Who was the most talented forward out of Dave Taylor or Tevita Pangai Junior?

[Mustafur]

I would say Dave Taylor was the better Ball Runner but Pangai was the better Ball Player, who do you think had the most natural talent?

Both obviously have that wasted talent aspect to them even though TPJs career isn't technically over, yet it looks like it's going the same way and it feels like almost a like for like comparison, if they had the right mindset both easily could be the best at what they do with daylight second.

When they played for us at their best games it just showed that if they could just stay at that form the rest of the comp wouldn't of had a chance.

I voted TPJ because even though Dave Taylor was indestructible at his best smashing through defenders like they don't exist, TPJ at his best felt like he was a 7 playing forward able to construct an entire attacking play entirely from nothing and imo the most naturally gifted offloader the game has ever seen, with his best defensive efforts putting the fear of god into the other team(especially the Cowboys)

 

[Xzei]

dave taylor imo lazy sob lol could have gone down as one of the greats instead will be a footnote in nrl history.

 

[Mustafur]

dave taylor imo lazy sob lol could have gone down as one of the greats instead will be a footnote in nrl history.

it's typical of that insane talent but crap mentality type of player that both of these players are guilty of.

 

[Xzei]

it's typical of that insane talent but crap mentality type of player that both of these players are guilty of.

aye rely on youth and talent thinking that it will be enough although in taylors case i think the move to sydney may have kick started his coke use which really didnt help his career.
dont have any proof ofcourse but thats just my hunch.

 

[Mustafur]

aye rely on youth and talent thinking that it will be enough although in taylors case i think the move to sydney may have kick started his coke use which really didnt help his career.
dont have any proof ofcourse but thats just my hunch.

Idk, footy players from my experience have coke access from day 1, it's the go to drug for footy players due to it getting out of their system soo quick.

 

[big k]

If Dave Taylor had the mind set of a Marty Tapau he would have dominated for so many years and probably would have been one of the first forwards to earn a mil a year.

 

[Bull Shark]

Dave Taylor quite comfortably imo.. Taylor was enormously talented as well as being enormous.. it was no coincidence he was often referred to as a halfback trapped in a forward’s body - he came up with quite a few plays that earned that comment.. He could also steamroll opponents when he was in the mood..

Pangai’s talent is more around the conventional stuff that forwards can do, like running over the top of tacklers, getting offloads away and putting on big hits defensively..

 

[theshed]

TPJ on his day is a freak but he doesn’t possess the same level and diversity of skills that Dave had.

If both men had the mentality of Cooper Cronk mixed with Funicane, they would’ve been in a tier above all other forwards but given how skilful Taylor was with so little effort, if he worked on developing his game with an elite focus he could’ve been one of the games best halfbacks let alone forwards.

 

[Thelmus]

Dave Taylor quite comfortably imo.. Taylor was enormously talented as well as being enormous.. it was no coincidence he was often referred to as a halfback trapped in a forward’s body - he came up with quite a few plays that earned that comment.. He could also steamroll opponents when he was in the mood..

Pangai’s talent is more around the conventional stuff that forwards can do, like running over the top of tacklers, getting offloads away and putting on big hits defensively..

People forget how good at reading games taylor was. The reason he often played out wide was his ability to set up tries as much as score them. He had a fone grubber and a good pass, just poor self-dicipline

 

[Wolfie]

The Coal train. Should have been the best forward ever to play the game.

 

[BroncosFever]

Both lazy players with moments of "wow, I can't believe he did that". Leaves you wanting more but as we know, there is no consistency.

 

[Cult]

Taylor used to take intercepts and run 50 metres down field, grubbers, steps, everything. TPJ dominating JT13 was one of my favourite games from a Bronco though, but it happened few and far between so I’m giving Taylor the edge here

 

[Renegade]

Taylor by a mile. Dude had skills a guy that size had no right to have. I think I even remember him chipping to a winger to score in a q cup game one time. Schuster is probably a reasonable comparison to the skill level Dave had.

 

[Mr Fourex]

Easily Dave Taylor....TPJ shouldn;t even be in the same conversation.

 

[McHunt]

Not many of us TPJ fanboys left standing.

 

[Sproj]

I will always remember the first time I saw Taylor, it was for the Clydesdales and he was just this absolute wrecking ball who could run like the wind and was in everything in an absolute flogging of the other team and it was one of his first games at Q Cup, it was freakish. It reminded me of the first time I saw Inglis at that level and you just knew these guys were destined for greatness. Inglis did go on and become one of the best players we've ever seen, Taylor went on to be a cautionary tale on what can go wrong when you are a lazy moron.

 

[Morkel]

Dave Taylor easily. Probably the most multi-talented rugby league player ever, but because it came to him so easily, he grew up never having to work for it, so ended up with zero work ethic.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Dave Taylor by a long way lol What a shame he had such a malignant peaheart. Where did he eventually end up? Playing for the Cutters while looking like he ate George Rose?