His point looked at the past as well as GF night. Shall we blame Brough entirely for Huddersfield's perennial act of bottling during the playoffs or is it the team as a whole who bottled it? As for Sinfield, in a side that has history of reaching finals and not bottling it in the playoffs (brilliantly when they won from 5th twice) he is a part of a side rather than the standout element. Doesn't make him a bad player but I can't remember watching a game and thinking, "he is running the opposition ragged, this is the Kevin Sinfield show."

He is part of a hugely successful club side but not the be all and end all of it.

I think the point is you can't use one award to big up one player then discount awards that the other player has won.

Brough won the MOS and I think it was between him and Peacock, how that means he would have guided England to WC victory Ive no Idea when he couldn't even guide his Club side from the top of the table to the GF.

Discounting the fact he's Scottish, if we were picking on form like everyone bangs on about Broughs form in the playoffs was poor.

Well considering he was awarded the golden boot 12 months ago what he has done over the past 12 months is irrelevant.

Fact is 2012 when he won the award he took leeds to two finals, winning one of them and was instrumental in all our big games, including winning the Harry Sunderland award (how many of those does Brough have?), the best player on the best team in one of only 2 pro leagues we have deserves to be in any golden boot discussion.

But i bet you'd credit Brough with Huddersfield success had they achieved any wouldn't you!

Anyway I rate Brough I think he's a great player but same as Widdop he's not Englands saviour, partly because he wasn't committed to actually playing for them.

Kevin Sinfield has a golden boot, 2 harry sunderland awards a mom in a WCC and a lance todd trophy. Im sure he doesn’t care that you don’t think he has ever had a stand out game.

Ah the old argument.

When Huddersfield do well, it's all because of how brilliant Brough is.

When Huddersfield's season turns to sewage when the pressure comes on (as usual) none of it is ever Brough's fault.

The RL watching public (including the Giants pet journalist at The Times) make him out to be some sort of cross between Wally Lewis and Peter Sterling in their prime and are blind to his failings.

Do you honestly think Brough would have finally have picked Scotland if he had been given a chance with England (he missed three years Scotland rep time to ensure he was qualified for England)? Someone else on another thread pointed out that McNamara as good as wrote him off during a boots n all program last season which is the reason he returned to representing Scotland.

By the way, see below for descriptions of both awards. Key words highlighted.

Started in 1977, the Man of Steel Award annually honours the outstanding player in the British game. Originally voted on by members of the Rugby Football League press and, from 2008, by Super League players themselves, the award has often bypassed the top try scorer, winning captain or great International player

The Rugby League World Golden Boot Award is a rugby league award handed out annually for achievements in rugby league by Rugby League World magazine. The Golden Boot is given, usually in December after the conclusion of all the year's matches, to the player adjudged to be the best in the world, as determined by a ballot of former players and international rugby league journalists.

Brough picked Scotland because he hadn't been guaranteed the starting halfback spot, that is not the sign of a team player and has all the hallmarks of a dummy spit.

Im not sure what you are trying to point out with your second paragraphs?

Should all MOS recipients be first choice for the country? your description of the award even discounts that idea, funny you didn't highlight that bit.

Not my description of the award, ones I found. Point is one is picked by hacks and the player's peer group the other is from hacks and ex-players. One has therefore much greater currency.

As for Brough and his dummy spitting to the earlier poster,,, he wasn't selected by McNamara, that is how he ended back with Scotland.

[urlhttp://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/mar/05/scotland-rugby-league-team-huddersfieldgiants[/url

Look, years from now I will think about the old days and I will remember Ellery Hanley as a supreme athlete, I will remember Jason Robinson being able to dance around players, I will remember Thomas Leulai being tough as teak and braver than his size should suggest he will be, I will remember Mal Meninga running like a wilderbeest through GB lines and I will remember some great, great players I have had the privilege of watching and I will remember Sinfield and think, a legend as a club captain, Leeds and him were worthy SL champs on multiple occasions. But I know I will also remember he wasn't a scrum half and there were much better options (Smith at Wigan, Myler at Warrington etc) who should have been wearing the shirt in lieu of him when we had our very, very best chance at winning the WC.

In days gone by he has been shoehorned in at 9 and 6 (why has it been an obsession with GB and Eng coaches to play LF at 6?) as he couldn't get a game in the back row as there were much better options. In cricket a great captain can play at international level and bring out the best from those around him (Brearley in 81 Eng v Aus) but in RL there is no place for such a role. A captain not only has to be inspirational they also need to be the best player on the park for their side, or nearly the very best. Sinfield unfortunately isn't.

Yeah, because everyone will certainly give more currency to Gareth Hock and Jordan Tansey’s opinion than Wally Lewis and Peter Sterlings.

If you think either of them went for Sinfield over Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk or Ben Barba you probably think the world begins and ends on the east side of Leeds.

Yeah, Wally Lewis would never say Kevin Sinfield was one of the top players in world RL.

Look no further than this tournament and Sinfield has been in and around the best for England in each game played.Or were you not watching?

