What he said

Exactly, pace is overrated.

Most tries are not length of the field tries, even from the fastest wingers. A top winger is one that can finish off moves, can beat players in the air for kicks, can round and step defenders from 5 to 15 yards out, is too strong to get knocked in to touch and unless a chasing tackler can get the tackle spot on, will have the strength to push them away en route to the line.

A top winger is also one that runs the ball up in his own half so he takes the pressure off his forwards and lets them have a breather. He's strong enough and fit enough to make yards from dummy half and run into a wall of opposition forwards repeatedly without getting bashed up, dragged in to touch or spilling the ball.

And a top winger is one that doesn't make the opposition halfbacks light up with excitement that they have a target that will be an easy source of tries if they bomb it and put enough pressure on.

I'll have a player like that any day ahead of a guy with pace, if he can't do those things above.

Keep your Nicky Royle, Kevin Penny, Graham Appo, Richie Barnett, Craig Calvert, Leroy Rivett, I will have Monaghan or Fa'afili over them any day of the week.

Notice that the top sides don't use those flaky speedsters. They might get a winger with genuine pace sometimes, but they can always do those things above...like Brett Dallas, Scott Donald or Darren Albert.

I'm not sure where all this talk of Chris Hicks being really fast comes from. I'd like to be corrected, because I really liked Hicks, but I can't recall him scoring any blistering tries when playing for us.

Fa'afili, brave choice, I thought he was good, some people not so much though.

Never rated him, but I always say a winger is only as good as his centre. Fa'afili played inside of an international class Gleeson at the time hence his try scoring record.

Bevan outide Challinor
Hicks/Joel outside Bridge.

Atkins and.....well the centre needs to be able pass too!

Hicks was allegedly clocked at 10.88 seconds for the 100 metres.