Quote mdean="mdean"I am not a great historian, but there are a few people I think I would swap:
Not sure about hooker - in my own memory I prefer Bartrim - Others will differ who have more life experience!
Loose, I never saw Mr Reilly personally, but I am told he was something special.
My only other change would be Kevin Ward for Lee Crooks.
Lots of people will have differing views, but your specification of "with your own eyes" makes it interesting!!!'"
I saw him play when he was at Manly. For me he is the best player this country has ever produced, and as a Wakey fan that's hard to say. Physically, mentally and ability. He was a bit of an animal but who wasn't then.
For me what set him apart and why I rate him above all others is because of how he made it in Oz.
He went there with a reputation as a hard case. This did not impress the Aussies or the press. The talk was that he would be put in his place as soon as he played his first game, he was after all a soft pom. Malcolm was having non of it and was utterly unfazed. In his first few games he made it his mission to seek out and destroy the hard man of every team he faced. He succeeded and nobody called him a soft pom EVER again.
Can you imagine that now. If we could put a tenth of Malcolm's attitude, guts and drive in the 17 who face Australia next year we would destroy them. Sadly we don't make em like that anymore. Plenty of hard men and a few thugs but none with the brains to match.
