Best centre to play for the ESDRLFC since 1908

[crikey chris]

John Rheinberger ...debut in the '75 grand final. One hit wonder, but still an incredible stat.

Dave Brown still a class above. Stats that will never be beaten. As others have stated, the Bradman of rugby league. An immortal, and statistically the best centre ever.

[Schooner]

Im old enough to have seen Ron Saddler John Brass and Mark Harris play. For their era all were great but Mark Harris was the standout He was regularly picked for Australia whereas the other two had briefer international careers. There is a DVD of the 1975 club rounds that shows many of Marks great tries and I think some are on Youtube. John Brass was a very skillful player but Harris had speed and was huge. He was bigger than most forwards. That 1975 backline was probably the best ever

[Hawkeye]

Nobody will beat Browns records. They have stood for nearly 90 years Bradman's batting average in cricket is the same unbeatable record. Brown was the greatest center to play the game not just from Easts,

100% agree.
If you cant physically have seen them all, then you can only go on the record books ...and Dave Brown is a mile ahead

[Vasco]

Dave Brown is the Phar Lap of rugby league. He's lengths ahead of the next player.

[OMR]

You got the Mark Harris mo though

No mate, Harris moustache was more like Gary Allsop my high school science teacher ( played on the wing for Penrith) , mine is more like ElCapo. LOL

[The Skeez]

Centre’s used play like fullbacks now do.

[4 the all in brawl]

Obviously, never saw him but spoke to some old timers 25 plus years ago (they were pretty old dudes who I spoke with), they said Brown was easily the best centre they have ever seen followed by Reg Gasnier.

Spoke to other guys (not so old) but who saw Gasnier and all the modern centres up to around to the mid 90s as well (who didnt see Brown) and said Gasnier would have lapped players like Big Mal and the Pearl Steve Renouf... (who probably were the 2 best centres I have seen up to that time)

That is enough for me to say he is a better centre for this club than Latrell was.........and probably by a mile.

Claiming Latrell is a better player than Brown is like some cricket fan saying Kohli is a better batsman than Bradman lol....

Tbh Manu if he plays like he did late this season into the next next year, and hopefully he stays with us beyond could end up a better centre than the outrageously talented but flawed Latrell imo.....

Latrell just doesnt play centre often enough nowadays apart from his Origin performances which are brilliant but he is benefitting from playing in a great Blues origin team at the moment.....

[King Salvo]

Spiro Strattos was a shock omission from the list

[Recky62]

Brassy was great …BUT….it’s Dave Brown by a rural kilometre for mine

[King Salvo]

Obviously, never saw him but spoke to some old timers 25 plus years ago (they were pretty old dudes who I spoke with), they said Brown was easily the best centre they have ever seen followed by Reg Gasnier.

Spoke to other guys (not so old) but who saw Gasnier and all the modern centres up to around to the mid 90s as well (who didnt see Brown) and said Gasnier would have lapped players like Big Mal and the Pearl Steve Renouf... (who probably were the 2 best centres I have seen up to that time)

That is enough for me to say he is a better centre for this club than Latrell was.........and probably by a mile.

Claiming Latrell is a better player than Brown is like some cricket fan saying Kohli is a better batsman than Bradman lol....

Tbh Manu if he plays like he did late this season into the next next year, and hopefully he stays with us beyond could end up a better centre than the outrageously talented but flawed Latrell imo.....

Latrell just doesnt play centre often enough nowadays apart from his Origin performances which are brilliant but he is benefitting from playing in a great Blues origin team at the moment.....

Different times so hard to compare past players - I was watching the Baseball the other day and one of the Commentators was saying nowadays bullpen pitchers when they come on to Pitch they throw 96 mph plus regularly - never when he played did pitcher's throw that quick and was also saying how the gap is widening between the defence ( pitchers ) and offence ( batting) as a result - players are bigger , stronger. full time professionals and have all the assistance to improve their skills.

Unlike Cricket Bats MLB Bats have hardly changed in size for a very long time

In the American Major League Baseball , Rule 1.10(a) states:

The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood.

[Mickie Lane]

Different times so hard to compare past players - I was watching the Baseball the other day and one of the Commentators was saying nowadays bullpen pitchers when they come on to Pitch they throw 96 mph plus regularly - never when he played did pitcher's throw that quick and was also saying how the gap is widening between the defence ( pitchers ) and offence ( batting) as a result - players are bigger , stronger. full time professionals and have all the assistance to improve their skills.

Unlike Cricket Bats MLB Bats have hardly changed in size for a very long time

In the American Major League Baseball , Rule 1.10(a) states:

The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood.

[Paddo Colt 61]

As Salvo and others contend, it was a different game back in the day. The spiral pass, for example, first appeared in the late 60s, imported from Union and, other than that, the athleticism of today was just not there as replays of games from the past clearly demonstrate. Brown, Messenger et al might have excelled in the new game who knows but as things are we're pretty much comparing apples and oranges.
Saddler, Harris and Brass were all very good players, the latter the best East's Centre pairing I'd seen until Manu and Trell but on his day Mitchell was the very best of all.

[Mickie Lane]

As Salvo and others contend, it was a different game back in the day. The spiral pass, for example, first appeared in the late 60s, imported from Union and, other than that, the athleticism of today was just not there as replays of games from the past clearly demonstrate. Brown, Messenger et al might have excelled in the new game who knows but as things are we're pretty much comparing apples and oranges.
Saddler, Harris and Brass were all very good players, the latter the best East's Centre pairing I'd seen until Manu and Trell but on his day Mitchell was the very best of all.

Spot on.

[roostersrule2]

I reckon Manu at his best is at least equal to Latrells best.

Manu takes the cake for me, I didn’t see a lot of the older guys but Manu has so many tools to his game, extreme talent.

[Paddo Colt 61]

[QUOTE=roostersrule2; I reckon Manu at his best is at least equal to Latrells best.
Manu takes the cake for me, I didn't see a lot of the older guys but Manu has so many tools to his game, extreme talent.

Indeed a wonderful player and a struck match separates them but Mitchell is a game breaker like no other I've seen with uncanny skills in just about every facet of his game. A standout memory was the amazing athleticism he showed running the sideline full tilt and seriously off balance for 30 metres or so going on to score. Never seen anything quite like it. Souffs, unlucky to lose the GF (nothing in it anyway), would have undoubtedly won it with him but he's a young mug no doubt about it.