Best League to Union convert

kiwiinmelb

Craig Innes was another good kiwi rugby to league convert, 
 
At one stage , when he was at manly, he was being referred to as the best league centre in the world

Frank

I'd say Folau by a country fuckin mile.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="584808" data-time="1464862201">
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Two Australians, prop Tony D'Arcy and lock Garrick Morgan were disasters at league. D'Arcy ended up as a reserve for 3rd grade and Morgan was reserve for reserve grade. 
Back to best code switchers, I recall Trevor Gillmeister once saying that former Wallaby Brett Papworth was the best player he ever saw.
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Except he only played less than 10 league games because he was injured all the time. I remember him carving up playing in the Wallaby midfield though.
 
Thorn and Robinson (and Folau) for me of the league to rugby converts. I don't buy the skill set being different means a player's better. Thorn is a greater rugby player than SBW and SBW is still a bloody good rugby player. 
 
The absolute worst is Marvin Karawana.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="RoninWC" data-cid="584707" data-time="1464832720">
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From the Wallaby/Kangaroo perspective, around the same time as Ricky Stuart was one of my all time favorite league players... <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Gourley' title="Scott Gourley">Scott Gourley</a>.
 
He was also pretty handy at both codes... and by the way, none of the Aussie based Ferners seems to have recalled the original cross-coder - Dally Messenger.
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Original Aussie cross coder, in that All Golds team he toured with there were a number of recent ABs.

sparky

Chris Ashton, another who started in League before switching to Union:
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Ashton'>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Ashton</a>
 
Played well for Saracens this year. apart from Eye Gouging ban. Not Eddie Jones' cup of tea.

sparky

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MN5" data-cid="584803" data-time="1464860648">
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There are a few exceptions but fuck all Rugby players from 1-5 make good league players.
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Paul Moriarity who played Lock for Swansea and Wales (Union) and Second Row for Widnes, Great Britain and Wales (League) is about the only dual international tight five player I can think of. He scored the match winner try in the 1987 RWC 3rd/4th place off.
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Moriarty_(rugby'>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Moriarty_(rugby</a>)
 
His son Ross is in the current Wales squad and likely to be selected at blindside flanker in the absence of Dan Lydiate for the tests against the All Blacks.

kiwiinmelb

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Frank" data-cid="584814" data-time="1464863051">
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I'd say Folau by a country fuckin mile.
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And its interesting he hasnt been mentioned yet , 
 
if you offered me him or Robinson to play FB in my team ,I think im taking Folau

kiwiinmelb

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="sparky" data-cid="584820" data-time="1464863927">
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Paul Moriarity who played Lock for Swansea and Wales (Union) and Second Row for Widnes, Great Britain and Wales (League) is about the only dual international tight five player I can think of. He scored the match winner try in the 1987 RWC 3rd/4th place off.
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Moriarty_(rugby'>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Moriarty_(rugby</a>)
 
His son Ross is in the current Wales squad and likely to be selected at blindside flanker in the absence of Dan Lydiate for the tests against the All Blacks.
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Rex Mossop played lock for the wallabies, and front row for the kangaroos

Siam

Paul Deveraux the Welsh centre
 
One bloke who never gets mentioned but if you youtube him he was really very good at both codes - Jonathan Davies. 
 
Played for GB against Aussie when blokes really put the filth in too, but despite being little, he never flinched

ACT Crusader

Andrew Walker was a damn good player and surely the most prolific code hopper in history. In 16-17 years his career went rugby-league-rugby-league-rugby 
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Rancid Schnitzel

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Nepia" data-cid="584815" data-time="1464863178">
Except he only played less than 10 league games because he was injured all the time. I remember him carving up playing in the Wallaby midfield though. 
Thorn and Robinson (and Folau) for me of the league to rugby converts. I don't buy the skill set being different means a player's better. Thorn is a greater rugby player than SBW and SBW is still a bloody good rugby player. 
The absolute worst is Marvin Karawana.</blockquote>
 
Exactly, so for Gilly to say that means he must have been a very special player.

MiketheSnow

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Siam" data-cid="584823" data-time="1464865027">
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Paul Deveraux the Welsh centre
 
One bloke who never gets mentioned but if you youtube him he was really very good at both codes - Jonathan Davies. 
 
Played for GB against Aussie when blokes really put the filth in too, but despite being little, he never flinched
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John Devereaux. Good in both codes. One of many who led/joined the exodus from Wales in the 80s
 
The centre Alan 'The Clamp' Bateman was better IMHO.
 
Welsh Union caps at centre, then Wales & GB league caps, before returning to union for more Wales caps and 1 British Lions cap.

