09-26-2024, 04:26 AM
(09-26-2024, 01:53 AM)tonyo link Wrote:I'm going to open a can of worms here by suggesting that Kouta, as good as his was, is not in the same league as Cripps. Kouta had the benefit of playing in a very strong team in his first 6-7 years as he learned the craft, while Cripps has had this team on his shoulders since 2016.
If (and it's a very hopeful if) Cripps ever gets to hoist the premiership cup aloft, he may well assume the mantle of this club's greatest ever player and captain (and I've pretty much seen them all since the late '60s...).
It’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges.
Kouta’s great attribute was his athleticism. He has often said that he could run off any taller opponent and outmark any opponent his size or smaller. When his knee injury curtailed his athleticism, he reinvented himself as a clearance machine. He did play in an era when we had a pretty strong list but he still dragged us over the line single-handedly on many occasions.
Cripps is a more natural footballer and instinctively chooses the best option. His prowess is built on physical strength, hard work and determination and is despite him not being among the most athletically gifted footballers … and he has had to contend with rule changes that have directly impacted on the way he plays.
Of course, Big Nick is still the best and most complete footballer I have seen pull on the navy blue guernsey.
“Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?” Oddball