Who’s the GOAT

teddy23

teddy23

Well-known member
A question I can’t seem to have the answer for, so what better to do than ask the WTF forum.

Every sporting code has an obvious greatest of all time player…. Soccer with Pele, NBA with MJ (IMO Lebron James but that’s for another day lol), NFL with Brady, AFL with Gary Ablett Senior and Cricket Australia with Sir Donald Bradman

But with the NRL it’s not as clear as the other codes, with the other codes people say you’ll never see another Michael Jordan or Tom Brady, or you’ll never see another Bradman or Ablett but with the NRL the greatest of all time isn’t properly known imo

Joey Johns? Wally Lewis? Brad filter? Cameron Smith? Jonathan Thurston?

I’m sure I’m missing a few names

Just curious on everyone’s thoughts on who they think is the greatest to ever do it?
 
I don't think we can have a "greatest of all time" for Rugby League.

1\. The games changed too much over the years and the role of some positions has changed greatly; eg hooker;

2\. The game doesn't lend itself to statistical analysis like, for example, cricket. None of us has seen Bradman play, but an analysis of test match batting statistics will quickly tell you that he is the greatest test batsman of all time (although some Indian fans will try to tell that Tendulkar is the greatest); and

3\. We don't have much vision of the game for a large part of it's history, so we haven't seen many of the greats; eg Churchill or Dave Brown (during the 1930s Brown was referred to as the Bradman of cricket). We are therefore not in a position to make a judgement.

For these reasons I like to talk about the greatest I have seen.
 
In the last 30 years it would be a coin-toss between Joey and Thurston most definitely. They had every single facet of the game mastered.
 
From Balmain that I have seen (since late 80s) - Wayne Junior Pearce. Biggest heart and just keep trying and trying and trying.
From Wests Tigers that I have seen - Gareth Ellis.
From NRL since late 80s - Smith, Thurston, Cronk then Slater. (Though I hate all 4)

Player I used to dread coming up against us… Gasnier. He'd seemingly always score a heap of tries and destroy us.
 
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From Balmain that I have seen (since late 80s) - Wayne Junior Pearce. Biggest heart and just keep trying and trying and trying.
From Wests Tigers that I have seen - Gareth Ellis.
From NRL since late 80s - Smith, Thurston, Cronk then Slater. (Though I hate all 4)

Player I used to dread coming up against us… Gasnier. He'd seemingly always score a heap of tries and destroy us.
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Cronk??????????
Can't agree with that mate, he has a good kicking game and that is pretty much it. He would be lucky to be in the top 100 or so players of the last 30 years IMO. Extremely lucky.
 
1 Smith

2 Thurston

Smith played the middle of the ruck when at the time teams could interchange 115 kg monsters on and off at will

He rarely missed games injured and had every skill in the book

Same with Thurston , could the imagine the carnage he could create if he had forwards who had to play 80 minutes wilting in the Townsville humidity

Thurston did have a few injuries but proved a lot of doubters wrong that he'd even handle NRL because of his size
 
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Happy Tiger

In multiple sports… :laughing:
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I remember as a kid watching him ply his trade playing for brothers at Ipswich ..
He was the best exponent I've ever seen at torping a wet Leather ball .
At full time we all tried to get autographs but he took of in a limousine !
Great player !
 
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Happy Tiger

In multiple sports… :laughing:
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Jealousy gets you nowhere boys

Just think you'll be able to tell your Grandchildren you knew me , and they will sit there in awe of you :wink: :laughing: :crazy

Never played for Brothers in Ipswich you GOAT :imp:
 
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From Balmain that I have seen (since late 80s) - Wayne Junior Pearce. Biggest heart and just keep trying and trying and trying.
From Wests Tigers that I have seen - Gareth Ellis.
From NRL since late 80s - Smith, Thurston, Cronk then Slater. (Though I hate all 4)

Player I used to dread coming up against us… Gasnier. He'd seemingly always score a heap of tries and destroy us.

Cronk??????????
Can't agree with that mate, he has a good kicking game and that is pretty much it. He would be lucky to be in the top 100 or so players of the last 30 years IMO. Extremely lucky.
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Yeah, I'm a bit biased seeing Storm and Qld dominate for so long. I was thinking of Langer, Stuart, Big Mal, but then got stuck on Qld's dominance in Origin and that's why I went with Cronk over other halves (except JT) because he's been there through most of it. Joey was also really good, deserves to be mentioned,

Tough question though.

Favourite (non Tigers) players, there's an interesting question, Roddy Wishart, ET, Girds and Sparkles would be in there for sure.
 
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