I wouldn't if they decided it was to be Alex Murphy. Murphy is a legend indeed. But who was his mentor ?

A certain Jim Sullivan no less !

There's a huge myth than Wigan were the only full-time professional team during our dominant years. All the tops teams had a number of full-time players, to such an extent that Leeds went fully full-time professional a number of months before Wigan did. I can't remember the exact date but Rogues can fill us in, and it's much later than people remember, maybe even 1993/94.

Quote: jdrocket "then we're both happy. I don't get why Hanley and Murphy are these 'great ambassadors of the sport' and Edwards is not. Maybe Rogues can tell us what Alex Murphy was like as a player, was he the Gary Lineker of rugby league, reknowned for his fair play, sportsmanship and commitment to observing the rules of the game? All I know of Murphy is the stuff he spouts since he's retired and he's a bit like Schoey....not that I begrudge either of them their opinions as they have earned them. As for Hanley I gather your opposition to Edwards is that he has committed the crime of coaching in rugby union. Maybe you could read this articles and report back on Hanley as an ambassador for rugby league: news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/1385927.stm

Quote: jdrocket "then we're both happy. I don't get why Hanley and Murphy are these 'great ambassadors of the sport' and Edwards is not. Maybe Rogues can tell us what Alex Murphy was like as a player, was he the Gary Lineker of rugby league, reknowned for his fair play, sportsmanship and commitment to observing the rules of the game? All I know of Murphy is the stuff he spouts since he's retired and he's a bit like Schoey....not that I begrudge either of them their opinions as they have earned them. As for Hanley I gather your opposition to Edwards is that he has committed the crime of coaching in rugby union. Maybe you could read this articles and report back on Hanley as an ambassador for rugby league: news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/1385927.stm

Whats that got to do with it.....?

or have i missed The Statue of Tony Adams on my last two visits....

unfortunately for all but one of Edwards Finals I watched as Neutral... and in my opinion Edwards never once stamped his image on any of those games... it was either Andy Gregory, Ellery Hanley, Martin Offiah, Or Kevin Iro...

and for Wigans most Famous Win in 1985 my abiding memory is Henderson Gills Tremendous try and Brett Kenny Being quite a tremendous Footballer.

I would Imagine you went to all of those Edwards Final...did he in your opinion take any of them by the scruff of the Neck can any be called the "edwards final" for example...

NO HE WAS A WINE IMPORTER EXPORTER, STILL IS! warrington only had one full time pro during that era... mike gregory, even jiffy had a job!

Some opposition fans keep decrying that 'why can't you choose someone who isn't a Wigan player?', I see that as kind of ironic, seeing as they're just as biased against it being a Wigan player as they are accusing those Wigan fans.

Some people just need to accept that most of the RL greats have a Wigan connection (there are exceptions, obviously, that's why I said most, not all).

I haven't seen many non Wigan players suggested.?

Other clubs fans seem to be in agreement it should be Hanley, what with him being the best British player most people have ever seen.
But Hanley has links with leeds Bradford and Saints and Wigan fans won't like that, whereas Edwards can be claimed to be a true Wigan boy that you can claim as your own, ( he hardly played for bradford and only played for London Broncos for family reasons.)


I still stand by commemorating Don Fox but after that its got to be Hanley. Edwards never won a Lance Todd trophy even Lee Briers has one of them..

As I stated above appearances shouldn't count for anything unless you are all willing to back a Superleague statue for Leon Pryce....?

The main thing must be the cup itself. I dont know who it was but why not a statue of the first Wembley winning captain lifting the famous old trophy aloft?

---Edit---

It was John B. Goodall of Batley.

Steve Ganson !

Hanley.

End of.

Sally, I haven't read the article. I'm on my blackberry in the library. However, I will try to explain why I don't think the current welsh defense coach and current wasps coach shouldn't have a statue to commemorate rugby league.

Firstly, he is a fixture in union; has been for a while and will most likely continue to be. He will only become nore well known in rugby union. Take hanley, I assume you were reffering to his passing interaction with coaching (I think) in union. He is a retired player famous for, in order, wigan, rugby league, ice skating and rugby union. I know you can sometimes be ficisious but you must understand a person mmore famous for the other code, regardless of acheoivements, is not a wise choice.

In another post, I said that I judged the statue on rugby league and GB. There are are a host of reasons why it shouldn't be shaun edwards (paramount of which would be being sent off for GB at wembley+ automatic exclusion in my eyes) and I agree wit others, what was shaun edwards best performance at wembley? I'd love to know! Do we put him in cause he was a fixture throught the eight in a row? In which case why not have the dvd cover of the invincibles (edwards holding the cup) with the words '43 unbeaten' undefneath?

To summize, people with a passing affiliation with union (boston, sullivan, hanley etc) are okay. I would say jiffy is borderline as he is in both camps but did a wonder try for GB (seems to be enough for gill and offiah- except they're for wigan) but edwards is no longer, in any way a part of league and is vastly more famous as a wasps coach.

The first Wembley winning captain was Jim Sullivan of Wigan in 1929 - we beat Dewsbury.

The first try was scored by Syd Abram from Hindley.

A statue of Hanley or Sullivan for me!

Why is involvement in union being made out to be like kiddie fiddling or something?

Edwards was a great player in rugby league who won the respect of everyone in the game, what he wants to do in his retirement from the game is his own business. I suspect that this union connection is just being used as an excuse by people that didn't like him even when he was a player because he played for a successful Wigan side.

To say he was 'vastly more famous' as a Wasps coach than as a rugby league player is stretching it a bit. I would expect if you asked the average RU fan who is Shaun Edwards they would say "he's the former rugby league player who now coaches in union at Wasps and Wales" but if you actually asked them what his specific role is and what he's done in union then they would not be exactly sure how to answer it. I would say if you follow football, the equivalent to Shaun Edwards would be Steve Clarke who is now assistant at Liverpool. There is a general consensus that Steve Clarke is a good coach and he was rated highly by good managers like Mourinho and Dalglish, but he's never been the head man on his own and so he's always seen as a behind the scenes man.

In union Edwards is basically Warren Gatland's right hand man. Edwards was Wasps backs coach when Gatland was head coach from 2002-2005 and won three Premierships in a row, then after he left Ian McGeechan took over as Director of Rugby and now its Dai Young (the ex Saints player), with Edwards as first team coach, so the Director does the signings of players, deals with the media etc, Edwards just stays out of the limelight with the players. Edwards has been allowed to divide his time by doing that and being an assistant to Gatland at national level since Gatland has been in charge of Wales.

Also Edwards is not exactly the favourite person at the RFU either, just after his first season on the Wales staff when they won the Grand Slam, the RFU made Edwards an offer to join the England set up and he wasn't happy with what they were offering and turned them down flat. Given that I watch a bit of RU and would like England to do well, I would rather the RFU let Edwards come in and sort out the England team but I don't know if he's really one to fit in with their establishment. I know we whinge about the RFL being disorganised, but the RFU is like the FA, a bunch of middle class well off businessmen that aren't that bothered about mediocrity as long as they keep their jobs for the boys traditions. Edwards isn't a good fit for that.

Overall though I think you'd be surprised at how Edwards profile in union is quite low and he's still more known as the 'ex rugby league great'.