Gareth Ellis makes his Wests Tigers debut this week and becomes the latest in the long line of imports from the UK to ply their trade in Australia.
The money on offer in the UK these days means it isn’t really an even give and take, but Ellis arrives with a five star reputation.
However, so did many of his Lions team mates at the World Cup, and look how that worked out.
But of all those who have graced our shores, who is the pick of the bunch?
Well, here is my starting 13.
And I give the armband to Ellery Hanley who was simply sensational during his stints with the Tigers and Magpies, which conveniently makes him still a favourite with the merged entity.
There were plenty of hard men to fill the pack, as well, which belies the idea that English forwards don’t cut it.
The era from which most of these players are drawn probably show my vintage. But they seemed to be arriving thick and fast in the late 80s early 90s and every one seems to have been a game breaker.
Ellis will have be worth his weight in gold if he can match the contribution of Adrian Morley for the Roosters, and Kevin Ward certainly won plenty of fans on the Northern Beaches.
The backline should have points a plenty.
Andy Gregory, who took the Illawaara Steelers to a Panasonic Cup final, gets the halfback role after one of the best cameo performances of all time.
Gregory is joined by Gary Schofield in the halves.
The centres see the Tigers’ Andy Courier link up with the Bulldogs’ Gary Connolly. Both had great attacking ability and also the defensive prowess to make it in Australia.
The positions on the flanks go to Brian Carney and Martin ‘Chariots’ Offiah.
Offiah’s defence may have been woeful, but his attacking flair more than made up for it. Also, he was ahead of his time in terms of his ability to create a headline and he brought some real glamour to a game which, at the time, was still semi-professional.
Imagine Offiah with Dwight Yorke’s PR machine behind him? How the women’s glossy magazines would have loved to be taken through a full ten page colour spread on his beach side apartment.
Offiah is still classed as a celebrity back in the UK and still dragged out for celebrity dance offs. It is the sort of fame that Khoder Nasser spoke of when he said Sonny Bill Williams would transcend his sport.
From rugby league to ballroom dancing; it just doesn’t get any bigger.
At fullback, the Welsh wizard Jonathan Davies gets the nod, probably more for his work with the Bulldogs than the Cowboys.
Davies also provided plenty of ammo for the foot soliders in the football wars.
When he joined League from Union, he basically said: “This is great, they were rubbish”, and made the same remark when he jumped back.
So the full side is:
1. J Davies
2. B. Carney
3. A. Courier
4. G. Connolly
5. M. Offiah
6. G. Schofield
7. A. Gregory
8. A. Morley
9. M. Reilly
10. K. Ward
11. C. Joynt
12. L. Crook
13. E. Hanley
Let me know who I’ve left out.
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