DeeGan
30-03-06, 08:16 AM
Great read from a piece by Darren Lockyer :clap: Sums up the retirement of the great man for many a Queenslander :D
Joey ranks alongside King Wally
By Darren Lockyer
March 30, 2006
HAVING watched first-hand what Andrew Johns did to my Queensland teammates and myself in last year's State of Origin, I can't say I was too devastated to hear he was stepping away from representative football after the Anzac Test.
Joey is, by a fair stretch, the best player I have played against and Origin football will be the poorer for his decision to step away. It is the greatest contest in our game, and I believe Joey ranks alongside "The King" Wally Lewis as one of the rare players who have managed to transcend the rivalry between NSW and Queensland.
Wally definitely dominated Origin football for a longer period but Joey and another little halfback, by the name of Allan Langer, were the only guys who have been able to exert such a commanding influence on the game in the toughest of circumstances.
What Joey did in last year's Origin series, coming back from a knee reconstruction and a broken jaw to guide NSW home in the final two games, was Lewis-like. When you are talking State of Origin, there is no higher praise.
Being a young Queensland boy, Wally was, of course, my hero. Unfortunately I never got to play with the great man, but seeing Joey and Alf at their best - even if Andrew was carving up my side - are memories I will pass on to my grandchildren. Those two guys are, in my opinion, the greatest in modern times.
I have seen Joey in action from a variety of vantage points. I have played with and against him, at fullback and five-eighth. I saw him with the No.7 and No.9 on his back. But the situation, vantage points and numbers made no difference to the outcome: wherever he has played, Joey has been in control.
I was asked this week why it is little blokes such as Joey and Alf are as great as they are and the answer to that is pretty simple. They see things on the field the rest of us do not; not even the really good players. They see a situation evolving two and three plays ahead. They steer their team in a certain direction to get the opposition thinking about one hand and then they hit them with the other.
I must admit I was a little shocked when I first read about Joey's decision but, with a little more time to consider the factors and knowing the bloke like I do, I am not all that surprised.
He loves Newcastle and wants to win another title before he retires. He feels he owes the club and the Knights fans the best he has left and that mid-year commitment simply will not allow him to do that. Origin football is mentally taxing and Joey also has to worry about his body, which is in peak condition for one of the few times in recent seasons.
As you get older the physical toll does start to wear you down. It's been a long time since Joey finished the year in good shape and I just don't know how he would handle another off-season plagued by surgery and rehab.
Thankfully, all rugby league fans will have a chance to see him in a Kangaroos jumper one last time in the Anzac Test. It will be a wonderful occasion and I hope everyone gets behind Joey and gives him the send-off from representative football he deserves.
Speaking of the Test in Brisbane, the fullback/five-eighth debate has started again.
To begin with, talking about my place in the Test is premature. We have only just started the season and after round one against the Cowboys some people were saying I was struggling to stay in the Broncos side.
I am not going to start buying into discussions about my selection for the Test side. One of the worst things you can do as a player is get drawn into the hypothetical situations people love to offer.
I have been around long enough to know the only thing you can control is how you prepare yourself and apply yourself each week. That's what I am doing. I will say I am playing five-eighth and that's where I want to play.
I still have a lot to learn and improve on, but doing that and helping the Broncos play good, consistent football is my only focus at the moment. I felt better than I have for a long time last week and am slowly getting back to the level at which I know I can perform.
This weekend's game with the Dragons at WIN Stadium in Wollongong will be a huge challenge for us and everyone at the Broncos is itching to get down there after a good home win over the Eels.
I picked the Dragons as the side to beat this year and, while they may have started slowly, my opinion on that has not changed. They have strike power from top to bottom and our defence will have to improve again after a very good performance last week.
Fans should buckle in for a cracking battle in the centres. Justin Hodges and Mark Gasnier are the two best attacking centres in the game at the moment and will be vitally important to their respective team's chances. But we shouldn't forget their opponents on Sunday - Matt Cooper and Shaun Berrigan. Both guys have played Test football and are outstanding players.
Berro was great for us last week. His kick-chase and defence on the left-hand side were sensational and he has a great record on Gaz. Let's hope that continues on Sunday.
