The best there ever was

I'm with Corey... but accept there is a contest when comparing them as a whole, although certainly not when it comes to Broncos colours.

I've always been a great admirer of Locky and it was awesome to see him dominate and dictate terms on the paddock for over a decade.
Another thing that Locky had, which I almost never saw him loose, was the serenity and ability to remain calm and collected under any circumstance. No player will ever come close to making a difference in terms of clutch moments as he did, and those highlights are proof of that.
 
If this was a just world he would have had at least three more premiership (2002, 2008, 2011). Bill Harrigan, Ashton Sims and Gerard Beale should be sent to gitmo as penance.
 
The one aspect that bothers me when it comes to Lockyer is that he'll never get his due when it comes to years like 2001-2004.

We always hear how Joey Johns practically ran Newcastle but it isn't like he was surrounded by duds. Last time I checked, the likes of O'Davis, Tahu, M. Gidley, MacDougall, Buderus, Kennedy, Simpson etc. were all very handy players in their own right but you'd swear blind that it was Joey and the rest at best were supporting characters if not extras.

Meanwhile Lockyer has to carry a spine consisting of Berrigan, Harrison, S. Walker, Swain, One Legged Ikin, One Legged Prince, Old Man Langer and you read nothing about that. Even our forward pack was pretty limited in terms of what it could deliver. Once Tallis went down with his neck injury he was never able to find that extra gear which made him special and the likes of Carlaw, Meyers, Burns, 40 Year Old Parker, Webb, Lee etc. weren't much to write home about.

When people remember the 2001-04 period as being really good years, it's largely because there were a couple of really good players like Webby, Civo & Locky carried the team.
 
BroncosFan_Corey said:
I seem to have angered the geriatrics... Sorry if you don't like my opinion. It was just Banter.
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Nah...not angry at all...was just old person banter !!

I might add that I also think Darren Lockyer was the greatest BRONCO of all time. The thread title wasn't too clear but no matter....
 
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Grew up and everything was all about Locky, footy really isn't the same for me since he retired. There was never a game I thought the Broncos didn't have a chance to win when he was on the field, best player I've ever seen and probably ever will see.
 
I thought I would share this. Craig Bellamy on coaching against Lockyer.

I was asked about coaching against Locky the other day and whether he was always the bloke I focused on stopping when my teams were playing against him. He was and still is. He will be till the day he finally does hang them up.

I have had the opportunity to coach some exceptional players, but I don't think I have ever seen someone who can read the game as quickly as Locky. From my earliest meetings with him when I started working at the Broncos, I couldn't believe how well he knew the game. Some of that stuff is obviously learned, but the instincts and ability to read a game the way he can - I think some of that you are born with. I guess the best comparison I can make is to a musician. When I see a sheet of music I see a bunch of lines and dots on a page. A great musician sees the same sheet and they see a song. I think when Locky looks at a defensive line or watches a game, he sees things very differently to the average person. Because of that he knows when to pass or when to go. As a coach, I always found him a difficult bloke to plan for, because you want to cut down the time he has the ball in his hands. If you give him too much time and space, he will pick the right option every time. Every single time. And he will cut you to shreds.

I know there have been a few times over the years at Melbourne where we have tried to change a couple of things with our defensive structures because we were playing against Darren that week. And when you haven't practiced something enough, it gets exposed under match conditions - as often happened with these plans. Locky was just so hard to handle because he was one of the very, very few guys who was equally as dangerous running the ball himself as he was passing and kicking. The number of players that got caught grasping at thin air after shooting out of the line trying to pressure Darren . . . That was where you had to find the right balance, because he was so good on his feet, when you forced him to run he would beat you one-on-one, which would immediately created an overlap he could exploit.

Preparing for that '06 Grand Final, he was our big concern. He had a big pack of old hard-heads in front of him and the thing that struck us was the way he learned to work off the back of them, just picking his moment when to kick. Sometimes he'd shoot into dummy-half and just speed things up when he felt it necessary. He just seemed in total command of the tempo the game was being played at.

Trying to prevent him from taking control was something we spoke about in the week. But it is one thing to talk about it. It is another thing trying to get out there and actually try to contain Darren Lockyer's impact on a game. Unfortunately we couldn't and in the end he was probably the difference between the two teams. Watching that field goal sail through - and it never looked like missing - I just remember that sinking feeling which hit me straightaway. When I saw him lining it up, I initially felt a sense of relief. I thought it was a good result we had forced him into a Hail Mary field goal attempt. There was no way he would slot it from over 40 metres out. Not with how heavy his legs would have been feeling after 73 minutes of the hardest football imaginable.

