Please define easily.

he had the ability to run around him when he had ball in hand and Preston didnt, you must have seen the clip when Preston offers him the outside and he gets skinned...twice.

Dont watch the NRL so have been interested to see this guy play. Very fast, great kick returns but his defence has been woeful at times, seems Barba-esque in his reluctance to bend his back and try to stop a runner

It’s what frustrates me about a section of English fans so much tbh.It’s not that he’s not been impressive in some facets of the game but when it’s an NRL player they seem determined to focus on the positives, yet if an English player came up with the couple of horror shows DWZ has in conceding match defining try’s they’d be crucified by the same people.

It’s club rivalries I suppose and fans wanting to bag players from other clubs.

FWIW I agree Offiah was faster but not “easily”. Also, how did Preston offer Offiah the outside when both played number 5?

he was marking him the game. Look at Offiahs highlights on youtube will see it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoNvtBy ... dneswidnes 2:50 in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoNvtBy ... dneswidnes 2:50 in

Agreed, don't know how old they were at this stage, but Preston (hadn't heard of him before today) looks quicker there.

They were similar ages
Offiah came into Rugby league about 87 and Preston a year or so later.
Check out 1990 CC Final to see Preston

Asking which player quicker is subjective - Just like Athletics sprinters suffer from Form, injuries, like different surfaces or affected less/more by those surfaces.

I Always thought Offiah was as quick as anyone out there, but there were plenty who would have fancied their chances.
Mark Forster at Warrington was real quick over 80/90mtrs
Widnes signed Brimah Kebbie who again was real quick
Drummond was past his peak speed wise around this time but in the early 80's he was a Flier.

However

Around 1990 someone said to me this and I has stayed with this opinion since.

Offiah was the Quickest, most elusive winger I've seen.

And that's the difference, others had similar speed, they just couldn't BEAT A MAN, like he could.
He just had that knack of going round someone whether it be on a 60/70 yard run and then taking on a fullback or winger, or, taking the ball 20 yards from the line and beating his opponent with hardly any room to play with.
Some see the second as lightning speed but it was as much elusiveness.
Look at his 10 tries - There's a couple in the first half were he doesn't go 70/80 yards - He goes 15/20 but beats the opposition winger with hardly any room with ease.

He also had the knack of being in the right place, right time and being half a yard quicker in the head to be onto a ball before anyone else.
Couple that with elusiveness and awesome pace and you had one hell of a player.

Mark Preston had Similar Pace - He just wasn't as good at the other 3 IMO

Agreed about Offiah, Preston was very quick in a straight line but didn't have that x factor that Offiah did. There have been many other wingers who were very quick in a sprint but lacked that extra.

Jason Robinson was probably the quickest and most elusive player I recall seeing over 20-30 yards - his explosive pace was incredible but he couldn't sustain it like Offiah could over a longer distance.

Les Quirk was very quick but if you watch Offiah esp at Widnes he seems to be always looking over his shoulder also never in total full flight. The CC final when he took on Tait was one of the times you saw him really go for it. He was quicker at Widnes for me as Wigan bulked him up a bit. Preston was my favorite player for Wigan at the time as I was a kid and always loved pace but even I had to admit who was the fastest. Its why I never took to David Myers as I thought at the time he took Prestons spot.

I liked Preston was quick in open space but like others have said Offiah just had that bit extra and could weave in and out and beat people on the outside and made it look so easy as of Myers R.I.P he was a good winger but never really got the chance after we signed his mate Offiah

It was always my worry when Offiah was at Widnes we would play them at Wembley and Offiah would kill us with his pace. i thought he was at his quickest when at Widnes

Offiahs raw speed was a bit over rated IMO. Yes he was very fast but it was how he could swerve around players whilst maintaining full speed that made him such a deadly finisher.

Both Andrew Ettinghausen (spelling?) and Kevin Iro ran him down multiple times in International games.

Mark Preston was rapid but didnt have that swerve that Offiah had.

My original post was that the Kiwi fullback is faster and i maintain that. I have never seen anybody cover ground as quickly as he did returning the ball last week.