Cobblers. Billy Boston was a product of his era. Players across the board are bigger and stronger now than they've ever been. Eric Grothe was the most powerful winger of his time - he'd be 2-3 stone lighter than today's bigger wingers. And if yesterday's heroes bulked up, how effective would they be? Would Boston even be a back? He certainly wouldn't be in RL.

Boston did bulk up, he was already over 15 stone when he signed pro, Wigan put more muscle on him, despite his legendary scoring feats the opposition feared him for his crash tackling technique. Fast track him into the start of the Super League Era you are probably looking something similar to Vainkolo.

Best post in the thread.

We need him to be given time to develop.

Quite a few older fans I've spoken to who saw Boston play likened him to Vainikolo - but better obviously.

If the Catalan Lad is the Next Billy Boston , then ex London Winger Mason Caton Brown must be the next Tom van Vollenhoven with his 8 tries in 5 games .


Boston racked up 483
van Vollenhoven 392

most SL top scorers struggle to make it to 20 -30 a season so he's have to keep going to Steve Menzies age . good luck to him

BTW if the next Derek ' Rocky Turner appears , don't tell Shaun Wane ...

Offiah is likely to be the last of the mega try scoring wingers. 200+ is a lot nowadays. The game is so different now - I wonder how many someone like Offiah would get today?

If you put him in the Wigan side today he would still score a lot of tries but his opportunities would be less, his centre and half back today would be less creative to give him that second of extra space.

Perhaps. But I remember people were saying the same things before Hanley scored 55 in 84/85 season. Players like him, Offiah, Boston and Bevan were freaks. Another will come along but maybe not for a while.

It must have helped playing behind the GB pack.

and scoring 10 in one game

But that was against second rate rubbish.....

...and yet most of those tries came from him backing up all over the field. He may have been quicker than everyone but he could read the game very well. He had the best support play of any winger I've seen.

True, but he also scored a lot of tries burning people on the outside. He was the best I've seen live at taking a gap on the outside and beating full backs for fun. How often do you see wingers getting that kind of ball nowadays? I'd say its not because they can't but more because defences are just better. You don't see wingers get put away on the outside from long distance even in the NRL, and when they do the cover defence is so much better than in Offiah's day.

I'm not saying we couldn't see another big try scorer come through, but 300 is a lot in the modern game - way behind the totals historically.

Think 300 is achievable for a decent winger. Had Josh Charnley spent the rest of his career at Wigan he'd only need another 5/6 years to get to 300 and he's only just 25. But that is the problem, it's rare a top scorer stays at one club in their career these days.

Offiah scored most of his tries with two clubs.

He also showed an aptitude for scoring in the ARL where defences were better. I agree that it would probably be harder for a player like him nowadays but remember he'd also have access to better training facilities and coaching too.

I think if he was that good though he'd be off to union where the really big money is.