I've never really understood the hype around Richards.

I'd have Offiah, Robinson, Carney, Dallas all ahead of him as exciting wingers. I'd argue a prime Manfredi and Burgess are better too. Unfortunately Burgess and Manfredi, for different reasons, have never had a good level of consistency.

I think you nailed it with the word ‘exciting’ but I wouldn’t class that to mean they were better. Clearly Offiah and Robinson were better players than Pat Richards and all the others you mention were more exciting to watch but I don’t think any of them were/are better players. I’d have Dallas somewhere close to Richard’s but not Carney, Burgess or Manfredi. Maybe it’s the added impact of Richard’s goal kicking that puts him ahead for me but it’s still a part of the game and it added to him being a better player than those others mentioned. Pat Richards was just so consistently good in all areas of his game.

Wasn't Tomkins the same though? He's a player who gets you out of your seat, takes risks and is probably prone to the odd howler because of the way he played. Richards was steady, didn't make many errors and just went about his business in a professional manner. I know what you're saying but I'd prefer to watch all the other wingers at their best than Richards at his best.

Apologies for the thread drift.

I’d put Tomkins up with Robinson and Offiah in terms of class tbh and as I say, I thought both of those were better players than Richards, so I wouldn’t lump Tomkins in with guys like Carney, Dallas, Burgess etc as he was a far better and more important player for us. I’d have loved to see Sam Tomkins in that Wigan side of the late 80’s and early 90’s. It would’ve been absolute carnage.

I get what you’re saying calling Richards steady but he was far more than that for me. Some of the things he could pull off were far more eye catching than being a solid citizen. Would he make a break like a Carney or Dallas and blitz the full length of the pitch? Not as often for sure but his all round game was superior for me. Solid as a rock defensively, imperious taking the high and low ball, a huge attacking threat in the air at the other end, great hands, made masses of ground from our end and his strike rate was very good. Add in all his kicking abilities and I thought he was a fabulous player.

I can't comment on Offiah or Robinson because I only started watching in 2001, but I'd definitely have Richards ahead of all of the others you mention. So many strings to his bow with his strength, aerial ability, defensive capabilities and the kicking. The only downside I can think of for Richards was his agility - he isn't going to step someone and go the full length like Dallas or Carney might, but he beats those players in so many other areas of the game.

That's all assuming we're talking about the best winger to win games of course, if we are just talking about excitement then it's a different question. Making good metres and finding your front coming out of yardage, making the cross field kick a non-option for the opposition and never being steamrolled by the bigger wingers trying to crash in at the corner aren't eye catching, but Richards did them better than the guys you mention IMO.

Edit - just realised NickyKiss has made pretty much the same points. Promise I wasn't copying!

Impossible question for me considering I have been watching Wigan since 1953 !

I think Dallas was better, an Aussie international and Origin player, speaks volumes

It's all opinions and Dallas was undoubtedly a great winger, but that's a bit of an unfair way to compare them given that Richards was ineligible for origin/international selection for most of his career by playing in SL. Even when he went back to the NRL at 32 years old there were a lot of aussie pundits calling for him to be selected for origin. I don't think there can be any question that he would have been selected if he had been eligible for selection during his prime.

I get what your saying but Dallas played half of his career at Wigan also

Oh yeah if it was a question of who had the better NRL career then Dallas, but I'd take Richards on who had the better overall career and better Wigan career. If it was top trumps, Dallas would win on agility and speed, Richards would win on strength, aerial ability, finishing, defence and kicking. Don't get me wrong, I loved watching Dallas more for entertainment, but I'd be picking Richards in terms of who would do most to help me win a game. Watching Richards score five tries in a game was the only time I actually felt sorry for an opposition player at SL level. Dallas was good but he couldn't dominate a game like that.

Gary Connolly
Tuigamala

How the hell could I forget about those two?

Spoiled to the point of gluttony.

I’ve never seen a player influence a team quite like Hanley, and he managed to stand out in a team full of stars, I feel so lucky to have witnessed those great Wigan teams from that period.

Tomkins was undoubtedly very good but you won’t find him commanding the same respect as Hanley still does both here and in Australia.

My Top 3 in my time of watching

1) Lockers

2) Hanley

3) Andy Greg

Sam would just make the top ten.

Lockers number 1?? Dont think hed make my top 10

Fair enough it's your opinion and i respect that.

My response--

How many pots has Lockers lifted as Wigan Captain in the last decade, widely regarded in Aus by the ockers as one of the best players in the world at the peak of his career.

England and Great Britain Captain for numerous years.

History will reflect very well on Lockers time as a Wigan player, one the greatest of all time without doubt.