Thurston better than Johns?

[Demps]

I voted yes…

Always thought Fitler was better than Johns, but yeh.... he was a good player.
Thurston is next level awesome though.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

I voted yes…

Always thought Fitler was better than Johns, but yeh.... he was a good player.
Thurston is next level awesome though.

I always thought Lockyer was better than Johns. The man mastered 2 positions.

 

[Goose]

I voted yes…

Always thought Fitler was better than Johns, but yeh.... he was a good player.
Thurston is next level awesome though.

I always thought Lockyer was better than Johns. The man mastered 2 positions.

Ive always had Lockyer a lot further down the list, in my mind not as brilliant as the best guys.

A player who never gets mentioned in these debates due to his comings and goings, but SBW has been as influential as anyone in the game when he has played. His code hopping hurts him (as well as being unpopular due to his association with Khoder), but he is an amazing talent that does things others just cant.

Meninga another one who was jsut unstoppable.

My top 3 is

Joey
Wally
Fittler

 

[Yossarian]

For me Johns is the best all round player I've seen. JT is a fantastic player and easily the best player going around today but I have Johns ahead of him.

 

[fergiefurr]

i still hage johns ahead of thurston

remember the knights were generally a top 4 team. johns misses most of 2005 and they get the wooden spoon. take thurston out of the cows and they still make the 8 imo

 

[Tony33]

And Thurston did it without all of Joey's extra curricular activities

lol speak to brad Clyde about why he left the Bulldogs

_Posted using RoarFEED 4.2.0_

I love JT and his competitiveness, but it irks me how some people tend to forget his role in the Coffs Harbour scandal..

Thurston was one of the main perpetrators but gets a free pass because he comes across as a "good bloke" in the media and wasn't exposed for his past actions.

As for on the field, I'd have to say Joey Johns from what I saw in his twilight years and a few of his games on TV but there is no denying JT's immortal status in the NRL.

 

[Tigermama]

Hard to say… Thurston has been around at the top Longer than Joey was, And they primarily played in a different era. Joey was definitely a better defender!!
A better footballer on his day, I don't know... But definitely a bigger and better champion of the game.
JT has changed the game in so many ways (On and off the field) for the better, I don't think Joey can lay claim to that.
Simply put, JT is the most amazing footballer anyone here will ever see....
A great character and an amazing fella...

Absolutely correct Batboy. JT's one of a kind! :slight_smile: He's had his ups and downs, but Samantha and fatherhood have brought out the very best in him. On and off the field. Well done JT. Well deserved. :stuck_out_tongue:

 

[cqtiger]

A Johns for me.

He carried a far less qualified Newcastle. For most of the time NQ have had quite a decent side tbh.

Don't forget AJ's retired early due to injury.
Anyway one is an immortal that other not yet so better people than I think AJ is better, or maybe level, in time.

_Posted using RoarFEED 4.2.0_

 

[innsaneink]

I voted yes…

Always thought Fitler was better than Johns, but yeh.... he was a good player.
Thurston is next level awesome though.

I always thought Lockyer was better than Johns. The man mastered 2 positions.

Ive always had Lockyer a lot further down the list, in my mind not as brilliant as the best guys.

A player who never gets mentioned in these debates due to his comings and goings, but SBW has been as influential as anyone in the game when he has played. His code hopping hurts him (as well as being unpopular due to his association with Khoder), but he is an amazing talent that does things others just cant.

Meninga another one who was jsut unstoppable.

My top 3 is

Joey
Wally
Fittler

Bert was better than all of them

 

[everett]

Great post and some excellent points put across from all forum members.

It is hard to judge players from different eras. I only saw the tail end of Bobby Fulton and Arthur Beetson's career so hard to know how great they were in the prime when I was in nappies.

I have watched rugby league since the late 70's and witnessed so many great players.

Both Joey and JT are special players and best of their particular era.

JT has not finished his career and rightly or wrongly he needs to lead the Cowboys to a premiership to join Joey as an Immortal.

I can not agree with forum members in relation to defence. Joey has it all over JT.

In my opinion Joey is a better all round player than JT so Joey gets my vote.

I think we are blessed to witness two champions in our life time. Happy that they both go down as Immortals of our game.

On a footnote I thought Brett Kenny was one of the best players I ever saw and scored double tries in Parramatta's 1981,1982 and 1983 Grand Final win and had two disallowed tries in the 1986 Grand final. Great attacking player and also tough in defence. Yes did play inside Peter Sterling and had the zip zip man and Eric Grothe Senior as team mates. Happy to be corrected by I believe he had the wood on Wally Lewis at state of origin time. If Laurie Daley didn't have the injuries he could have been anything. Brad Fittler was a gifted player but thought he drifted out of games and lazy at times. He did play in a very good Penrith and Easts sides.

 

[innsaneink]

I would say Joeys general play kicking game tips him ahead of JT….and yeh a bit better defender

 

[fergiefurr]

yeah kenny was pretty amazing. youd have to be at least in your late 30s to have seen him properly though.i saw an interview with gene miles once and he said brett kenny was the only guy qld feared in origin in the 80s. dont get much bigger wrap than that.

on defence its not even a contest with johns and thurston. thurstons defence basically cost qld the series last year where hayne targetted him at will. johns used to belt forwards.

