All time kiwi league team

We have had some great players , I go back a bit more than most here I imagine ,

I grew up down at carlaw park ,

here are a couple of guns I saw play as a kid ,

Roger Bailey , started as a centre , finished at 6 ,

he was our Wally Lewis , just had that ability to pull off the crucial play to win a game ,

Another that came after him , Dennis Williams , also a centre that finished as a 6 ,

Picked for the kiwis at 17 years old , scored with his first touch of the ball stepping through pommy tacklers , was that kind of magic player ,

@Nepia that's what I was after thanks. I cringed with memory loss typing Gene friggin Ngamu!

Another couple that would be hard to leave out would be the Sorenson brothers , Dane front row , kurt second row

Both were considered the best in the world in their positions at the time ,

they were the first players playing overseas to be selected for the kiwis , before that if you went overseas , ( not too many did ) you said goodbye to the kiwi jersey ,

I tend to think the kiwi jersey meant more a lot back then , all our best players were playing at home, mostly for auckland clubs , ( gee that was a great comp back then, big crowds down at carlaw park every sunday for game of the round ) , and the pinnacle for them was kiwi selection

Do we think that Mark Graham was the best? A pine tree type. Always grew up thinking that. Maybe Stacey surpassed?

Graeme West from the old Wigan days

Kevin Tamati gets an honourable mention

For giving Greg Dowling a TASTE OF KIWI!!!!

@Siam said in All time kiwi league team:

Do we think that Mark Graham was the best? A pine tree type. Always grew up thinking that. Maybe Stacey surpassed?

Mark graham was an absolute gun

heres my team with a bit of open bias to some heroes from my childhood , but could easily pick others , way too many close calls

1. RTS 2 . Dane O Hara 3. Dennis Williams 4, Nigel Vagana 5. Philip Orchard 6 , Roger Bailey 7 . Stacey Jones 8 . Dane Sorenson 9 . Tom Conroy 10. Mark Broadhurst 11, Kurt Sorenson 12 SBW 13 Mark Graham

14 . Clayton friend 15 , Kevin Tamiti 16 . Roy Asotasi 17 Ali Lauititi

I'm not a big league fan, no really, but a team of my favorites is (showing my age):

1. Gary Kemble
2. Tony Iro
3. James Leuluai
4. Fred Ah Kuoi
5. Dane O'Hara
6. Gary Freeman
7. Stacy Jones
8. Dane Sorensen
9. Duane Mann
10. Mark Broadhurst
11. Kurt Sorensen
12. Mark Graham
13. Hugh McGahan

Don't ask me about a bench... Kevin Iro somewhere there.

@booboo we grew up on the same league I think boo.
Duane Mann, thank you. I knew there was another gun hooker

My team of only players I've seen play:

1. Mathew Ridge
2. Sean Hoppe
3. James Leuluai
4. Dean Bell (How is he not getting selected in more teams? :astonished_face: )
5. Kevin Iro
6. Benji Marshall/Olsen Filipaina* (I actually can't pick between these two. I'm not a fan of Freeman at 6.)
7. Stacey Jones
8. Jesse Bromwich
9. Isaac Luke
10. Kevin Tamati
11. SBW
12. Mark Graham
13. Hugh McGahan

Bench: 14. Henry Paul, 15. Reuben Wiki, 16. Quentin Pongia, 17. Kurt Sorensen.

@kiwiinmelb said in All time kiwi league team:

I grew up down at carlaw park...

Another that came after him , Dennis Williams , also a centre that finished as a 6 ,

Picked for the kiwis at 17 years old , scored with his first touch of the ball stepping through pommy tacklers , was that kind of magic player ,

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Thank you. My first thought was Dennis Williams. Maybe ‘cos he was my fave League player, and then Olsen Filipaina.

And crikey, look at the condition of those paddocks back in the Seventies!!

@kiwiinmelb said in All time kiwi league team:

@Siam said in All time kiwi league team:

Do we think that Mark Graham was the best? A pine tree type. Always grew up thinking that. Maybe Stacey surpassed?

