Anthony Milford is the best Five-Eight in the NRL

[Renegade]

I agree with badyon, I think Maloney and Morgan are ahead of Milford at the moment. Maloney has been a large part (not all) of why the Sharks are going so well, and why the Roosters have gone to shit. Maloney also made the warriors look good so you've gotta give him credit there! But as he is nearing 30 he won't be at the top of the pile for much longer imo.

I think there's every reason to believe Morgan and Milford will be neck and neck for the next 5 years - people call Milford and xfactor/gamebreaker etc - Morgan basically won the cowboys the premiership, you can't get more gamebreaker than that. Not to mention he's a better defender than Milf.

That's not to say I don't think Milf is a very special young player, he clearly is and for a guy who is still years away from perfecting his craft, it's exciting to think what he may become. I'm just weary of putting too much on the kid at the moment, he still is only 21 and in his 2nd season at 5/8.

 

[Aldo]

On pure ability, Milford is better and will most likely end up the better player but at present Morgan has him. Injects himself into games brilliantly and feeds of JT really well. Very smart player for mine. Milf is still learning and can do some very silly things but when things click for him......

 

[Porthoz]

As good as Morgan is and has been, I have Milford ahead on almost every level.

I'd definitely like to see Morgan steer his team around without JT next to him, before I judge him to be a better 5/8 than Milford.

 

[Tunza's Chin]

Right now there's an argument for both sides.

12, 18 months down the track I don think that'll be the case - Milf will be so far ahead.

 

[bazza]

It's hard to say who the better player is currently and who the better player will be in the future due to how different they are, but both are equally effective in the way they are being used by their clubs.

I feel Morgan, who is already such a great player at such a young age, is somewhat predictable in what he does, especially inside the opposition red zone, but because he is so good, it is another story stopping him from doing it. Now I'm not saying he is a predictable player, all I'm saying is that he is smart enough to stick to something that is successful. His current role is quite simple which allows him to shine.

He knows he can score individual try's close to the line with his strength and speed, so why go away from it? A lot of what Morgan currently does is repetitive, but in order to continue to grow as a player, he will need to add more tricks to his repertoire in the future. Teams will adjust to counter him, and it's only then will we get a true indication of how good he really is, when he is forced to evolve himself as a player.

As for Milford, we've all seen how gifted he is. I'd say he is one of the best runners of the ball currently in the NRL, especially in broken field play, and has quickly added his ever improving passing and kicking game to his attacking arsenal. But aside from the brilliance he can come up with from seemingly nothing, the most pleasing thing for me is his consistency. Let's not forget this is only his second season as a full time five-eighth, and yes he was a half growing up his whole life, but being a half in the NRL is very much a different proposition.

Often players of exceptional talent and freakish ability, are very inconsistent. They have the ability to do something so special, something no one else in the game can do, but then spend the next three or four weeks doing nothing of much significance. Benji Marshall and Shaun Johnson come to mind. On their day, they were/are the best players in the game. Blessed with skills, other players could only dream of, yet the gap between their best and worst games are significant, purely because they don't have a fall back option.

These type of unpredictable players rely on natural ability, and when good opposition defences can direct multiple defenders at them, it can very quickly extinguish any impact they can have on a match. From what I've seen from Milford, he doesn't rely just on his natural attacking prowess. He has learnt to play with structure and control, and can quickly switch between structured play and ad-lib football whenever he sees fit, and this makes him such a dangerous player. A lot of credit must go to Bennett for teaching him to play with the team structures but also encouraging the natural flair,

From an attacking point of view, I do believe that Milford's ceiling is higher than Morgan's, based purely off the fact that Milford already has much more options and dimensions to his game. Either way both are great players in their own right and just as an NRL fan, I'll just sit back and enjoy them play for years to come.

 

[Mr Fourex]

Um, I guess I need state the obvious here -- JT at rep, in the world (go ahead, fuckers, argue with me)...also, arguably, maloney and morgan at club as well.

 

[Mr Fourex]

While Morgan is certainly a quality player ... Milford is a genuine game breaker, he can make something out of nothing. at IMO, that puts him ahead

And most importantly he wears the right jersey.

Nothing to do with wearing the "right jersey" ......Milford, pound for pound is simply the more talented player. The only reason defensively Morgan is considered better, is the fact he's 6ft tall.

I like Morgan....I think he's making the most of what he has.

Milford is on another level. One day he will be an immortal.

 

[Big Pete]

One day he will be an immortal.

The RLW Immortals concept is overrated, but I agree with the sentiment.

However he isn't there yet, and Morgan has him for now.

 

[broncsgoat]

The RLW Immortals concept is overrated, but I agree with the sentiment.

However he isn't there yet, and Morgan has him for now.

If we could player swap for the rest of the season, would you be happy to have Morgan over Milf?

 

[Big Pete]

If we could player swap for the rest of the season, would you be happy to have Morgan over Milf?

No, but then it's a team sport and I'd hate to mess with the team for the sake of bringing in a player that is just a tiny bit ahead of another at this point in time.

I wouldn't trade McCullough for Hodgson.

I wouldn't trade Blair for Fifita.

So you're asking the wrong guy.