Is Andrew Symonds the best fielder we've ever seen?

[Fuller Pilch]

Symonds could have played rugby league if he didn't play cricket. NSW would have been glad he didn't though. One more gun player for the greatest origin side in the greatest era of Queensland origin football.

For those who don't know, state of origin is a series of three matches played between QLD and NSW each year. It's highly competitive and until 2006 or so no side had won more than three years in a row. Queensland fielded a side that won 8 in a row and has probably three players who will go down as the best players of all time or close to it in their positions (Thurston at 6/7, Smith at Hooker and Inglis in the centres).

I'm into union rather than league (still gutted about Sat night), but still follow a bit of the 13 man code and would support Queensland in Origin (mainly bcos they had Graeme Lowe as a coach when I was at school and I quite liked Queendland players like Lewis and Meninga and Michael Lynagh in union). Anyway what position would Symmonds have played in league and where would Slater rate among Aussie fullbacks (good player even though he choked in the 2008 WC).

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Slater almost certainly the greatest fullback ever, despite his penchant for kicking defenseless players in the head.

 

[stephen]

Yeah Slater had a good case to be the best full back ever but Lockyer is right up there. I would have imagined Symonds as a second rower or a centre.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Lockyer's case dies with his switch of positions. Lockyer was a fine fullback but he stopped playing there before we could ever see how his age would affect his play. Case closed when it comes to comparing him to someone who remained elite at the position for 15 years.

 

[mr_mister]

Best out of Brasher, Peachey and Minichello from the NSW side?

Yes I know Hayne was better than them all

 

[honestbharani]

Wasn't Jonty in the field Hockey Olympic team or something for South Africa?

 

[Line and Length]

Rhodes represented South Africa at hockey and was chosen as part of the 1992 Olympic Games squad to go to Barcelona; however, the squad did not qualify to go to the tournament. He was also called up for trials to play in the 1996 Olympics but was ruled out by a hamstring injury.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Hockey as in field hockey? Ew

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Hockey as in field hockey? Ew

Great sport imo.

Ross Taylor played a lot of hockey as a kid and developed his slog sweep from playing the game

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Yeah Slater had a good case to be the best full back ever but Lockyer is right up there. I would have imagined Symonds as a second rower or a centre.

Yeah he reminds me a bit of SBW so I can understand that.

 

[TheJediBrah]

In Aus it's the sport played by all the uncoordinated and small kids who can't play proper sports but are forced to play something because of school rules. Even soccer is higher on the social ladder, and soccer's not much better

 

[Line and Length]

I played with and against cricketers who were also adept at hockey. A name that springs to mind (though I don't play with/against him) is Ric Charlesworth. An Olympic silver medalist in hockey, he played in 3 winning WA Shield sides.

 

[TheJediBrah]

First decent cricketer to represent Zimbabwe, Dave Houghton, did it in Hockey too. Thami Tsolekile also played a hockey game for SA.

lost a bit of respect for both of them

 

[Kraken]

Best out of Brasher, Peachey and Minichello from the NSW side?

Yes I know Hayne was better than them all

Mini comfortably here, but it would've been Brett Stewart if he could stay fit, and wasn't such a ****wit tbh

 

[mr_mister]

Going by Zim's '83 cup squad(which included Hick but he didn't play) you've got Kevin Curran and Duncan Fletcher alongside Houghton

Fletcher's all round performance at that cup was super impressive but his FC stuff is a bit lacking. Kevin Curran the inverse of that, didn't do much in his few ODIs but going by his FC record he was probably a better player than anyone bar Andy Flower who ever played for Zim.

edit - Kevin Curran played FC cricket right up until 1999, does anyone know why he never got to represent Zimbabwe again after 1987?

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Imagine if Cullen had played league - would've been the goat for sure.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Going by Zim's '83 cup squad(which included Hick but he didn't play) you've got Kevin Curran and Duncan Fletcher alongside Houghton

Fletcher's all round performance at that cup was super impressive but his FC stuff is a bit lacking. Kevin Curran the inverse of that, didn't do much in his few ODIs but going by his FC record he was probably a better player than anyone bar Andy Flower who ever played for Zim.

edit - Kevin Curran played FC cricket right up until 1999, does anyone know why he never got to represent Zimbabwe again after 1987?

what

 

[mr_mister]

Oh was in response to Jedi saying Houghton was Zims first decent cricketer. Should employ the quote button more

 

[stephen]

Field hockey is great. It takes the three things that are redeemable about soccer and turns them into a sport worth playing and watching.

 

[mr_mister]

It's fun to play but boring to watch imo.