Mark graham was an absolute gun

On a kiwis tour in the UK he broke his ankle, carried on playing till halftime. Then actually took the field at the start of the 2nd half before coming off.
Guy was the forerunner to Richie McCaw for hardness and putting his team ahead of himself.

Dally Messenger - just to piss the Ockers off

No love for Clinton Toopi ?

Craig Innes? I know the Aussies rated him highly.

Brendon Tuuta, just for the Chatham Island shoutout.

@Virgil said in All time kiwi league team:

@kiwiinmelb said in All time kiwi league team:

@Siam said in All time kiwi league team:

Do we think that Mark Graham was the best? A pine tree type. Always grew up thinking that. Maybe Stacey surpassed?

Mark graham was an absolute gun

On a kiwis tour in the UK he broke his ankle, carried on playing till halftime. Then actually took the field at the start of the 2nd half before coming off.
Guy was the forerunner to Richie McCaw for hardness and putting his team ahead of himself.

I remember watching him break into first grade at Oatahuhu as a tall skinny back row forward , the Oatahuhu back row was international quality with himself , Owen Wright and Gary Prohm .

The Oatahuhu coach was Lowe , when Lowe took up his first overseas coaching job at Brisbane , he took Graham with him , in his first game a fight broke out , some player came at Graham shaping up , so graham hit him and knocked him out , being a young kiwi bloke he didnt know alot about reputations in Aus . He knocked out Wally Lewis .

@Salacious-Crumb said in All time kiwi league team:

@kiwiinmelb said in All time kiwi league team:

I grew up down at carlaw park...

Another that came after him , Dennis Williams , also a centre that finished as a 6 ,

Picked for the kiwis at 17 years old , scored with his first touch of the ball stepping through pommy tacklers , was that kind of magic player ,

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Thank you. My first thought was Dennis Williams. Maybe ‘cos he was my fave League player, and then Olsen Filipaina.

And crikey, look at the condition of those paddocks back in the Seventies!!

I heard some time back Dennis Williams was not going so well ,
had a car accident and lost his memory ,

Was fine with the day to day stuff , but couldnt remember the past ,

How tragic , imagine being a gun like that in your day , and you cant remember any of it .

@MN5 said in All time kiwi league team:

No love for Clinton Toopi ?

Not when there are 5-6 that are better. Toopi was a bit error prone.

There’s no doubting that the Warriors era of Toopi, Fa’afili, Meli, Lauitiiti was damn good to watch.

@Smudge said in All time kiwi league team:

Brendon Tuuta, just for the Chatham Island shoutout.

That fella knew how to throw a punch!

@ACT-Crusader said in All time kiwi league team:

@Smudge said in All time kiwi league team:

Brendon Tuuta, just for the Chatham Island shoutout.

That fella knew how to throw a punch!

I remember him being a total madman

@ACT-Crusader said in All time kiwi league team:

@MN5 said in All time kiwi league team:

No love for Clinton Toopi ?

Not when there are 5-6 that are better. Toopi was a bit error prone.

There’s no doubting that the Warriors era of Toopi, Fa’afili, Meli, Lauitiiti was damn good to watch.

Fuck yeah. John Carlaw was a great "glue" man around them too. They captured the whole countries imagination back then, could things be any more different now though ?

@MN5 who?

@Bones said in All time kiwi league team:

@MN5 who?

Read this is and try not to appear so naive next time.

@MN5 said in All time kiwi league team:

@Bones said in All time kiwi league team:

@MN5 who?

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Read this is and try not to appear so naive next time.

Looks like he stuck around. I must have missed his handful of games.

@Bones said in All time kiwi league team:

@MN5 said in All time kiwi league team:

@Bones said in All time kiwi league team:

@MN5 who?

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Read this is and try not to appear so naive next time.

Looks like he stuck around. I must have missed his handful of games.

Yeah about two seasons worth which ironically was when I watched the Warriors the most.

