Buzz's Top 50 players - Part two

[RNA]

Buzz's Top 50 players - Part two
8 March 2011, 12:00 am

LEAVE aside what allegedly happened on George St at 3.20am Saturday - Benji Marshall is rugby league's No. 1 player on raw ability.   

Not since Andrew Johns retired has the NRL had such a freakish talent with the football in his hands.

To lift New Zealand over the line in the Four Nations final against Australia last year convinced most judges he is now clearly the bext player in the world - a mixture of former greats Brett Kenny and Wally Lewis.

Channel 9's broadcasting legend Ray "Rabbits" Warren endorsed Benji as an all-time great in an interview with colleague Dean Ritchie just last week.

"From an entertainment point of view, I reckon Benji is as good if not better than any player I have seen," said Warren, who has called more than 1000 games over 45 years.

"I have been blessed to see so many gifted players including Graeme Langlands, Arthur Beetson, John Raper, Reg Gasnier, Bob McCarthy, Ron Coote, Bob Fulton, Ray Price, Peter Sterling, Allan Langer, Brad Fittler and Andrew Johns.

"Benji does things I have never seen before. If those greats once sat on a throne, well, Benji is now occupying the same throne.

"He can even do things those others couldn't."

JOIN PHIL ROTHFIELD'S LIVE BLOG HERE AND TELL HIM IF YOU AGREE WITH HIS LIST

Second on the list is last year's No. 1 Greg Inglis, who has been judged more on his sensational form from earlier in his career rather than what he produced at Melbourne Storm last season.

Overall, there are 26 NSW State of Origin players in the top 50 with 16 from Queensland and eight internationals.

But the Blues have only two in the top 10, Jarryd Hayne and Paul Gallen, compared to Queensland's six - Inglis, Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Johnathan Thurston and David Shillington.

Shillington scraped into the top 10 ahead of match-winners like Todd Carney and Scott Prince because I regard him as the No. 1 front-rower in the game.

St George Illawarra and the Wests Tigers dominate the top 50 with five players each but the reigning NRL premiers have only one player who has sneaked into the top 25 - champion winger Brett Morris.

Source: Daily Telegraph | NRL - Raiders

[Orifice]

The bit about Shillington was the only part that made any sense, Greg Inglis at number 2  :wtf: His early career form was when he was playing in a team that needed to cheat to win premierships. I would argue that Inglis' form last year is a far better representation of his ability because he and his team weren't allowed to cheat any more.

 And Benji as good as any player Rabs has ever seen? He needs to watch more games that involve other clubs apart from Brisbane, St George and the Tigers, then he would realize that Benji "wheres the camera" Marshal is overrated to the extreme.