ME!

Possibly when you was at Leigh...

between lockyer and lewis for me closely followed by hanley..but i do agree its a shame age creeps up on us and the show must come to an end....lockyer will go down as a legend

I'm going to be controversial here. Not disputing that Lockyer was a great player but I think some of the tributes that have been coming in this tournament in the build up to Lockyer's retirement have been over the top. Somebody (I think it was Ian Millward) said in Australia he has the status of Don Bradman - I seriously doubt that - and there has been all this debate recently about is Lockyer the greatest player ever. I think he's great but greatest player ever, no. I reckon the reason people are talking about him in these terms is because he is the last of a generation of the true icons of the game, to have retired. His peers were Fittler, Langer, Daley, Stuart and Johns and he's the last of that class to retire. If I had to rank them in order it would be Johns, Fittler, Langer, Lockyer, Daley, Stuart.

For me the greatest player ever though is Hanley who shades Johns.

Better than Sterling, Lewis, Kenny, Grothe?

Unfortunately, pre us Northern Hemisphere people getting Sky's Aussie RL coverage (and not Micron's video tapes showing one game a week in pubs), we never REALLY got to see just how good the likes of Lewis, Sterling, Kenny, Fittler, Daley, and to some extent, the early days of Johns and Lockyer's careers. We just have to take the Aussie media's word for it, on how good they were. We as Brits simply didn't have enough exposure to their careers. PITY.

For a Brit, I'd have to say Hanley, and it wouldn't even be a close thing. He was AWESOME.

Anyway, all names mentioned are only from the late 70's onwards.

Brett Kenny is the best standoff I've ever seen. Lewis was a brilliant player but Kenny had the advantage of pace although Lewis had a better kicking game.

I was talking to a few Aussie fans at the game last night, strangely the NSW fans agreed and the Queensland fans preferred Lewis.

I'd have to throw Fulton into the mix as well. He was only 20 when he played at Warrington, but even then he was absolutely electric. To say Lockyer is the best ever player and to only compare him to players in the last 30 years is ridiculous though. I never saw Brian Bevan, but by all accounts he was unbelievable. I saw Boston at the back end of his career and he was still pretty good then. Alex Murphy wasn't too bad either.

Wally Lewis or Brian Bevan not that I have seen Bevan play but the stories speak for themselves !
does it have to be a back What about Moz or Boyd

Boston & Murphy were the best two I have ever seen as they both had the ability to be brilliant players in different positions and both played in three different positions in major finals. Brian Bevan was a fantastic winger as his try scoring record shows, but Murphy and Boston were better rugby players.

Rogues, I know that Murphy played 3, 6, and 7, but I didn't know Boston had played elsewhere than wing (apart from a couple of games in the Blackpool second row). Can I presume he played fullback, right wing, and centre?

agree 100% with this, yes he has been a tremendous player...but the best ever?

i think its a case of bigging up the current generation.... If you would offer me lockyer or hanley in their prime... i would go for hanley everytime.

Obviously wing, but he played centre in the 1958 Challenge Cup final, and the 1960 Championship final, he also played stand off in the 1957 Lancashire Cup final.

Some player.

Martin Offiah was a fantastic winger as his try scoring record shows, but Botica and Richards were better rugby players.....

anyway watch Brian Bevan smash his opposite Winger Dai Bevan around 24 seconds into this clip.... had it all did Big Bev....
rlhttp://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id