The Australian
Joey ranks alongside King Wally
By Darren Lockyer
March 30, 2006
HAVING watched first-hand what Andrew Johns did to my Queensland teammates and myself in last year's State of Origin, I can't say I was too devastated to hear he was stepping away from representative football after the Anzac Test.
Joey is, by a fair stretch, the best player I have played against and Origin football will be the poorer for his decision to step away. It is the greatest contest in our game, and I believe Joey ranks alongside "The King" Wally Lewis as one of the rare players who have managed to transcend the rivalry between NSW and Queensland.
Wally definitely dominated Origin football for a longer period but Joey and another little halfback, by the name of Allan Langer, were the only guys who have been able to exert such a commanding influence on the game in the toughest of circumstances.
What Joey did in last year's Origin series, coming back from a knee reconstruction and a broken jaw to guide NSW home in the final two games, was Lewis-like. When you are talking State of Origin, there is no higher praise.
Being a young Queensland boy, Wally was, of course, my hero. Unfortunately I never got to play with the great man, but seeing Joey and Alf at their best - even if Andrew was carving up my side - are memories I will pass on to my grandchildren. Those two guys are, in my opinion, the greatest in modern times.
I have seen Joey in action from a variety of vantage points. I have played with and against him, at fullback and five-eighth. I saw him with the No.7 and No.9 on his back. But the situation, vantage points and numbers made no difference to the outcome: wherever he has played, Joey has been in control.
I was asked this week why it is little blokes such as Joey and Alf are as great as they are and the answer to that is pretty simple. They see things on the field the rest of us do not; not even the really good players. They see a situation evolving two and three plays ahead. They steer their team in a certain direction to get the opposition thinking about one hand and then they hit them with the other.
I must admit I was a little shocked when I first read about Joey's decision but, with a little more time to consider the factors and knowing the bloke like I do, I am not all that surprised.
He loves Newcastle and wants to win another title before he retires. He feels he owes the club and the Knights fans the best he has left and that mid-year commitment simply will not allow him to do that. Origin football is mentally taxing and Joey also has to worry about his body, which is in peak condition for one of the few times in recent seasons.
As you get older the physical toll does start to wear you down. It's been a long time since Joey finished the year in good shape and I just don't know how he would handle another off-season plagued by surgery and rehab.
Thankfully, all rugby league fans will have a chance to see him in a Kangaroos jumper one last time in the Anzac Test. It will be a wonderful occasion and I hope everyone gets behind Joey and gives him the send-off from representative football he deserves.
Speaking of the Test in Brisbane, the fullback/five-eighth debate has started again.
To begin with, talking about my place in the Test is premature. We have only just started the season and after round one against the Cowboys some people were saying I was struggling to stay in the Broncos side.
I am not going to start buying into discussions about my selection for the Test side. One of the worst things you can do as a player is get drawn into the hypothetical situations people love to offer.
I have been around long enough to know the only thing you can control is how you prepare yourself and apply yourself each week. That's what I am doing. I will say I am playing five-eighth and that's where I want to play.
I still have a lot to learn and improve on, but doing that and helping the Broncos play good, consistent football is my only focus at the moment. I felt better than I have for a long time last week and am slowly getting back to the level at which I know I can perform.
This weekend's game with the Dragons at WIN Stadium in Wollongong will be a huge challenge for us and everyone at the Broncos is itching to get down there after a good home win over the Eels.
I picked the Dragons as the side to beat this year and, while they may have started slowly, my opinion on that has not changed. They have strike power from top to bottom and our defence will have to improve again after a very good performance last week.
Fans should buckle in for a cracking battle in the centres. Justin Hodges and Mark Gasnier are the two best attacking centres in the game at the moment and will be vitally important to their respective team's chances. But we shouldn't forget their opponents on Sunday - Matt Cooper and Shaun Berrigan. Both guys have played Test football and are outstanding players.
Berro was great for us last week. His kick-chase and defence on the left-hand side were sensational and he has a great record on Gaz. Let's hope that continues on Sunday.
The Australian