@kiwiinmelb broke his jaw! In his book he recalls that game and how absolutely far@%d he was. It being his first outing for North's he was struggling with the pace of the game so decided he'd try and get himself sent off. First opportunity he gets he cracks the closest guy to him which just happened to be Wally Lewis. Didn't work though as the ref just gave him a warning and left him on the field....haha

@kiwiinmelb

Some players in Dennis Williams era worthy of mention are Phil Orchard, Roy Christian and John Whitaker.

Kiwis had an outstanding team in early '70's beating Oz and GB in Test series

@Victor-Meldrew said in All time kiwi league team:

@kiwiinmelb

Some players in Dennis Williams era worthy of mention are Phil Orchard, Roy Christian and John Whitaker.

Kiwis had an outstanding team in early '70's beating Oz and GB in Test series

Tony Coll , Ray Baxendale ,John Greengrass , Kenny Stirling were a few others ,

Henry Tatana , the goal kicking maori prop was a good player , then we lost him to St George , no longer eligible in those days ,

Become a bit of a cult hero at St george

@kiwiinmelb

Never really got into League that much - but watched the '72 Kiwi side as it was successful while the AB's of '70-'73 simply sucked....

Barnett
Blackmore
McCraken
Iro
Hoppe
Paul
Freeman
Todd
Mann
Pongia
Graham
McGahan
Nikau

Bell
SBW
Tamati
Wiki

@mariner4life said in All time kiwi league team:

Barnett
Blackmore
McCraken
Iro
Hoppe
Paul
Freeman
Todd
Mann
Pongia
Graham
McGahan
Nikau

Bell
SBW
Tamati
Wiki

A team without Stacy Jones can not be taken serious

Other than that nice team.

A lot of those players did well in this test.. shame the next 2 were thumpings.

@ACT-Crusader said in All time kiwi league team:

@mariner4life said in All time kiwi league team:

Barnett
Blackmore
McCraken
Iro
Hoppe
Paul
Freeman
Todd
Mann
Pongia
Graham
McGahan
Nikau

Bell
SBW
Tamati
Wiki

A team without Stacy Jones can not be taken serious

Other than that nice team.

Sean Hoppe over the Beast is some sort of sick joke surely.

@Virgil my starting point

@MN5 said in All time kiwi league team:

@ACT-Crusader said in All time kiwi league team:

@mariner4life said in All time kiwi league team:

Barnett
Blackmore
McCraken
Iro
Hoppe
Paul
Freeman
Todd
Mann
Pongia
Graham
McGahan
Nikau

Bell
SBW
Tamati
Wiki

A team without Stacy Jones can not be taken serious

Other than that nice team.

Sean Hoppe over the Beast is some sort of sick joke surely.

Considering only one of these guys are from the 90s this post is surprising

@mariner4life said in All time kiwi league team:

@MN5 said in All time kiwi league team:

@ACT-Crusader said in All time kiwi league team:

@mariner4life said in All time kiwi league team:

Barnett
Blackmore
McCraken
Iro
Hoppe
Paul
Freeman
Todd
Mann
Pongia
Graham
McGahan
Nikau

Bell
SBW
Tamati
Wiki

A team without Stacy Jones can not be taken serious

Other than that nice team.

Sean Hoppe over the Beast is some sort of sick joke surely.

Considering only one of these guys are from the 90s this post is surprising

Well that and I remember Sean Hoppe made Caleb Ralph look dynamic.

@MN5 said in All time kiwi league team:

@mariner4life said in All time kiwi league team:

@MN5 said in All time kiwi league team:

@ACT-Crusader said in All time kiwi league team:

@mariner4life said in All time kiwi league team:

Barnett
Blackmore
McCraken
Iro
Hoppe
Paul
Freeman
Todd
Mann
Pongia
Graham
McGahan
Nikau

Bell
SBW
Tamati
Wiki

A team without Stacy Jones can not be taken serious

Other than that nice team.

Sean Hoppe over the Beast is some sort of sick joke surely.

Considering only one of these guys are from the 90s this post is surprising

Well that and I remember Sean Hoppe made Caleb Ralph look dynamic.

I don't think you know who Sean Hoppe is.

@Virgil said in All time kiwi league team:

A lot of those players did well in this test.. shame the next 2 were thumpings.

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I was there , was a fun night