MiketheSnow

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="sparky" data-cid="584820" data-time="1464863927">
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Paul Moriarity who played Lock for Swansea and Wales (Union) and Second Row for Widnes, Great Britain and Wales (League) is about the only dual international tight five player I can think of. He scored the match winner try in the 1987 RWC 3rd/4th place off.
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Moriarty_(rugby'>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Moriarty_(rugby</a>)
 
His son Ross is in the current Wales squad and likely to be selected at blindside flanker in the absence of Dan Lydiate for the tests against the All Blacks.
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Dai Young went OK.
 
Wikipedia
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Young played <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_union' title="Rugby union">rugby union</a> at club level for <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swansea_RFC' title="Swansea RFC">Swansea</a> and <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiff_RFC' title="Cardiff RFC">Cardiff</a>. Having not been selected to play for Wales in the <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_Rugby_World_Cup' title="1987 Rugby World Cup">1987 Rugby World Cup</a>, Young, then 19, travelled to Australia for the summer to play for <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Suburbs_Rugby_Club' title="Northern Suburbs Rugby Club">Northern Suburbs</a>. When <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Evans' title="Stuart Evans">Stuart Evans</a> broke his foot playing against <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonga' title="Tonga">Tonga</a>, Young was on the right side of the world at the right time and was called up to the Welsh squad. He made his debut for Wales against England in the quarter-finals.
Young played <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_league' title="Rugby league">rugby league</a> for <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeds_Rhinos' title="Leeds Rhinos">Leeds</a> and <a class="" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salford_City_Reds" title="Salford City Reds">Salford</a>. When he moved to Leeds in 1990 his transfer fee was a then world record of Â£150,000 (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately Â£350,000 in 2013).<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dai_Young#cite_note-Measuring_Worth_-_Relative_Value_of_UK_Pounds-1'>[1]</a> He captained Wales in the <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Rugby_League_World_Cup' title="1995 Rugby League World Cup">1995 Rugby League World Cup</a>.<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dai_Young#cite_note-Dai_Young:_On_making_his_Wales_debut_in_the_first_ever_Rugby_World_Cup_against_England_in_the_quarter-finals-2'>[2]</a>
Young won 51 caps for the <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wales_national_rugby_union_team' title="Wales national rugby union team">Wales national rugby union team</a>, a record number for a prop, and three caps for the <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_and_Irish_Lions' title="British and Irish Lions">British Lions</a>. He is the only man to have toured with the <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_and_Irish_Lions' title="British and Irish Lions">British Lions</a> in three separate decades: 1989, 1997 and 2001.
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Tim

Who was that great Welsh centre who played both codes in the 90s?

sparky

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MiketheSnow" data-cid="584833" data-time="1464873112">Dai Young went OK. 
 
Wikipedia</blockquote>
 
Dai Young went Union to League to Union as a prop. He's now Director of Rugby at Wasps. 
The greatest ever League/ Union dual international was Jon Bentley, at least in the opinion of Bentos.

sparky

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Tim" data-cid="584834" data-time="1464873272">
Who was that great Welsh centre who played both codes in the 90s?</blockquote>
John Devereux? Scott Gibbs? Alan Bateman? 
Gibbs the best of the three. Car-crash's run through Os Du Randt for the 97 Lions was rather special.

MiketheSnow

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="sparky" data-cid="584836" data-time="1464873997">
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John Devereux? Scott Gibbs? Alan Bateman? 
Gibbs the best of the three. Car-crash's run through Os Du Randt for the 97 Lions was rather special.
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This was better :)

sparky

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MiketheSnow" data-cid="584838" data-time="1464878789">
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This was better :)

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Ted was coach of Wales at the time, Woodward the coach of England. :)
 
Denied England the Grand Slam.

Victor Meldrew

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Baron Silas Greenback" data-cid="584496" data-time="1464753240">
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The skill step he bought was the off load, that whilst used in rugby before was a truly a leap above what union had seen before.
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Really?
 
I've got an old copy of Terry McLean's Willie Away book of the 1963-4 AB tour. In it, McLean talks of players ability to pass the ball out of the back of their hands - even while being tackled. Mind you, that was the tour where prop forwards dropped goals from 40m and sold outrageous dummys...
 
A pic is attached.

MN5

I remember the Welsh scored a try against Scotland and the commentator went "League, League, League" as Gibbs, Bateman and Quinnell handled. It was the mid 90s and I think the gap between league players being bigger and stronger was a huge factor ( not now, they'd be even keel as athletes )
 
Alan Tait from Scotland did the Union-league-Union switch and formed an awesome midfield with John Leslie on his return. His nickname when he went to league the first time was "pidge" as in pidgeon chest because he was so poor at the strength testing. He rectified that though, he was a great tackle buster on his return.
 
Gibbs and Bateman were great to watch, neither very tall but so solid and strong. Quinnell was awesome too. Fucken bulldozer....

The Silver Fern

Best League to Union convert