Twentyman wrote:
It's all just personal opinion. You've invented this tier 1 thing in your head to help you process how good certain players are.
IMO the definition of a great player is personal to each fan and it's who inspires you ie Tommy Martyn was a genius...Huddersfield fans probably think similar of Danny Brough. Both not given a fair crack for their country. Anyway, I forgot what my point was. Oh, and the NRL isn't the only league to have great players.
But it's the only league in which great players can be tested fully. And "greatness" isn't some arbitrary distinction which holds across multiple frames of reference. We might all disagree about the precise criteria for greatness. We might not even be able to put such into words. But we intuitively know it when we see it. Whilst such judgements are likely to reflect personal biases and aren't always reliable. It doesn't automatically follow they are worthless. I mean, Wigan & Saints fans might totally disagree on who was the better out of Vollenhoven and Boston - only the most blinkered would describe the other as anything other than a top, top player.
Tommy Martyn wasn't a great player because Saints fans somehow fell under some giant delusion. Martyn was great because Saints fans WITNESSED him perform the kinds of deeds few players are capable of. Admittedly, Martyn possessed other attributes that doubtless raised his worth in the eyes of fans (i.e. he played with personality) - but aside from Jamie Lyon I'm struggling to think of a more naturally gifted player wearing a Saints shirt in my lifetime.
And there's nothing wrong with celebrating those players who reach the absolute pinnacle of achievement. The Aussies don't arbitrarily award the Dally M to some random player. Ditto several of their other awards. The winners of such are Tier 1 in every way imaginable. I hesitate to mention the Man of Steel award because I think it's thrown up some bizarre results. But generally speaking it is a fairly good indicator of quality.
The Grand Masters of player evaluation into various strata are the Americans. No one would suggest the NFL player draft is some arbitrarily cobbled-together hodgepodge. Sure, first round draft picks don't always work out. But there's a reason NFL clubs covet such like gold.
