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Of course to be underrated the majority of people will have to disagree with me so I expect this list to be contentious but here's my top 5 most underrated Roosters of the last decade;
5. Phil Graham - Not a pure athlete but a naturally gifted footballer with speed to burn. He played on the wing, in the centres & at fullback for us. Centre was always his best position though, his speed made him deadly in any situation but it was his ability to consistently put his winger away that made him such a good centre. Never really got many accolades until he switched to fullback for a few games & put in a some really good performances there.
4. Nigel Plum - Came into grade the year after Freddy retired, should've been part of a rebuilding phase but unfortunately like most great defensive players his deficiencies in attack saw him booted out the door. He was always a bit of a cult hero amongst fans but never really truly rated as a player. Canberra were more than happy to pick him up and develop his attacking game and he turned into a very reliable middle third player. The type of player we so desperately need through some of those dark years. Shame too, he grew up a Roosters fan & never wanted to leave the club.
3. Heath Le'strange (2004-2007) - Stuck behind Craig Wing and at times Stuart Webb he was always a very impressive dummy half who had a well rounded game. He and Wing could've made a great combination but in the end he wound up at Manly and gave them great service. Like Plum another player who IMO should've played a role in the rebuilding of our side post Freddy but was underrated because he was never as flashy or fast as Craig Wing. Very Skillful player.
2. Nate Myles - Came to the club on a big contract and largely undeserved but ended up being a great player. A player who was never gifted physically but would work as hard as anyone on the field. There was never a whole lot of quality about his play either but he'd always give you 100%. Defence is something that will always go unnoticed and under-appreciated by the majority of the Rugby League population & this in part lead to him copping a lot of criticism but you could put together a video of Nate Myles cover tackles that would last longer than our teams attacking highlights through the same period. I'll always have respect for a player like Myles who plays the game as hard as anyone and always gives it his all.
1. David Shillington - The Pillow. Was part of the fall out from us signing Mason & O'meley. Shame too because he desperately wanted to stay. He had his fair share of supporters but they were never great in number & majority were females not so interested in his yardage carries or offloads. He had a great workrate, an uncanny knack to continually create 2nd phase & a really big frame on him that made him a significant task for any team to bring down. Like most good props he struggled to be consistently good in his early 20's & boy did he cop his fair share for it, I can't think of a more maligned player. Went on to play 8 origins & 14 tests after we let him go, not much more needs to be said. Even to this day the denial of just how good a player he was is prevalent in so many of our fans.
Thoughts? Did I leave anyone out?
5. Phil Graham - Not a pure athlete but a naturally gifted footballer with speed to burn. He played on the wing, in the centres & at fullback for us. Centre was always his best position though, his speed made him deadly in any situation but it was his ability to consistently put his winger away that made him such a good centre. Never really got many accolades until he switched to fullback for a few games & put in a some really good performances there.
4. Nigel Plum - Came into grade the year after Freddy retired, should've been part of a rebuilding phase but unfortunately like most great defensive players his deficiencies in attack saw him booted out the door. He was always a bit of a cult hero amongst fans but never really truly rated as a player. Canberra were more than happy to pick him up and develop his attacking game and he turned into a very reliable middle third player. The type of player we so desperately need through some of those dark years. Shame too, he grew up a Roosters fan & never wanted to leave the club.
3. Heath Le'strange (2004-2007) - Stuck behind Craig Wing and at times Stuart Webb he was always a very impressive dummy half who had a well rounded game. He and Wing could've made a great combination but in the end he wound up at Manly and gave them great service. Like Plum another player who IMO should've played a role in the rebuilding of our side post Freddy but was underrated because he was never as flashy or fast as Craig Wing. Very Skillful player.
2. Nate Myles - Came to the club on a big contract and largely undeserved but ended up being a great player. A player who was never gifted physically but would work as hard as anyone on the field. There was never a whole lot of quality about his play either but he'd always give you 100%. Defence is something that will always go unnoticed and under-appreciated by the majority of the Rugby League population & this in part lead to him copping a lot of criticism but you could put together a video of Nate Myles cover tackles that would last longer than our teams attacking highlights through the same period. I'll always have respect for a player like Myles who plays the game as hard as anyone and always gives it his all.
1. David Shillington - The Pillow. Was part of the fall out from us signing Mason & O'meley. Shame too because he desperately wanted to stay. He had his fair share of supporters but they were never great in number & majority were females not so interested in his yardage carries or offloads. He had a great workrate, an uncanny knack to continually create 2nd phase & a really big frame on him that made him a significant task for any team to bring down. Like most good props he struggled to be consistently good in his early 20's & boy did he cop his fair share for it, I can't think of a more maligned player. Went on to play 8 origins & 14 tests after we let him go, not much more needs to be said. Even to this day the denial of just how good a player he was is prevalent in so many of our fans.
Thoughts? Did I leave anyone out?
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