You pick an interesting 3 there Stu. Barba had his drugs and wife beating problems, Lyon couldn't at that time handle the pressure of being an NRL star, particularly from the media side of things and Hastings had blown a couple of chances, latterly through his fight with DCE. I doubt Superleague would have seen any of those players had it not been for 'personal problems' so to speak. Sad that we can't attract that standard of player without situations like those being in play but, as you say, that's the reality of our comparitively low cap.

Lyon is a real outlier on that one, as the league attracted plenty of good players during his time with Saints. I agree tho, that in modern times - it's more slim pickings and the traffic now goes to the NRL.

We did but the Aussies made it clear they wouldn’t pick players who moved here (full time) and that stoped most absolute prime Aussies coming here. We’d get first choice Kiwi international players coming but I’m struggling to think of many first choice Aussies. Lyon would’ve been that but had walked away from the game for a spell and had it not been for that, I don’t think we’d have seen him in this country. Even if he did play for Saints, what a player that guy was. An absolute pleasure to watch and pretty much everything I think of when somebody asks what an ideal centre looks like.

Yeah that's true, it was more lads towards the end of their careers. Guys like Gidley (who himself was a quality player), Trent or mostly NZ lads like you said. It's also difficult to judge the quality, as I do believe Richards could have made the Aus squad had he not moved over here. I know when he went back there were calls for him to play for NSW. If he'd have gone back in 2010 (his MOS season) he could have done it. Ultimately we'll never know tho.

The criteria for being world class doesn't have to mean "you've done it in the NRL".Makinson being a prime example.

Makinson is an excellent and complete winger but I wouldn’t put him as world class when you have people like Addo-Carr and To’o running around who are (IMO) clearly a level above.

There is nobody clearly a level above Walmsley - he’s up there with the freakish props of the game.

I agree as do other posters,but you have to perform at the highest level ie against Aussie/Kiwi teams at least as Makinson has and Bateman etc.

You could pick a championship player and say he is world class but he will not have played against Super league players If you get my drift.

Walmsley is a great player and I for one would love to see him do the same in the world cup as he does against Superleague opposition.

But he is a golden boot winner and did it against the Kiwis,surely thatt makes him world class.

It’s a fair question with Makinson. I hated the fact clowns like Brad Fittler stuck the knife in to his Golden Boot award because he deserved it. He was absolutely brilliant that season and in that series against the Kiwis. He’s still playing extremely well but probably not quite to that level.

I said the other day that if there are two starters in a position, then I would probably say world class is a top 10 player in that position. Is Makinson that? He probably is just about as things stand. There are clearly some wingers better than him but another 10+? I’m not sure. I know there are some wingers really on the rise in the NRL, like Saab, Coates, Young etc and Makinson is probably ‘just’ past the peak of his career but I’d have him in the conversation based on my definition. It all comes back to what is world class though? Everybody has different opinions.

He’s a Wiganer, so there’s every chance

As you say, it’s subjective. There isn’t a definition for it and unless there is people will never agree.

I don’t think being a top 10 player in a position like wing, when there are two of them, I’d pushing ‘world class’ too far but you do and that’s fair enough. If we’re just saying world class is being good enough to stake a claim for a world 13 (for example) then no way Makinson makes it and dare I say it, but Walmsley doesn’t either (or Bateman).

Just as an aside, there is no one that moves off the mark or takes exception to being tackled as much as Marshall.

Every time he gets up he looks incredulously at the ref as though he can’t believe someone has had the audacity to tackle him. He’s done that for a while too, trying to milk a penalty every ptb.

He’s far worse than Walmsley.

Yes, there's someone far worse than both of them and that's Jake Connor.

Now it must have been difficult knowing he was the 4th best FB on the field, but on every tackle and on every play he's got something to say to the ref.

He obviously milked the pen from Partington, he was moaning to the ref when his flick pass didn't come off (probably cost Hull the game with it) and also tried to claim the DG didn't go over. Worst for me tho, was him trying to get Partington sent off following a weak high tackle. He's signalling 3 (as in how many times OP had been penalised) and gesturing for a card.

I hope Wane saw all of that tonight and leaves Connor sat at home on his couch watching the WC.

Well that excludes Bateman as being world class then.

And Walmsley as he’s behind-

Haas
Fisher-Harris
Campbell-Gillard
Saifiti

He’s top 10 but no way top 2-3 in the world.

It’s all about definitions of world class.