he's not better than burgess.........

The OP is the worst troll ever.

OK England didn't play well in the final, but to clarify how good Graham's game is, watch the first England/Australia game from this years four nations. Whilst Graham was on the pitch England were completely dominant, this was partly due to the tempo Graham plays at.

He's not got to smash players with raw aggression like Burgess or Morley, and I honestly don't think he has the same attritional qualities as Peacock. On the other hand he's very quick, for a prop, always makes metres, always gets a quick play the ball and is natural rugby player. He would have fitted into NSW team that played so well in the second SoO game this year, and improved it.

When comparing League to Union I used to say league was the purist form of Rugby; doing the physical aspects of rugby better, without haing to worry about where your forwards are. I wouldn't disagree with that, but Graham shows how important it is for a player to get their technique right and play at a high tempo. In that respect he's very similar to Paul Gallen. Though, I really hate the whinging.

Different players. Burgess, on a day when everything clicks, could destroy most teams in the world, but he would need players like Graham around him to make that happen!!

In the game against the Austrlians he took the first drive off our line in the second half, why the hell would he set off running and then give the worst pass ever out to no one. In my days you hit the line as hard as you could to get the ball away from your own line.

Not better than Ellis either, as good but not better.

Paul Gallen in the Four Nations final:
ran 141m
43 tackles
21 hit ups

Graham:
134m
19 hit ups
35 tackles

To put things into perspective:
peacock ran for 62m
ellis 64m
matt scott 46m

Hardly a bad game, was it?

Jammer will go fine in the NRL,tough bugger who can take anything thrown at him,his team mates and coach will think he is a godsend IMO.

Eggggsactlee

Looking foward to see how he goes over there, I hope he does well. He has shown he can mix it with the best of Australia and NZ so im sure he can cut it in the NRL.

I'm not that sure he'll cut it. Ok, he can tear it up against SL sides but the last few times I've watched him play against Wigan he's looked shattered. He starts well but the game seems to take it's toll quickly and he begins to look like a 36 year-old prop, not a 26 year-old. He runs in, gets clattered and takes an age to get to his feet - or as my Mrs puts it, "he gets up like an old, broken man".

If he goes back to the basic prop role and makes sure he rests and recuperates properly before the season starts he'll do ok. Even so, he'll need to lift his strength, speed and fitness to another level.

I think thats more down to Saints overusing him (and Roby for that mattter) in each match and across the season. Sure each are more than good enough to play long minutes and rack up absurd stats in SL, and maybe that is a strength over others, but personally I don't see that as stable in the long run. Hopefully the NRL will use him more effectively - still as a workhorse but maybe not as a man carrying an entire pack. Either way he will play less there, as there are less games, and have forced rests in bye weeks - so with just that we will see a better Graham in internationals.

Of course it's silly to say he won't make it, he will easily be one of the best props there, providing he stays fit, because he's one of the best props anywhere.

I think you need to factor in that he has played with a back injury for the past 3 months, so a bit of recuperation and the fact he will not have to carry the pack like he did at Saints, he should go OK.

Graham will go okay, I'm 50/50 on him. He's a strange player to evaluate because he can go by in a game without being noticed. He's what I'd call a stealth forward, in that you'll think he's had an ordinary game, no mistakes but nothing of note -- Then you see the stats and without fail he's the leading forward on the field for metres. He also has a good try rate and can put people through a gap. But he goes about it in a way that's unimpressive to the untrained eye.

In saying that I agree with some of the criticisms of him above. He seems, lately at least, incredibly slow. Outside of his handling and game knowledge he looks like any fat bloke from the pub running at the line at half-speed and lacking general explosiveness.

I think he'll go well in the NRL, but I'm not sure how well. If he is to succeed I think he'll need a settling in period, I could see him having an underwhelming first year, in relation to the very high standards expected of him.

Maybe some time down under is just what he needs.

He'll be fine. The Aussies understand RL unlike many in the British game who still seem to think people who look flash are the best. Australia ran away with the 4N final when he was off the field. Won't make the impact Morley did IMO but should show up as well / better than Ellis.