I don't have a problem with Sinfield as a human being and leader and nowhere have I stated that. He is not a halfback! Like a lot of other posters on these forums you have to look at the statement that made Sinfield one of the best and then extrapolate that into why with the population this country has we cannot produce a consistent flow of players better than the southern hemisphere teams.
The answer is staring you in the face , if you want to see. Give me a team of players with the brains and speed of thought of Sinfield. It can be done but it starts at an early age, takes time and effort and is hard work. Also it costs!!!

Hull have signed yet another player from Aus.

And people still can't see the problem.

As I keep saying the whole structure of RL in this country need changing. With London and Bradford struggling as well a sickly Cas and Wakey the game is fine fettle isn't it.

Every single one of your posts irritates me.

Filled with the same old cliches (did you get your opinions from eddie and stevo?), if not that full of riddles and an intimitation that you have some form of higher, profound knowledge without actually saying anything of substance.

Foe list!!

I'll have a pint of what you're on, overall he's been very average against some very poor teams and certainly didn't shine against the Aussies. Take the blinkers off, Sir Kev's best days are behind him, get used to it.

Overall he has been very good.consistently given 8 out of 10 for his performances by the aussie press no less.

I would suggest I am not the one with the blinkers on or the agenda mr hudds fan,obviously still bitter at Danny boys snub eh.

The award was for being THE best not 'one of the top'.... HTH

Put down the banjo and try reading the post I quoted again.

HTH

The MOS is awarded to the best player in the league that season.

Not taking anything away from Sinfield winning last year's award whatsoever, but the Golden Boot is picked mainly on performances in international games rather than club form. Sinfield was one of the better performers as England beat Wales & France in a tri-series tournament, whilst Australia & NZ played 1 test against each other after the conclusion of the NRL season. Playing against Wales & France, who are hardly the most competitive nations, you would have expected an English player to pick up the award, but it was a lot easier for an Englishman to win it last year on the back of playing against second rate international teams than it would be to win it this year after the World Cup tournament. That isnt anything against Sinfield - he performed well for England last year and was one of our best players imo, my opinion would have been the same no matter who had won it last year.

Back to topic, IMO Brough would have been a better option as an England half back, but that was never going to happen due to McNamara overlooking him in favour of Rangi Chase, in particular for the Exiles games when Widdop was unavailable. Widdop has been the #6 in a world class Melbourne team for a number of seasons and was high in demand in the NRL when he became available. He has played consistently well for the Storm and for me deserved a chance to prove himself on the world stage - again deserved it more than Chase.

Some people have over-obsessed with Sinfield and should he/shouldnt he be playing? Personally, I dont think he is the best out and out 6, 7, 9 or 13 available to England, but for his experience and kicking game can fully understand why he is in there. I believe he would be a lot more effective at half back playing alongside Widdop than Chase - who has done absolutely nothing in the tournament as far as I have seen - and hopefully we will see this tomorrow.

At the end of the day, at 33 Sinfield isnt our long term solution as a half back and in all fairness this will probably be his last involvement as an England player. That said, you need a mixture of experience alongside the younger players coming through and he has a lot of that. Like it or not, Brough was unavailable for England so was never going to be playing for us, and Sinfield probably was the best option available for us to go with.

I wonder how many people will have an issue with him if he leads us to the final, or managed to lift the trophy?

Yeah but the speed at which he will lift the trophy simply wont be adequate for International level trophy lifting. There are plenty of others who would lift the trophy with much more speed and impact.

Quote ="ShelleyGiant"icon_lol.gif I'll have a pint of what you're on, overall he's been very average against some very poor teams and certainly didn't shine against the Aussies. Take the blinkers off, Sir Kev's best days are behind him, get used to it.'" I think you need to take your own blinkers off love. www.nrl.com/player-ratings-austr ... fault.aspx Harry Sunderland winner 2009 & 2012 Grand final winning captain 2004, 2007,8,9, 2011,12 Lance Todd winner 2005 Golden Boot winner 2012 Currently ranked 6th in the top 10 international player rankings. Nrl.com rated Sinfield as England's best against Aus, 2nd best v Fiji & France Man of the match in England's last 2 games v NZ, one of which took us to the 4N final. Aye, he's ****

Quote ="ShelleyGiant"icon_lol.gif I'll have a pint of what you're on, overall he's been very average against some very poor teams and certainly didn't shine against the Aussies. Take the blinkers off, Sir Kev's best days are behind him, get used to it.'" I think you need to take your own blinkers off love. www.nrl.com/player-ratings-austr ... fault.aspx Harry Sunderland winner 2009 & 2012 Grand final winning captain 2004, 2007,8,9, 2011,12 Lance Todd winner 2005 Golden Boot winner 2012 Currently ranked 6th in the top 10 international player rankings. Nrl.com rated Sinfield as England's best against Aus, 2nd best v Fiji & France Man of the match in England's last 2 games v NZ, one of which took us to the 4N final. Aye, he's ****

In the opinion of a very small panel of people, who select from a shortlist based on a player vote.

It's as subjective as any other award - no more or less so.

It is RL journos and all fellow SL players, so the MoS is selected by quite a wide group of personnel.