Brett Kenny. But for me Barrett played in a terrible Wigan team and at times won the game nearly single handedly for us. His passing was first class, his running was superb and his defence was better than any other 6 we've had at the club.


Barrett was a top quality player but was not in the same class as Kenny IMO

Was that the match when Barrie Mac tried to make the Aussie second row Paul Sironin go from 6ft 4" to 5ft 8"" in one mighty blow.

My best 13 covers a lot of years, going back almost 60 years, with a lot of changes in fitness and rule changes.

No 1 Radlinsky even though Tomkins seems to be the way for modern fullbacks.
No 2 Billy Boston without a doubt.
No 3 Eric Ashton, just because of the partnership he had with Billy.
No 4 Alan Davis was pure class (even though he might have been better when at Oldham). Gene Miles was sensational in his season at Wigan, even though in the first half of that season he was always injured.
No 5 Offiah even though it is debatable if he could have put up with the stick that Mick Sullivan took (and dished out with interest) in an earlier era.
No 6 Edwards for the length of career and partnership with Greg, but once again the best for one season has to be Brett Kenny, so quick, laid back and arrogant.
No 7 Andy Gregory (the original Tasmanian Devil) utterly fearless, a great football brain and a great partner for Edwards.
No 8 Andy Platt, I have chosen Platt at 8 because when he played the days of speciality 8s and 10s was on its way out.
No 9 Martin Dermott because he was probably one of the first of the modern day hookers, you don't have to bother about getting he ball out of the scrum. Just distribute the ball and tackle, which he could do.
No 10 The one and only Brian McTigue , a forward who could have played in any era.
No 11 Andy Farrell, this one is hard, Dennis Betts and Dave Robinson run him close.
No 12 Bill Ashurst, the complete second row who was as tough as nails with the ball playing skills at times of an halfback.
No 13 Ellery Hanley, if only for the utter commitment he put into the game (even though he could be selfish at times).
Doug Laughton would run him close when you consider the partnership he had with Robinson and Ashurst.

It is not really fair to compare players over such a length of time, that is why it is always debatable.

Players who absolutely have to be in a 'Greatest 13'; Jim Sullivan, Billy Boston, Eric Ashton, Shaun Edwards, Ellery Hanley & Andy Farrell

The rest are all subjective, but those 6 players are the absolute best in their given position that Wigan have ever had.

I would have Ashurst over Farrell, no criticism of Andy but Bill was the real deal.

Appreciate what your sayin but i would only ever put players in a best ever 13 if i had seen them play. So for me out of the 6 players mentioned only Edwards Farrell and Hanley would make the team.

I'm a big critic of the state of SL, but even though the quality has dipped you cannot get away from the fact that the competition has a superstar in Tomkins. He is the best player of the SL era. I suspect Radders would be a bit embarrassed by being ranked ahead of Sam. Radders was a special player, one of the best British players of his era and a fantastic servant of the club, but players as gifted as Tomkins come along once every 20 or 30 years. Sam must be in the side.

Other must haves (from players I have seen) are:

Miles and Offiah - The best centre/wing combination I've ever seen. Miles strength and offloading skills, his ability to draw tacklers and create space meant he was perfect for Offiah. if they were playing in SL today they'd be scoring tries for fun still, despite modern defences.

Robinson - freakishly gifted. Always seemed to pull out a great performance in the big matches, a true match winner.

Farrell - only a rung down from Hanley and Tomkins on the talent ladder. One of the greats of modern RL.

Hanley - the greatest British player of his generation.

Was over in ausstralia in 2008 during the world cup and was chattin to some cronulla fans in a bar in sydney just after barrett had signed for them, even though they was made up that he had signed for them , they said you can,t mention barrett in the same sentence as brett kenny.

Fairbairn
Boston
Ashton
Miles
Offiah
Edwards
Gregory
Gray
Newton
McTigue
Farrell
Ashurst
Hanley

Immense team.

I agree with what you say about Tomkins maybe being the best player in the S/L era but that does not make him the best fullback. Tomkins is a brilliant open field runner from far out who plays like an halfback at times, but for doing the main job of a fullback by being the last line in defence as well as being 100% bomb proof under the high ball Radlinski was better.

As a professional Edwards is the best there is but as an out an out player I'd have Gregory, Kenny, Lam and Barratt ahead of him in the halves. If Gregory had have had Edwards level of professionalism he would have been the best player in the world, in my opinion of course.

Good observation that, most if not all players like to be out socialising, but with Gregory and to an extent Gary Connolley the drink took over. The pattern I'm seeing with all the selections are that all these players were big game players, yes they all had bad games here and there, but if they were to play at Wembley tomorrow they would all play at their top levels and wouldnt accept anything but a victory.

While most of us can see that Sam is an exceptional player, and will probably become a great player (maybe not with us unfortunately) it is only now he is coming into his prime.

How many trophies has he won, and how many caps has he accrued ?

