Here's another thought

Roby scoots from DH and makes 50 metres say and is tackled

Monas scoots from DH makes 10 metres but throws a pass round the defender and the guy taking the offload makes 50 metres (10 more than Roby) who is better?

You see what i mean they don't show the bigger picture ?

Roby is more of a individual who could win you a game with a flash of brilliance. Monaghan is more of a leader who can guide a team around the park. Both excellent players, both very different, both pivotal players to their respective teams.

Yeah we do. I said back on the first page they have very different styles which makes a comparison hard and a judgement of who is 'better' totally subjective.

Roby for MOS if he carries his form thus far throughout the season though.

Quote ="Horatio Yed"The fact is Monas is pivotal in our squad, he gets them moving and his vision and passing are very good, what you're saying is that because Roby runs more metres from DH he is somehow better and works harder? I'm sure Wingers/fullbacks have more metres gained but again the stat is irrelevant. My point was stats only tell half a story.'" Nope.......... www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011

Quote ="Horatio Yed"The fact is Monas is pivotal in our squad, he gets them moving and his vision and passing are very good, what you're saying is that because Roby runs more metres from DH he is somehow better and works harder? I'm sure Wingers/fullbacks have more metres gained but again the stat is irrelevant. My point was stats only tell half a story.'" Nope.......... www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011

Saddend you said that Roby if he continues his form should be MOS, but last year a player won it for kicking goals and scoring tries, so in that matter, surely Brett Hodgson should win it if his form continues?

Top in metres made and 3rd in tackles made is very impressive, ignoring any comparison for a second.

Quote ="Giant_Amuser"Nope.......... www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011'" I meant in general (as a collective) i knew Roby was the leading metre maker. If you add up all Fullbacks, wingers and Hookers i'm sure you'd see the pattern Roby is special case

Quote ="Giant_Amuser"Nope.......... www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011'" I meant in general (as a collective) i knew Roby was the leading metre maker. If you add up all Fullbacks, wingers and Hookers i'm sure you'd see the pattern Roby is special case

The one thing i will say is they are both awesome players.

Yup. Man of Steel has become a farce since they let the players decide. It's now a glorified popularity contest. A lot of players are automatically out of the race as they aren't very well liked. Far better when Eddie and Stev.... the press decided as at least they sit and analyse a far higher volume of games in which to make the decision.

I agree, i'd let the coaches pick.

I would expand it.

1 vote for each coach
1 vote for the 5 nominated press members
1 vote for each club captain, compiled from a poll of the players

Can't vote for own club in the case of coaches and players. All votes and results published.

Monas is better because he's a cool aussie. Roby looks like he should be in the cast of Oliver. Nuff said.

I have spoken to players that have played against Roby and they have said he is the strongest player they have played against, which I was surprised about because of his size. I rate Roby a lot and he suits Saints style of play very well. We have all seen the way saints have beaten us over the years and they play very well the plan of Jumping out of DH off a quick play the ball and running South to North with players piling through the middle looking for a short pass. They have done and stil do this very well. I remember Cullen ( on his boots n all slot) picking up on pryce following James graham hoping to pick up and go of one his quick PTB's
Monaghan tends to run diagonally. look at some of the tries he has scored (CC semi against Wigan) or look at the break he made against crusaders when Ryan o'hara failed to push up they are all pick ups from DH but diagonal runs. What you often see with Monaghan is that he very rarely gets tackled with the ball but he often passes the ball that close to the line, that he is often smashed by the defender just after he has passed. By taking it to the line he has created the 2 on 1 and put somebody through a gap or a half break usually resulting in a 1 on 1 tackle on his runner that then results in a quick PTB.
It would be interesting to see which areas of the pitch that most of saints. Clean breaks have come. I would suggest that most of theirs are 15m either side o the centre of the pitch but ours would be 15m in from each touchline. That shows the difference in the 2 teams and how they play so Roby may not suit our style of play and Monaghan may not suit theirs.

well, i dont know whos better (course i do, its monas classic) but i tell you one thing, regardless of how good james roby is, saints would have beaten us this year if cunningham was in teh side.

i dont mean,, oohh the hoodoo and all that , but when they got the roll on at the end of teh game there was 3 or 4 scenarios that were screaming for the fat romulan to go barging over, and he would've and we'd have been powerless to stop him.

Thats where we've been going wrong, should have been playing Feka at dummy half against you!

Mike Sullivan for me

disagree. Not about KC being the fattest man in the world.

Sts wouldn't have won. It was foolish we let the limping lions of sts save some face. They were boys against men. Wolves wouldn't have let KC score in a million goes. Admittedly, during the first half with the 6 or 7 goes on our line. They MIGHT have scored

I think they've both been exceptional this year, easily the best two hookers in the league. One area in which Roby does have an advantage is that he plays the full 80. It's really noticeable when Monas is off the pitch being spelled and it offers the opposition a bit of respite.

You could read it that way but the try assists and offloads would seam to suggest otherwise.

Warrington have scored a lot more points than Saints have this year which means we've been on the attack far more than we've been defending, that will go a long way to explaining why Michael Monaghan has done less defending than James Roby.

Out of the 2 i'd take Michael Monaghan, imo he's got a far better all round game. His kicking is better than Roby's (does he even have a kicking game), he'll get more 40/20's in a season than Roby (has he ever had one ?). He sets up a hell of a lot of our tries, he's great at drawing in defenders and then slipping the ball round the back of a defender or putting someone into an open gap.

Roby takes the eye more becuase of his style of play with his scampering runs but Michael Monaghan to me has the better all round game, he can control a game far better where as Roby just controls small spells of a game with his darting runs, if you can contain those runs of Roby's (like we did earlier in the season and Leeds have done over the years on the big stage) then their arn't many more tricks in his locker.

Richie Myler had a better tries/assists per gaem ratio than Eastmond and Tomkins last season. Stats mean jack.

I want them both

Its very difficult to judge who is the best, as people have already said, they are two very different types of players.

Which makes the stats slightly irrelevent, as Monaghan spinning out a great pass to Briers which leads to Wire running 50 metres and scoring, doesn't necessarily show up, when compared to Roby scooting from dummy half and making 10 metres for example.

There role is about choosing the right options at the right times, and this ability doesn't necessarily show up on SL stats....

Saying that, I think based on age and nationality I may prefer Roby.

From a neutral perspective it's still hard to compare the two. The way Roby tears teams apart around the PTB is a joy to behold, but so is Monas' ability to distribute in such a way that opens up defences in a different fashion - and he is a master at catching the markers not square as well. Both are absolutely class. Roby manages to be workmanlike AND possesses an X Factor but Monas maybe gives more direction. Hard to compare. I'd have either playing for Wakey or Exeter Centurions.

For try assists Warrington's stats should include "Monaghan-to-Myler-to-Briers-to-Hodgson". I'd bet that combination would be in the top three for assists measured against any other individuals.


Back on topic. Both great players. Roby's stats are unbelievable and without him this year Saints would be lost. The likes of Scott Moore should be DRIVING to emmulate him.