The thing is, when I looked down and realised who it was who did it, I wasn't surprised or angry. It's the sort of thing he does. That final 10 minutes of the game - that is where Locky comes into his own.
 
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I used to love watching the defense shoot up on the last and Locky would just step around them and pull something out of thin air.
 
Just so happy/lucky to have been a Bronco supporter for his whole career

Every time I think about him I am filled with a blend of gratitude, and sadness

I miss him so much
 
A good quote from David Middleton regarding 2006:

'There were other captains who had years almost as good in terms of results, but it is doubtful anyone had ever been as pivotal to the victories. He scored the winning tries in Origin 3 and the Tri-Nations and he scored a crucial field goal for the Broncos in the grand final.'

It really was a year to remember. Everything has its time. Maybe Brisbane's is coming around again at last.

For mine, the best thing about Lockyer and he doesn't get enough credit was the positional switch. I think it is so under-valued, even by Broncos fans, just what a remarkable achievement it was. He's won the Golden Boot in two positions - has that ever happened before? Would Slater make it as a 5/8? Could Andrew Johns be the best player of all time if he was switched to fullback half-way through his career? I dunno...maybe but I doubt it.

'
 
Cult3 said:
I used to love watching the defense shoot up on the last and Locky would just step around them and pull something out of thin air.
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It was awesome because he had such great speed. His knee injury in 2007 hampered it from that point on but Lockyer was fast. His speed was also under-rated a bit, I think.
 
Caught the last four years of his career, pretty much every home game and Origin he played.

When he retired it reminded me of one of those quotes - dont be sad it's over, be glad it happened!

The thing that sticks with me the most was his reaction at the end of the Storm semi, never seen anyone so destroyed after a game, looked like a ghost during the post-match interview.
 
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Looking at these videos, and thinking of when some of these amazing moments happened is giving my goosebumps.

Just stop to think about that Maroons try. That one try that began the greatest rugby league achievement ever seen. In a split second, the entire state of QLD had already checked out, we knew we had lost. Within a split second, none of us had any idea how it happened, and some had no idea what had happened, but what we did know, is that the ref just blew his whistle, and the greatest player we've set eyes on was on the ground, on top of a ball. He won the game for us again.

Lockyer is a legend.
 
Nashy said:
Looking at these videos, and thinking of when some of these amazing moments happened is giving my goosebumps.

Just stop to think about that Maroons try. That one try that began the greatest rugby league achievement ever seen. In a split second, the entire state of QLD had already checked out, we knew we had lost. Within a split second, none of us had any idea how it happened, and some had no idea what had happened, but what we did know, is that the ref just blew his whistle, and the greatest player we've set eyes on was on the ground, on top of a ball. He won the game for us again.

Lockyer is a legend.
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I think that while everyone celebrates it as a "Lockyer" moment, you're right, few people recognise the significance. Potentially the biggest play of the last 25 years, and that's not being stupid. He didn't just win the game, or the series, he won the continuation of his own rep career and those of many around him who were under intense scrutiny. The same players that went on to contribute to the unprecedented period of dominance. It literally became a turning point for the entire game of Rugby League.

And he won it despite every official on or near the field doing everything they could to prevent it.
 
I watched that series last night and I'm so glad we got that win. If anyone wants to talk about teams being fucked over by the refs, that is the game we should all be pointing towards. NSW didn't deserve to be ahead at any time and people like to call them 50/50 calls but the calls that went their way were 99/1 calls. Even Sterlo and Gus were losing it. It seemed like everything was against us and I wouldn't have blamed Queensland for just giving in but Darren Lockyer, the rugby league God was in the right place at the right time like he usually was.
 
Nashy said:
Looking at these videos, and thinking of when some of these amazing moments happened is giving my goosebumps.

Just stop to think about that Maroons try. That one try that began the greatest rugby league achievement ever seen. In a split second, the entire state of QLD had already checked out, we knew we had lost. Within a split second, none of us had any idea how it happened, and some had no idea what had happened, but what we did know, is that the ref just blew his whistle, and the greatest player we've set eyes on was on the ground, on top of a ball. He won the game for us again.

Lockyer is a legend.
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I remember quite a few NSW fans were saying that match was fixed. That would make it some quality acting and precision.
 
Alec said:
I remember quite a few NSW fans were saying that match was fixed. That would make it some quality acting and precision.
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As in like, the ending and everything?
 
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