Quote FearTheVee="FearTheVee"Had you asked the question last year a lot of Saints fans would have had him in. I just think he's not been quite at his best second half of the season whilst we have others who have really stood up and improved (in the ase of Batchelor and Paasi) or surprised (in the case of Hurrell).
I also think he is starting to fall into the Lomax and Roby bracket that you don't even mention him because he does what he always does. I didn't mention Lomax in out POY discussion (I went Batchelor, Paasi, Hurrell) but when I think about it we would have been absoolutely screwed without Lomax and he's had a very good year including playing a chunk of it busted.'"
In all honesty he isn't in the same bracket as those two. Roby is, quite frankly, one of the best players ever to play Superleague.
I see what your saying in that he quietly goes about his business and does it to good effect on a consistent basis. However, the same could be said of Farrel and, I would argue, the things Farrell does, Knowles couldn't and never will be able to do.
I'm not saying he isn't a good player, but he's in the 'valuable grafter' mould. He's never going to win you games in the way a Roby, Lomax or Welsby can.
In sport, Superstars attract fans. We big up the aforementioned or French or Field for example and when non-rugby league types see them, it's clear as day that they're out if the ordinary. Tell a non-rugby league type that Knowles is 'one of the best players in Superleague ' as has been suggested on numerous occasions and they'll be at a loss as to why.
We do ourselves a disservice as a sport trying to over egg good standard, solid, reliable players into superstars. As I say, I've nothing against him. He's a fine player. But we need to stop the hype.