Brent Grose was a half decent winger. Applying legend status about sums up the modern fan.

You view players differently as you get older. When you are a kid or a teenager, players seem like heroes. A 13 year old would watch Brian Johnson slicing through defenders in a state of awe which would probably stay with him for the rest of his life. When he's 39 and watching Brett Hodgson he will feel respect and might objectively think the two were the same calibre of player but he's unlikely to be awe struck with hero worship and will probably always favour Johnno in this kind of discussion especially on a forum where it's going to start people reminiscing about past players, it's going to be more fun talking about Johnson memories with other fans of the same era than talking about Hodgson with teenagers.

You see this when Man City fans are picking their all time legends team and they try desperately to find space on the bench for the likes of Paul Lake, Kinkladze and Goater.

Fair point. Of course the advantage that older fans is that they will have seen both Johnson AND Hodgson. Even older, Hesford and Whitehead too. In any case Grose was not even the best winger post 2002. That would be Hicks.

But when you are asking people by twitter to vote, you are inadvertently applying a recency skew.

...and Hicks isn’t in the wingers poll - it’s Monaghan from the modern era. Can’t fault his try scoring ratio.

Four out of ten fans who have voted so far have NOT chosen Brian Bevan.

He is the ONLY player to have played for us about whom there can be no argument re legend status.

There's still people around who would have seen Bevan play, albeit for most it would have been watching the live game, no TV replays or pundits questioning his defence or ability to field a high ball or whatever the critics would say. Yes, his record is amazing, 740 tries from 620 apps, but for some he's just a legend because other people have told them he is.

Probably the same people though who were not old enough to see Jack Fish score 215 tries and 262 goals in his 321 apps from 1898-1911, which makes him perhaps a legend too, just not as current as Bevan.

So Bevan gets the nod over Fish, whilst for people who have only say watched the game for the last 30 or less years, is their opinion of "legends" they have actually watched and judged really any less valid, regardless of whether its Hicks, Grose, Monaghan ?

They are making an informed personal choice based on what they've actually seen.

It will always be the fallibility of this sort of poll, yet regardless of the names that end up in the Legends XIII if just a few more people learn, and understand, not only about the past greats, but also appreciate those players fans now see as their modern favorites, then the debate can only be a good thing from all sides.

To have the world record holder for tries scored, for him to have played for us for pretty much all of his career and not to classify him as a legend would be perverse, whether you’ve seen him or not.

I never saw Pele play but he’s obviously a legend.

Or Don Bradman.

The best ever have to be legends, surely...

And Bevan is best try scorer ever.

Should I add a debating point that players from different generations were often paying a fundamentally different form of rugby league (or football, or cricket), with different rules and different social circumstances (e.g. full time workers playing at weekends etc compared to full time professional players, and all that comes in between, and often a mix of the two).

Sure, let's not forget these long standing legends, but just to always include them without consideration of other players, and other people's points of view, is just lazy.

Yeah, I don’t disagree. Just take the last 40 years in cricket and England all rounders. Are all three of the following legends? Botham, Flintoff, Stokes... and if so, how do they compare to the legends of yesteryear, e.g. Sir Garfield Sobers?

Couldn't be ar5ed about clicking on it, as the outcome will be top heavy with recent players (not a whinge, just an observation) .

I remember reading something about these polls. The voting demographic always seems to be hugely weighted to the under 25's, hence relatively new things always seem to win/complete the majority of the top 10

Top 100
Films
Footballers
Movie Stars
Groups/pop stars
Celebrity chefs
Children's TV shows
For examples

Oooooooh now we're talking. Let me see, top 3.

Films - The Empire Strikes Back, Billy Liar, My Fair Lady
Footballers - Bryan Robson, Paolo Rossi, Ryan Giggs
Movie Stars - Audrey Hepburn, Tom Courtenay, Russel Crowe
Groups/pop stars - The Smiths, The Clash, The Detroit Cobras
Celebrity chefs - Nigella Lawson, Nigella Lawson, Nigella Lawson
Children's TV shows - Tiswas (Sally James mainly), Banana Splits, The Tweenies

Films - Life of Brian, Jaws, Gladiator
Footballers - Bob Latchford, Maradonna, Francesco Totti
Movie Stars - Roy Scheider, Rodert de Niro, Scarlett Johansson
Groups/pop stars - Motorhead, Venom, Twisted Sister
Celebrity chefs - Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall , Nigella Lawson, Rick Stein
Children's TV shows - Tiswas (Sally James mainly), Banana Splits, Wacky Races

Films - Goodfellas, Star Wars, Raging Bull
Footballers - Paolo Maldini, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Ruud Gullit
Movie Stars - Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Bradley Cooper
Groups/pop stars - The Small Faces, The Who, The Smiths
Celebrity chefs - Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsey, Simon Rimmer
Children's TV shows - MASK, Thundercats, He-Man

oohhh, this is fun

Films - Yellowbeard, Apocalypse now, Predator
Footballers - Maradona, Duncan Ferguson, Redondo
Movie Stars - Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken..... i think thats it
Groups/pop stars - At The Drive In, Brand New, Megadeth
Celebrity chefs - you what?
Children's TV shows - I hate them all equally, but there is a special place in Hell for Mr Tumble and Paw Patrol

Films... 12 angry men, Chinatown, Jurassic park
Footballers... Zidane, Ronaldo (original/fat), Tugay
Movie Stars... Audrey Hepburn, Jack Nicholson, Susan sarandon
Groups/pop stars... Godspeed You! Black emperor, Leonard Cohen, rage against the machine
Celebrity chefs... Nigel Slater, Rachael khoo, huge furry whatshisname
Children's TV shows... Mask, knightmare, pirates of dark water

Do enjoy a list.

"Legends"
1. Johnson
2. B Bevan
3. Challinor
4. Cullen
5. J Bevan
6. Helme
7. Gordon
8. Boyd
9. M Monaghan
10. Chisnall
11. Roberts
12. Eccles
13. M Gregory

Other stuff:
Films; Return of the King, Apocalypse Now, Twelve Monkeys
Footballers; Hoddle, Best, Ardiles
Movie Stars; Ollie Reed, Allen, Wayne
Pop Groups/Stars; Guthrie, Dylan, Hackett
Chefs; Delia (where R U) Smith, Jamie (pucka) Oliver, Keith Floyd
Kids TV; Mary, Mungo and Midge, Trumpton, Bod