Favorite indigenous players

Foordy said:
It's almost like he has forgotton that he ever played for the Broncos and that they gave him his start when most other teams were hesitant to sign him
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To be honest, do we want to associate ourselves with white line Sailor?
 
Big Pete said:
Great names being tossed around so far, here's a few others.

Nathan Merritt - In a lot of ways was a very similar player to Blacklock. Incredibly quick, but just as skillful, he was one of the few reasons to even watch Souths play during their horror stretch. I think the way the NSW media vilified him was crap, he should be remembered as one of the best backs of his generation.
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Best of his generation seriously?

Good first grade player on his day but not even close to the best or anything, pretty much another version of Luke Burt. Any decent winger could score the tries he scored. Had serious flaws in his game that exposed him badly in that Origin game he played.

I feel he was targeted by some after that game simply because of how badly some pumped him up and wanted him to play. He wasn't good enough and it was obvious to all except Souths fan boys and Mundine and his aboriginal buddies. At least they vanished after it.
 
Broncoman said:
Best of his generation seriously?

Good first grade player on his day but not even close to the best or anything, pretty much another version of Luke Burt. Any decent winger could score the tries he scored. Had serious flaws in his game that exposed him badly in that Origin game he played.

I feel he was targeted by some after that game simply because of how badly some pumped him up and wanted him to play. He wasn't good enough and it was obvious to all except Souths fan boys and Mundine and his aboriginal buddies. At least they vanished after it.
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And here's me thinking this thread would end without him getting a mention.
 
Best of his generation seriously?
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Hang on, I said one of the best. If you're going to get stroppy you may as well quote me correctly.

If you were going to draw up a list of the best backs circa 2002-2014, he'd be close if not in the Top 20. Out of the thousands upon thousands of backs that have played the game at different levels at that time, being in top percentage surely qualifies him as one of the best.

Any decent winger could score the tries he scored.
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All 154 of them?

Rubbish, you don't score that many without having talent. Especially not with the rabble he played with from 2002-2011, it takes a quality player to do the things he did.

Again, the way he was scapegoated for Origin II 2013 was beyond pathetic. Twilight of his career, up against one of the greatest Queensland teams to have ever represent the state, on their home turf, minus the Blues best players, brought in as a replacement after Ferguson screwed up and it was all his fault that the Blues lost? Please...

The term hiding to nothing could not have been more expertly applied.

What's worse is that he couldn't even get a look into the City side until 2011. The selectors wanted to trial 31-year-old Hazem El Masri to see whether he could handle the rigors of representative football before Nathan Merritt. And he was one of the better stories - David Simmons, Matt Geyer, Dean Collis, Anthony Minichiello (circa 2010), Ben Pomeroy, Brett Delaney, Luke Rooney (twice!), Beau Champion etc. were all given looks in when a player of Merritt's calibre was continually ignored.

One bad performance in the twilight of his career doesn't justify the stupidity of the selectors.
 
Didn't Rooney even play for Australia?? What a laugh that period was for NSW.
 
It was unfair how some people targeted Merritt for that loss, the Blues were never in that game. Merritt still played pathetically bad though, he ran off his wing non stop letting in 3 tries, made no tackles and made no meters. It was easily one of the worst individual displays at Origin I've ever seen. But on the bright side of it at least we never have to ponder whether he was good enough for Origin and I at least proved people wrong.

Merritt was a good player for a crap underperforming Souths but he was nothing above that. I don't think he ever did much good for city either.

Youre entitled to your opinion but I personally didn't think he was that much.
 
Sproj said:
Didn't Rooney even play for Australia?? What a laugh that period was for NSW.
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5 games for NSW in 2004 and 2005 for series victories scoring 3 tries. 6 tests for Australia for 6 tries and 4 wins 1 loss and a draw.
 
Broncoman said:
5 games for NSW in 2004 and 2005 for series victories scoring 3 tries. 6 tests for Australia for 6 tries and 4 wins 1 loss and a draw.
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Yep in those pre-good Queensland sides and playing on the end of a magician in the 7 for NSW, even Merritt would have looked good.
 
Sproj said:
Didn't Rooney even play for Australia?? What a laugh that period was for NSW.
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Initially it was well deserved.

Australia were low on troops and here was this premiership winger with plenty of footy infront of him who could score a try with the best of them. From 2003-04, the best wingers in the competition were Tahu, Sing and Rooney.

But like a lot of young up and coming players, you never know if they're going to go on with it. They all have the talent, but few of them have the drive to improve and usually they get complacent.

I can't think of a better example than Rooney. By 2005, he was a dime-a-dozen winger who had little going for him. He probably needed to get out of Penrith, that club had a serious premiership hangover, but he just collected his money and made a career for himself over in Euro Rugby.

The knock there is that they picked him in 06 and 08. The 08 selection in particular was baffling, Rooney had been off the rep radar for years and he wasn't exactly killing it for Penrith.

However, the one that everyone talks about is 2007. Merritt was the top try-scorer in 2006 despite playing with a god-awful South Sydney side and troubled just about every side that season. At 24 years of age, you would think a player of his ability would get a look-in and given some directives from NSWRL. Instead, the NSWRL give 31 year old Hazem El Masri the opportunity, like he needed it and it caused a huge uproar. I have no doubt that got Merritt blacklisted until it was all too little too late.
 
Broncoman said:
It was unfair how some people targeted Merritt for that loss, the Blues were never in that game. Merritt still played pathetically bad though, he ran off his wing non stop letting in 3 tries, made no tackles and made no meters. It was easily one of the worst individual displays at Origin I've ever seen. But on the bright side of it at least we never have to ponder whether he was good enough for Origin and I at least proved people wrong.

Merritt was a good player for a crap underperforming Souths but he was nothing above that. I don't think he ever did much good for city either.

Youre entitled to your opinion but I personally didn't think he was that much.
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Literally?

See, this kind of nonsense highlights the hyperbole and bias against Merritt.

IMO, you don't rate him because he said some hard truths in 07 that made you feel uncomfortable about the state you support.

The fact his entire club career is white-washed due to one game in the twilight of his career is pathetic. Even if he scored a hat-trick that night and played like Hayne circa 2009, it should never have come down to that.
 
Renouf and Hodges for mine. Oh and JYY.
 
Yow Yeh. Epitomised everything this game was about. Skill, heart, strength, courage. Loved watching him play.

Hodges second but it's not even close.
 
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