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

[Xzei]

I did consider Dell, but it would have been based on just a few games as his form dipped dramatically in 2001. That Dragons game alone nearly earned him a nomination, easily one of the best performances from any player, period.

Lote had a similar slump when he signed with the Tahs. It was painful watching him get outplayed by John Morris on the wing.

If you stretch it to 2000, then Dell definitely comes into the conversation. I'd love to get my hands on a try he scored against the Bulldogs. I've got such a vague memory of it but I remember it being a long range try with a sweet chip and chase.

We really were spoiled having him and lote

 

[Xzei]

I did consider Dell, but it would have been based on just a few games as his form dipped dramatically in 2001. That Dragons game alone nearly earned him a nomination, easily one of the best performances from any player, period.

Lote had a similar slump when he signed with the Tahs. It was painful watching him get outplayed by John Morris on the wing.

If you stretch it to 2000, then Dell definitely comes into the conversation. I'd love to get my hands on a try he scored against the Bulldogs. I've got such a vague memory of it but I remember it being a long range try with a sweet chip and chase.

2.29 of this video maybe?

 

[Big Pete]

9:42

Rose-tinted glasses but still a fine try.

I may have been conflating it with the try that follows as well.

 

[Super Freak]

9:42

Rose-tinted glasses but still a fine try.

I may have been conflating it with the try that follows as well.

Sailor does one against the Bulldogs in the '98 GF but bombs the put down, you're not thinking of that one?

 

[Big Del]

I'm curious to see what others consider the best outside backs from 2001-21.

Because I find it difficult to go past...

1. Billy Slater
2. Israel Folau
3. Justin Hodges
4. Greg Inglis
5. Jarryd Hayne

Radradra and Lote would be in the mix for that 5 spot.

Hmmm , I think Mark Gasnier should on the list .

 

[Wolfie]

I'm curious to see what others consider the best outside backs from 2001-21.

Because I find it difficult to go past...

1. Billy Slater
2. Israel Folau
3. Justin Hodges
4. Greg Inglis
5. Jarryd Hayne

Radradra and Lote would be in the mix for that 5 spot.

Based on talent you would be hard picked to go past that line up. Based on consistency of performance, i think Hayne and Folau could be replaced. Hayne because he just didnt play near his best enough, and Folau because didnt have a long NRL career.

As others have said, if you based it purely on ability, JYY would be a strong contender.

 

[Morkel]

Hmmm , I think Mark Gasnier should on the list .

Gasnier & Cooper were the best centre pairing for a while. Excellent attack but super safe in defence. Gasnier got fucked a couple if times in Origin (Inglis once, Boyd owned him defensively while covering for Tonga with a dislocated shoulder that time), but I think Gasnier earlier embarrassed Inglis so they are even there.

I had forgotten about Boyd's heroics that game BTW. Definitely needs to be pointed out and weighed against his late career nosedive.

 

[Morkel]

FYI

 

[theshed]

I wouldnt say 2014 was at his 2009 levels. Even so, 5 years between top class years of footy doesnt exactly show he was an elite player. I agree though, didnt help him at Parra.

I've still not got any time for the bloke. He's a grub. Never forgot that time in Origin when he elbowed Tunza in the back of the head while he was on the ground then as soon as Tunza got up he vanished behind the rest of the players.

Hayne is easily one of the most hateable players the game has had but I think others in this thread are letting it cloud their judgment to a degree.

He was no doubt lazy and mentally soft by NRL standards. I don’t think he is one of the post 2000’s greats in regards to Smith, Lockyer, Slater or JT but when you start to get to those next rungs down like GI, Cronk; Munster, Tedesco, Cleary etc - he definitely has a case to put forward if you have only talk about his on field abilities.

His origin performances and quality are up there with some of the best

 

[theshed]

I'm curious to see what others consider the best outside backs from 2001-21.

Because I find it difficult to go past...

1. Billy Slater
2. Israel Folau
3. Justin Hodges
4. Greg Inglis
5. Jarryd Hayne

Radradra and Lote would be in the mix for that 5 spot.

Hard to argue really.

 

[tommy]

Hayne is easily one of the most hateable players the game has had but I think others in this thread are letting it cloud their judgment to a degree.

He was no doubt lazy and mentally soft by NRL standards. I don’t think he is one of the post 2000’s greats in regards to Smith, Lockyer, Slater or JT but when you start to get to those next rungs down like GI, Cronk; Munster, Tedesco, Cleary etc - he definitely has a case to put forward if you have only talk about his on field abilities.

