Monday 27 August 2007

Lockyer for Super League?

Good to see Darren Lockyer on the BBC's Challenge Cup Final coverage. He's allegedly over here to promote next year's World Cup, but we haven't even got venue details yet!!
As a Knights man you'd have to go a long way to persuade me that Joey Johns isn't the greatest modern day player, but I have to say I think Lockyer pips Joey for me. Not only has he been the centrepiece of great Brisbane Broncos teams over the last decade or so, he's made a massive contribution to the revival of Queensland in Origin (incidentally although I'm a Knight fan I'm also a confirmed Maroon) and has almost single-handedly giving Test football the credibility it deserves.
Its no coincidence that a so-called weak Kangaroos won a whitewash Ashes Series in 2003 - remember the last gasp try to seal the third win, created by who else but Locky. Its also no coincidence that the Lockyer led Kangaroos played probably the best 40 minutes of Test football EVER in defeating Great Britain in the first Tri-Nations final at Elland Road, and that Australia (without Lockyer) were blown away by the Kiwis the following year. Oh, and who scored the golden point try that won the Tri-Nations in Sydney the following year?
I was gutted that Darren got injured this season - it would have been fitting that he represented Dally Messenger in the Centenary International at the end of the season. I would love to see Darren play in Super League - preferably for Quins of course - and I think he could make as big a contribution as Alfie Langer did at Warrington for his two year stint.
Darren though did point out quite correctly that Australians come to Super League for the money - any Brits going the other way do so purely for the challenge (Adrian Morley being the shining example to any British player who wants to become a world beater by spending their prime years in the NRL). We kid ourselves that Super League standard is catching up with the NRL. I've been watching the game avidly since 1990 and I am confident in saying that the Great Britain team of 1990 was closer to the standard of the Kangaroos that any GB team we could put out on the park now. Also the Kiwis have flown past us in the meantime!

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