Some are equating Sam with Radders. I have to say as good as ST is, Radders was the better full back. Rads could hammer forwards into touch. He started off a spindly player IIRC on the wing, and built himself up physically to be a very powerful player with great speed.

Plus radders won the Lance Todd trophy when coming back from injury and playing with an injured foot. It's episodes like that, that capture the fans memories and makes players into heroes.

Sam hasn't yet done that.

He has the potential to be named with the Bostons,Edwards, Gregorys and so on. Will he realise that potential ?

The biggest stage in Rugby League awaits him tomorrow.

Tomkins has won a Grand Final and a Challenge Cup and played vital roles in both. I'd say Radlinski is the better all round full back but Tomkins the better player. Tomkins can win a game on his own for us the way no other SL era Wigan player could, he's already a great player, and I expect him to become world-class in the NRL. I'd love to see what he could have done behind the pack we had in '01 either at full back or playing stand off next to Adrian Lam

I disagree I think Radders should be full back 100%

I disagree I think Radders should be full back 100%

Trophies do not a great player make.

I refer you to Ricky Bibey.

Though Sam has got the MoS....

As for caps, he's already got a few of those.

Sam may go on to do many great things in Oz, but he is already a great player. He is so much better than the other players in SL that if I'm wrong and Sam isn't a great player then things in SL are even more worrying than I feared.

Are you mad? A team without Boston?! You must be too far up Ged's ladders to see the mistake in the team you've made

As I have already mentioned previously, no doubt Boston was a great player but I am too young to have seen him play!!

They do when referring to players like Edwards and Gregory.

If there was a tackle needing to be made by a full back then Radlinski would be the only full back that I would want making it.

However, in attack Sam is without a shadow of a doubt the most gifted and entertaining full back that I have ever seen in a Wigan shirt.

For that reason he has to be in.

Not really.


Edwards was a talent, but in the right place, right time? Never did cut it Internationally, but was that his fault? Jury is out.

Gregory.....interesting but wouldn't make the reserves today. Far too unfit.

Fantastic player though and I for one am glad that I saw him play. Overall out of the two I would have Edwards in my team for his professionalism and determination.

Kenny has to be the most complete 6 to play for us. Anyone who can seriously talked about in comparison to Wally Lewis has to be up there.

Dean Bell would be one of the first names on the team sheet. Individual talent notwithstanding, the guy was a legend. My probable captain.

So that leaves 1 centre spot. Who to pick? Miles? Connoly? Renouf? Inga? Very difficult, almost impossible.

Wingers have to be Offiah and Robinson. Never saw Boston but he would probably not be able to live with the pace of Offiah, nor have the ability to hit the gaps like Robinson. I'm sure he had other qualities....


So that leaves us with

Sam
Robinson
Bell
?
Offiah
Edwards
Kenny


Forwards? Again very difficult as we have had a lot.

Platt would have to be there for his consistency and applicaiton
Hooker? The heart rembers Dermott but the head may choose McCormack
Then choose one from many

Farrell would be a second row as would Goodway, leaving Hanley as 13.

Seems to be the one thing that everyone is agreeing with.

how can you put edwards at 6 before brett kenny ludicrous... and john ferguson has to be on the wing my 13 would be

1. kris radlinski
2. john ferguson
3. gene miles
4. dean bell
5. billy boston
6. brett kenny
7. andy gregory
8. andy platt
9. nicky kiss
10. greg dowling
11. andy goodway
12. andy farrell
12. ellery hanley

subs

1. sam tomkins
2. sean o`loughlin
3. brian mctigue
4. sean edwards

brett kenny won wigan loads of matches single handedly... without him on the field at wembley in 85 we would have lost....
so gifted could read an opposing teams play like a book......
brilliant brilliant player i would even say better than wally lewis.....

i still think that even now there is no one who could touch him at stand off....

if you could take the kenny we had who was in his prime and play him today he would still bamboozle defences.....

I love these threads, allows me to reminisce about the "good old days"



So my team based on what I've seen from the early 80's onwards

1. Tomkins - perhaps not the best defensively, but such an exciting talent.
2. Robinson - an elusive runner.
3. Bell - hard as nails, and Mr Consistent.
4. Miles - only here for a season, and perhaps past his prime, but linked well with .....
5. Offiah - a deadly finisher, a try scoring machine.
6. Kenny - the supreme footballer.
7. Gregory - not the most dedicated, but a great playmaker and the ultimate "big game" player.
8. Skerrett - mean and nasty, would make the hard yards.
9. Dermott - the first of the modern hookers, great handling skills.
10. Platt - great hands for such a big man.
11. Goodway - vastly underrated, could do it all.
12. Farrell - another big man with great ball playing ability, and someone has to take the kicks.
13. Hanley(capt) - the best British player that I've seen.

Subs
14. Lydon - unlucky to miss out on the first XIII, could cover Full Back, Wing and Centre.
15. Edwards - covering the half backs, the ultimate professional.
16. Betts - football's loss was rugby league's gain.
17. West - a giant of a man, both on and off the field.