Best Wigan fullback of the modern era

[ancientnloyal]

*yawn*

jim sullivan obviously.

[cpwigan]

He might be the best offensive FB we've had in the modern era but no way is he the best defensive FB. In my view you'd be better off asking who would you prefer at FB, Tomkins or Radlinski??

Reads the game better than Rads in defence. Far and away the best Wigan all round FB of the modern era, Sam T

[bazward76]

I think between Sam, Radlinski and Hampson you have the absolute perfect fullback.
There's no doubt Sam is by far the best in attack as he has the most speed, agility and vision. The bloke just oozes confidence in his own ability and will do things 99% of players only wish they could do

Radlinski was good in attack but more of a support player but his defence was far superior to that of Sam's. Defensively I reckon he was by far the best.

In Hampson although not as good with ball in hand as the other two or as good in defence as Kris I don't recall ever seeing a player with the positioning play or the ability to take a high ball like him. No matter where the opposition kicked it he seemed to be right there.

Over the years we have been blessed in that position.

Don't forgot I have'nt even mentioned the legend that is Richie Mathers.

[Dobby]

Sam gets better every week. He is playing unbelievably well at the moment.

I really cant believe people are comparing Radlinski with him. With all respect to Rads they are a completely different calibre of player. Rads was a good honest pro who was fairly good in most areas but as a player was limited and can never be considered a great imo. Tomkins is a superstar who is truely exceptional in many areas and will go down as a legend along the lines of Hanley, Boston et al.

[exile in Tiger country]

Sam gets better every week. He is playing unbelievably well at the moment.

I really cant believe people are comparing Radlinski with him. With all respect to Rads they are a completely different calibre of player. Rads was a good honest pro who was fairly good in most areas but as a player was limited and can never be considered a great imo. Tomkins is a superstar who is truely exceptional in many areas and will go down as a legend along the lines of Hanley, Boston et al.

Surely the bit I have highlighted has to be a joke?
Are you seriously suggesting that Rads at his best was nothing more than a journeyman pro?
Defensively I doubt Sam will ever reach the standards set by Radlinski.

[Dobby]

Sam gets better every week. He is playing unbelievably well at the moment.

I really cant believe people are comparing Radlinski with him. With all respect to Rads they are a completely different calibre of player. Rads was a good honest pro who was fairly good in most areas but as a player was limited and can never be considered a great imo. Tomkins is a superstar who is truely exceptional in many areas and will go down as a legend along the lines of Hanley, Boston et al.

Surely the bit I have highlighted has to be a joke?.

No

Are you seriously suggesting that Rads at his best was nothing more than a journeyman pro?.

I didnt. Please show me where I said journeyman. Dont make things up to try and make an argument up against something that doesnt exist.

Defensively I doubt Sam will ever reach the standards set by Radlinski.

I doubt he will but saying that I doubt Billy Slater will either and I would have him in my team any day of the week before Rads. You could say the same about several Australian full backs as well. As I said Radlinski was fairly good in most areas but exceptional in none. Does that make him a bad player? No it certainly doesnt. He was a good player and a great servant to Wigan but he was certainly no superstar and there have been better Wigan full backs, including our present one and even latterly Roberts was much, much better in attack than Rads ever was.

[cpwigan]

Sam gets better every week. He is playing unbelievably well at the moment.

I really cant believe people are comparing Radlinski with him. With all respect to Rads they are a completely different calibre of player. Rads was a good honest pro who was fairly good in most areas but as a player was limited and can never be considered a great imo. Tomkins is a superstar who is truely exceptional in many areas and will go down as a legend along the lines of Hanley, Boston et al.

Surely the bit I have highlighted has to be a joke?
Are you seriously suggesting that Rads at his best was nothing more than a journeyman pro?
Defensively I doubt Sam will ever reach the standards set by Radlinski.

Old Chestnut but Rads was no super talent. He was a super pro in terms of attitude and bravery etc Likewise, Sam's defence is currently damn good and we often remember others with cherry & white tinted spectacles. I can recall Rads for all his excellent defence being beaten on the outside by a diagonal running hooker at KR.

Rads was a quality professional, Sam T is a special player.

You can put Sam in a group alongside Edwards, Gregory, Hanley whereas Rads is a level below those greats.

[KOOCH]

Fifty four years and counting I have seen some greats who have worn the cherry&white with distinction.But in the FB position none have excited me more than Sam Tomkins.What can this kid not do is the question I would ask.If it was not Sam it would be Hampo for me he jumped higher than a damned gazelle.As previously stated by an earlier poster it is a position we have been blessed in over the years.

[exile in Tiger country]

Sam gets better every week. He is playing unbelievably well at the moment.

I really cant believe people are comparing Radlinski with him. With all respect to Rads they are a completely different calibre of player. Rads was a good honest pro who was fairly good in most areas but as a player was limited and can never be considered a great imo. Tomkins is a superstar who is truely exceptional in many areas and will go down as a legend along the lines of Hanley, Boston et al.

Surely the bit I have highlighted has to be a joke?.

No

Are you seriously suggesting that Rads at his best was nothing more than a journeyman pro?.

I didnt. Please show me where I said journeyman. Dont make things up to try and make an argument up against something that doesnt exist.

Defensively I doubt Sam will ever reach the standards set by Radlinski.

I doubt he will but saying that I doubt Billy Slater will either and I would have him in my team any day of the week before Rads. You could say the same about several Australian full backs as well. As I said Radlinski was fairly good in most areas but exceptional in none. Does that make him a bad player? No it certainly doesnt. He was a good player and a great servant to Wigan but he was certainly no superstar and there have been better Wigan full backs, including our present one and even latterly Roberts was much, much better in attack than Rads ever was.

Surely "fairly good in most areas but exceptional in none." is pretty much a dictionary definition of a journeyman player?
I never suggested that Sam isn't a more exciting player than Rads, just that your description of Rads undersold his massive talent.
Comparing their attacking abilities is like comparing apples and oranges. The role of fullback is massively different now to what it was even a few years ago when Rads was playing. The Fullback now is a far more attacking role that it ever was.
Defensivelythe job is the same, and if I had to pick a player to be last man needing to make a game saving tackle, I would rather have Rads at his peak than Sam now.

[bazward76]

All posts are referring to Sam, Rads and Hampo who on their day were and are fantastic fullbacks but I for one have forgotten another great fullback from not that long ago, Gary Connolly!
Although he played alot of his games at centre he originally started off as a fullback at Saints and was called upon by Wigan to play there at times and he was as good as any of the other fullbacks around at the time if not better. Especially in defence, i'd even go so far as to say that out of all of the said players, defensively he was the best. If ever you needed someone to put there body on the line then he was your man. Some of his try saving tackles were awesome.