 

[Goose]

I voted yes…

Always thought Fitler was better than Johns, but yeh.... he was a good player.
Thurston is next level awesome though.

I always thought Lockyer was better than Johns. The man mastered 2 positions.

Ive always had Lockyer a lot further down the list, in my mind not as brilliant as the best guys.

A player who never gets mentioned in these debates due to his comings and goings, but SBW has been as influential as anyone in the game when he has played. His code hopping hurts him (as well as being unpopular due to his association with Khoder), but he is an amazing talent that does things others just cant.

Meninga another one who was jsut unstoppable.

My top 3 is

Joey
Wally
Fittler

Bert was better than all of them

Kenny's best years were a little before my memory (although i saw him I was too young to fully appreciate)

 

[king_sirro]

I hate that I only just remember Brett Kenny. I remember loving him as a kid but can't really remember what he did. When watching some old test matches where he was moved to centre to accommodate Lewis, you can see how classy a ball player he was. Watching those games he looked a class above Lewis IMO, but that's just going off those English test matches.

As for Thurston and Johns, I like the arguments both sides have put forward in this thread. All make good points. When faced with a question like this I answer it by asking myself who I would choose in a side I was coaching. Have to say I would choose Johns at halfback, Kenny at 5/8\. But I have no doubt Thurston will be an immortal.

 

[happy_tiger]

People seem to forget who was around Johns for many of those years

O'davis
MacDougall
Gidley
Tahu
Alberts
Matty

Harragon
Buderus /Steve Walters
Butterfield
Muir
Kennedy
Simpsonn

Lots of rep experience

 

[WestsSupporter]

Let's see how he finishes his career. Only two years ago, Billy Slater was talked up as a future immortal. Now, it seems he's fallen off the face of the earth. In fact, the whole aura of the Melbourne big 3/4 is gone.

It's all about consistency and longevity. If Thurston finishes his career no good, he'll go down as a very very good NRL player.

For any cricket fans, think of Tendulkar. His reputation was tarnished by the last few years of his career, clearly hanging on for whatever reason. Those last 2-3 years are huge. Finishing on a low makes it tough for people to remember the good times.

 

[stryker]

Johns never dominated the rep scene like JT has.
Joey was bigger and stronger hard to stop near the line
JT is faster and more agile…dangerous from short and long range.
Joey was an accomplished defender, JT more a courageous one.
JT is a more reliable goal kicker.
Johns invented a short kicking catelogue that has been adapted by many including JT who is at the same level.
JT is the toughest player I've seen. Joey was injury prone
Vision wise they are on par.
Leadership and inspiration wise they are equal.
Their passing games are different yet equally as good.
Both left everything on the field but IMO JT just pips Johns for trying the whole 80 more regularly.
Both are great team men who stood up when needed.

IMO Johns and Lockyer were on par and JT is equal to them at worst. I personally think he has eclipsed them due to his consistency at all levels for so long. So I voted yes.

 

[stryker]

I voted yes…

Always thought Fitler was better than Johns, but yeh.... he was a good player.
Thurston is next level awesome though.

I always thought Lockyer was better than Johns. The man mastered 2 positions.

Freddy, Lock and JT are all better rep level players. Johns was a Premiership level master. His rep career was secondary.
All legends in different ways.

 

[Fade_To_Black]

Not just yet. If he stays at the top of his game for another few years JT may surpass Johns but Johns was the more complete player. Have never bought into rating blokes' careers by how many premierships they have won- its not as if they have won them on their own back without substantial input of the players around them (take Darius Boyd for example….he ain't anything too special and he could be a triple- premiership winner if the scabby horses win this Sunday). If Thurston ends up being elected into the Immortals I really hope they don't continue to add to the list after that because it will just start to dilute the prestige of the title IMO.

 

[everett]

Great points Fade to Black. If one of the criteria's for greatness was premiership wins then "The Brick with Eyes" would make the grade winning premierships with Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne.

I was thinking of this great debate in terms of Aura. In cricket terms Glenn McGrath has a better record then Dennis Lillee however watching both of their careers, Lillee had an aura about him whilst McGrath was a quite tradesman allowing Warne to get the limelight. All three players mentioned are all legends of the game.

I feel JT and Wally Lewis have the same aura as Lillee whilst players like Johns and Brett Kenny (yes I rate him one of the best players I have ever seen) did not have the aura but were just as great.

I love these debates as Forum members bring so many valid points and insightful points to their arguments. It shows me as well as being passionate WT supports you also appreciate and respect the game of Rugby League and can appreciate greatness of other players and clubs.

Even though my vote is with Johns in this debate, I love watching JT play and agree he should be mentioned in the same conversations of all the greats who have laced up a boot.

An Immortal in my opinion should be the dominate force of his generation which is why I believe JT should have that honour alone and not be joined by Inglis, Slater or Smith.

Players like Johns, JT, Lewis, Lockyer, Kenny, Daley, Marshall, Brandy, Phil Blake, Steve Moritimer, etc provide me with evidence on why our game is so great.