His origin performances and quality are up there with some of the best

Playing on the same team as him would be annoying as **** though. Here’s this guy making 10x as much as you who spends training hiding in the toilet block and takes off to Israel every pre-season for a “religious holiday”. I don’t think he can be counted as one of the greats.

 

[Wolfie]

Hayne is easily one of the most hateable players the game has had but I think others in this thread are letting it cloud their judgment to a degree.

He was no doubt lazy and mentally soft by NRL standards. I don’t think he is one of the post 2000’s greats in regards to Smith, Lockyer, Slater or JT but when you start to get to those next rungs down like GI, Cronk; Munster, Tedesco, Cleary etc - he definitely has a case to put forward if you have only talk about his on field abilities.

His origin performances and quality are up there with some of the best

He's a big game player, no denying that. I said before i cant remember him having a poor game for NSW but i dont think i could put him up there with the others you mentioned over his whole career because he just never turned up enough imo for Parra. In Origin i think you could make a strong argument he's been NSW best player consistently in the last 20 years probably.

 

[WASSHHH]

He's a big game player, no denying that. I said before i cant remember him having a poor game for NSW but i dont think i could put him up there with the others you mentioned over his whole career because he just never turned up enough imo for Parra. In Origin i think you could make a strong argument he's been NSW best player consistently in the last 20 years probably.

I’d lean more toward Tedesco. He’s like a better version of Mini, who was a great fullback in his own right.

When you stop to think about it, there have been some incredible fullbacks during the last 20 or so years:

Lockyer, Mini, Snake, KHunt, Bowen, Slater, Hodges, GI, Mitchell, Hayne, TTurbo, Barba, Tedesco, pre-diabolical Boyd, even Ponga when he’s on. I’m sure I’m forgetting some too.

That’s quite a list. It’s also a list that highlights one of the reasons we’ve been so poor for a number of years.

Fullback really has evolved to become such a crucial role, and we haven’t had a good one since 2015/16 Boyd.

 

[theshed]

I’d lean more toward Tedesco. He’s like a better version of Mini, who was a great fullback in his own right.

When you stop to think about it, there have been some incredible fullbacks during the last 20 or so years:

Lockyer, Mini, Snake, KHunt, Bowen, Slater, Hodges, GI, Mitchell, Hayne, TTurbo, Barba, Tedesco, pre-diabolical Boyd, even Ponga when he’s on. I’m sure I’m forgetting some too.

That’s quite a list. It’s also a list that highlights one of the reasons we’ve been so poor for a number of years.

Fullback really has evolved to become such a crucial role, and we haven’t had a good one since 2015/16 Boyd.

I know a lot of people rate Tedesco highly, some have even suggested he’s better than Slater.

He is incredibly consistent and the things he does do well - he does extremely well but part of me can’t help but think his game is fairly limited in a lot of ways. Maybe having a more narrow focus of abilities is what allows him to be so good at them and do them so consistently but I just can’t rate him on ability above Slater or Hayne (possibly even Mini). I think they both just had such a wide array of attributes and skills that made them so good. As has been said to death in this thread though - Hayne just didn’t have the ticker.

GI at his peak is bette than Teddy but he just doesn’t have the consistent runs on the board at 1 to claim it. I’m not even sure Teddy is the best current NSW fullback when you consider what Trbo does when not inured. A weak argument, but an argument none the less, could be made that Teddy may not be the best fullback at the roosters.

 

[WASSHHH]

I know a lot of people rate Tedesco highly, some have even suggested he’s better than Slater.

He is incredibly consistent and the things he does do well - he does extremely well but part of me can’t help but think his game is fairly limited in a lot of ways. Maybe having a more narrow focus of abilities is what allows him to be so good at them and do them so consistently but I just can’t rate him on ability above Slater or Hayne (possibly even Mini). I think they both just had such a wide array of attributes and skills that made them so good. As has been said to death in this thread though - Hayne just didn’t have the ticker.

GI at his peak is bette than Teddy but he just doesn’t have the consistent runs on the board at 1 to claim it. I’m not even sure Teddy is the best current NSW fullback when you consider what Trbo does when not inured. A weak argument but an argument none the less, could be made great Teddy may not be the best fullback at the roosters.

I can see where you’re coming from. I guess the thing that stands out for me with Tedesco is his involvement. Sometimes you have to check to make sure there aren’t 2 of him out there.

I agree he doesn’t have the breadth of skills like some, but gees he’s hard to handle.

I know this is a Broncos forum, but if I was picking my fullback since 2000 it would be Lockyer. He set the blueprint for modern fullbacks being more like second 6’s. He wasn’t the biggest like Hayne or GI, but he was deceptively quick and even quicker between the ears.

