The award may be devalued if all players are as tuned in as Sam Burgess when casting their votes - when asked recently his first choice was Gareth Ellis!!

Agreed.

I don't know.
The opinions of the players does, of course, carry a lot of weight.

Loving that!!!
Mozza by a country mile best prop this country has produced in twenty odd years FACT!!!!!

By placing FACT (in the required capitalisation) at the end of your post it must be true.

Although Mozza is a great prop Peacock also has a valid claim to being the most prolific player currently playing – (the “20 odd years” bit is pushing it a little).

Saying this, out of the three MoS contenders Mozza has to be the logical choice.

I heard last night that Adrian Morley has got it.

I'd have no arguments with that as each time I've seen him play this year he's had a good game. I cannot understand all the bile directed at James Graham though. He's had another very good season. Hodgson has been selected in the top 3 by his peers and they know better than us so who are we to argue.

You're right.

Close down the message boards. No need for fans opinions on the internet, just read players blogs.

McLaren field, can you delete everything please?

Bye everyone.

Don't get me wrong I don't think Hodgson should be in there either but I know whose opinion I respect more on this. Those who play against him week in week out, not some message board bods.

It's ok having an opinion on it but ATEOTD he must be doing something right that us laymans don't see.

I'd like to see Morley get recognition, but if he won this year it would be like when Paul Newman didn't win an Oscar for "The Hustler" but 20 years later for "The Color of Money".

Hodgeson, I agree with a few other people here - good full back, but not really captured my imagination.

As for The Ginger Whinger, I guess there is a mandatory Saints Player field in the form and the voting system won't accept the entry unless it's filled in.

Generally I'd agree with you but players opinions aren't always spot on.

Remember the ex-player who said "he's trouble he is"?

The RFL couldn't organise a p1ss up in a brewery at the moment.

Celtic Crusaders franchise, Murrayfield Tragic, Wembley without a big name, the on-off is it an Ashes match, a damp squib of an opening round of play off games with nobody watching, and now a MOS shortlist without a decent choice.

Nigel Wood take a bow.

Is the England - Australia (non Ashes decider) being shown live by the BBC?

Is this tongue in cheek?

I hope Morley gets it.

However, this country, or this club, Leeds, should I say, produced a brilliant 2nd Rower. The NRL made him a brilliant prop. He's been "propping" in this country for the last two/three seasons only so your post was a bit OTT.

For all his talent, Morley is in no way better than Kevin Ward who like Morley, shone in the Australian competition and had better performances at International Level. An absolute legend on both sides of the penines. I remember Ward playing for Cas against Saints at Wheldon Road and it was always a frightening prospect.

Best British prop I've seen play the game is Wardy.

I actually rate Peacock above Morley too, NRL or no NRL.

How do you rate Graham against these two?
Incidentally, I was surprised that in Harry Jepson's articles in our club programme in which he selects his all time best teams from our (Rhinos) opponents based on his 70 years of following RL, he failed to include Wardy in either the Cas or Saints squads.
I always rated him as one of the best & hardest props I've ever seen.

Almost impossible to compare, the game has changed that dramatically in pace and fitness I doubt Ward would have been little more than a Bibey type player in todays climate.

Morley on the other hand is a different animal, the Aussies actually feared him in the NRL, in fact I would go as far to say Morley during his time playing in the NRL was possibly in the top 3 with the likes of Petero Civoniceva and Shane Webcke.

Interesting comment on sky during the Wigan/Cas match, I think it was Phil Clarke, discussing the first Wigan try when Carmont knocked on, I don't know if a freudian slip not but he said "benifit of the doubt to the home side" ??????

oops posted on the wrong thread it's an age thing you know posting where it was meant to go now

Graham is no Kevin Ward. He, like Wardy has the engine to play the full 80 and still be as strong at the end of the game, but Wardy had it all.

I remember him at his pomp, knocking the stuffing out of the Wigan pack in a Lancashire Cup game at Knowsley Road - he was 35.

When you look at the full package he had the ability to bust tackles - an area Graham is not quite as good at as say a Peacock, the stamina and ability to lay up a big hit and the skill to offload without the 'spin' that the props do these days. In fact the latter of these skills made Paul Groves look a world beater.

In terms of the jepson article - my guess is that he chose Cliff Watson as the Saints props with probably Alan Prescott?

No, he selected John Mantle and George Nicholls. Mantle just ahead of Watson & Ward due to his versatility, playing every pack position except hooker.
Nicholls on the basis that he toured 0n 5 occasions & was so dependable.
Of the current Saints players he picked Long & Cunningham.

Thanks for that. Interesting. Mantle and Nicholls had formidable reputations, but I am surprised Cliff did'nt get in, especially as he won so many caps for GB and generally battered any Australian who got in his way by all accounts. Still having, not having the pleasure of seeing them play in 'the flesh' it's hard for me to call.

Who were the current Leeds players who got in?

Mr Jepson only does this in the club programme for whoever are our opponents for that week, so does not cover the Leeds players.
I'm sure that he has done that previously but I've got to confess the details escapes me. (The clue is in my user name!)
No doubt other's on here - cue tvoc - may be able to find if he has.

Lol. You probably couldn't meet a player who would cause less trouble!!!!!

That aside, everyone must remember the incident they were referring to from last season. Tadulala touched the ball (it travelled forward) and was correctly called a knock on, ruling the Nero try out.

Funny therefore that this incident was near on identical and the video referee this time ruled a try, the exact opposite of last season's ruling.

And funnier still that Hemmings thought both rulings had shown consistency.

If that was a try so was the Danny McGuire one at Odsal this season that cost Leeds at least a point. We could have finished top by 5 or 6 points if it weren't for that incorrect call.