Possessing speed, power, or ideally both, a good winger is an essential asset for any rugby league team.
During 25 years of the competition, there has been a number of players who have stood out in this position and helped guide their teams to wins with their try-scoring prowess, their ability to diffuse dangerous kicks and a strong running game to bring the ball back to help get their teams on the front foot.
To acknowledge the Intrust Super Cup reaching a milestone 25 years, and to highlight some of the amazing talent the competition has helped foster and unearth, fans are being encouraged to vote on a 25-year team.
This team is not an official team, but rather, a chance for fans to have their say on who they think has lit up the competition during its 25 years.
Members of the Queensland Rugby League staff have helped select a shortlist of players for each position.
The criteria for selection:
- Players to have played in at least two seasons, ideally 50 games
- The ‘game impact’ of players has been taken into account, with players who have made key contributions to winning results
- Entertainment value – when they play, does it help bring fans through the gates?
The next position to select for the fan-picked 25-year team is winger.
Intrust Super Cup 25-year team winger nominees
1. Nat Barnes
Selected in the 20-year Anniversary Team, for a long while Barnes held the record for the most tries in the competition with 135, until it was broken by a fellow 25-year team nominee (see below). A former track and field athlete as a junior, be became a speedy winger who showed strength when diving for the try line. Barnes, who also spent time in the South Sydney Rabbitohs system, won premierships with both Tweed and Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
2. Aaron Barba
Confident and brash, in his time Barba was considered the fastest player in rugby league. A star with Redcliffe Dolphins, he was an entertainer who loved to interact with the crowd. He accumulated 61 tries in his Cup career overall, which included time with Mackay Cutters and once scored 33 tries in a season, just behind the competition record of 34. His four-pointers include a hat-trick in Redcliffe's grand final win over Burleigh in 2003.
3. Liam Georgetown
A Redcliffe Dolphins stalwart who also served as a club captain, Georgetown remarkably scored 318 points in a single season - a record for the competition. Hailing from Cherbourg, Georgetown played 151 games for his club and scored 1247 points in total to be third on the all-time ladder and scored 107 tries to help boost that tally.
4. Daniel Ogden
A try-scoring machine, Daniel Ogden holds the Intrust Super Cup competition record for most tries, with the former Norths Devils and Wynnum Manly Seagulls outside back crossing for 155 tries in his 197 games. He started his career with the Devils with a bang; crossing for four tries in his 2009 debut Cup match to set him on his record-breaking path to come.
5. Heath Egglestone
Central Queensland star Heath Egglestone retired on 99 tries from his 150 games. Another player named in the 20-year Anniversary Team, Egglestone made his debut in the inaugural Queensland Cup in 1996 and called time at the end of the 2004 season. From Dysart, Egglestone holds the record for most tries at the club; his 398 points place him second on the ladder behind Nat Bowman and he only has Guy Williams in front of him for most games played.
Vote now in the poll.
Poll closes on Thursday, April 9, at 10am and results will be published that afternoon.
If your choice isn't listed - be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments on the Intrust Super Cup Facebook page.
*Statistics courtesy of Brad Tallon