He didn’t make the metres like Tedesco, but he was involved in every play. I remember Chris Anderson saying after a final in the UK something along the lines of Lockyer’s performance was the most dominant he had ever seen. In the match winning play, he was tackled got back up, supported and then threw the final pass to Ricketson (I think).

Like the intercept he took from the wayward Hodgson pass to win SOO, it was never luck or coincidence that he was Johnny-on-the-Spot. He was naturally gifted, but he was also steps ahead of everyone else and just never gave up.

If I was trying to fit all the recent indisputable greats in to one team; Lockyer at 1, Slater to the wing, Thurston at 6, Johns at 7 and Smith at 9.

Not the thread for it, but it’s for this reason that Lockyer is my GOAT. You can’t move any of those others to a completely different position to accommodate someone else, but you can with Lockyer. He was the best in the world in two positions, with daylight second. You can’t say that about anyone else, not in the last 20-30 years anyway.

 

[theshed]

I can see where you’re coming from. I guess the thing that stands out for me with Tedesco is his involvement. Sometimes you have to check to make sure there aren’t 2 of him out there.

I agree he doesn’t have the breadth of skills like some, but gees he’s hard to handle.

I know this is a Broncos forum, but if I was picking my fullback since 2000 it would be Lockyer. He set the blueprint for modern fullbacks being more like second 6’s. He wasn’t the biggest like Hayne or GI, but he was deceptively quick and even quicker between the ears.

He didn’t make the metres like Tedesco, but he was involved in every play. I remember Chris Anderson saying after a final in the UK something along the lines of Lockyer’s performance was the most dominant he had ever seen. In the match winning play, he was tackled got back up, supported and then threw the final pass to Ricketson (I think).

Like the intercept he took from the wayward Hodgson pass to win SOO, it was never luck or coincidence that he was Johnny-on-the-Spot. He was naturally gifted, but he was also steps ahead of everyone else and just never gave up.

If I was trying to fit all the recent indisputable greats in to one team; Lockyer at 1, Slater to the wing, Thurston at 6, Johns at 7 and Smith at 9.

Not the thread for it, but it’s for this reason that Lockyer is my GOAT. You can’t move any of those others to a completely different position to accommodate someone else, but you can with Lockyer. He was the best in the world in two positions, with daylight second. You can’t say that about anyone else, not in the last 20-30 years anyway.

Yeah there’s no attribute that I enjoy in a player more than the guys that are just endless effort. Lockyer, JT, Gillett, Hindmarsh. Guys that are giving 100% at all times and seem to always be in the right spot because they act like every play may be the one that they’re needed on, regardless of where they are on the field.

Tedesco is in that category and deserves respect for it.

Lockyer was special in so many ways. I actually feel like having Lockyer be around from the beginning of watching NRL spoilt me because, although I recognised how great he was, I never realised just how rare such a player would be and that we would never have another one.

 

[Mustafur]

Yeah there’s no attribute that I enjoy in a player more than the guys that are just endless effort. Lockyer, JT, Gillett, Hindmarsh. Guys that are giving 100% at all times and seem to always be in the right spot because they act like every play may be the one that they’re needed on, regardless of where they are on the field.

Tedesco is in that category and deserves respect for it.

Lockyer was special in so many ways. I actually feel like having Lockyer be around from the beginning of watching NRL spoilt me because, although I recognised how great he was, I never realised just how rare such a player would be and that we would never have another one.

Yeah same, I started watching the Broncos not long after he became our fulltime 1(1997) and was my favourite player from the first game I watched and he only got better from there, I'm pretty certain it was because me being 6 at the time and he was the kicker he had his name come up so it was easy to remember lol.

2.29 of this video maybe?

Don't recall fully but atleast from what I remember at the time Del was like the first Forward sized winger, at the time he just looked like such a massive human compared to every other teams winger and once he got going he was a wrecking ball, like Meninga with speed.

 

[Big Del]

Yeah same, I started watching the Broncos not long after he became our fulltime 1(1997) and was my favourite player from the first game I watched and he only got better from there, I'm pretty certain it was because me being 6 at the time and he was the kicker he had his name come up so it was easy to remember lol.



Don't recall fully but atleast from what I remember at the time Del was like the first Forward sized winger, at the time he just looked like such a massive human compared to every other teams winger and once he got going he was a wrecking ball, like Meninga with speed.

John Ribot and Eric Grothe Snr were the protype huge wingers that I remember from the late 70s .