i rate the poms in order at there best as
1 hanley
2 ellis
they are my top 2 englishmen ive seen play the game

Five eights around when Ellery played in NRL Wally Lewis ,Brett Kenny ,Cliff Lyons , Greg Florimo and Terry Lamb Still think Ellery was the best five eight in the NRL ???

Absolutely! Hanley was awesome at the time and was touted the best player in the world, given that the players you mentioned were around at the time shows how good Ellery was…..and I have reverse bias, Ellery grabbed me by the throat just before the after game presentation in 96 for absolutely no reason (i said at least we won the fight), i was the outlet for his aggresssion.
Hate him with a passion, but still think he was an amazing player.

It is so hard to rate blokes of different era's and different positions. But Ellis is amazing! I reckon Burgess will be proved to be a great player as well.

As someone else has said Kevin Ward was really good in 87, before my time, but over the years I have heard blokes really rate Tommy Bishop, plus the obvious ones already mentioned, Morely and Reilly...there has been some good ones