These are the people who can speak good grammatical English, articulate a thought, not have a very broad parochial accent, and thereby present a good image for our game to the general public.

Australia has produced quite a few. Great Britain / England not so many:


[uAustralians:[/u

Ex-players: Peter Sterling, Phillip Gould, Matthew Johns, Walter Lewis, Robert Fulton, Shane Webke, Glen Lazarus, Gregory Alexander, Mark Gasnier, Gary Belcher, Wayne Bennett, Geoffrey Toovey (chartered accountant), Justin Morgan,

Current players: Cooper Cronk, Samuel Thaiday, Cameron Smith (?),


[uEnglish and Irish[/u

Ex-players: Brian Carney (law graduate), Michael Stephenson, Brian Noble

Current players: John Wilkins (reads poetry), Kevin Sinfield,


[uNew Zealanders[/u:

Ex-players: Richard Barnett, Gary Freeman,

Current players: ?


Can you add some names to the list of English and New Zealand players who qualify?

Nice edit but, you forgot Gregory and Walter. You pillock

=#BF40BFfixed!

Tulsen Tollet. does sports news for BBC News 24.

Dan Sarginson, Taulima Tautai, Steve Hampson, Kris Radlinski, Iestyn Harris and Paul Deacon have come over v well when interviewed in the SS Bar before/after the match at Wigan. Joe Burgess is just a cheeky young lad when interviewed in this way and is quite funny.

There's plenty more players/coaches who speak very well, it's just that they don't get the media exposure.

Ian Lenegan also comes over very well as I am sure some of the other owners/chairmen would.

There are plenty of "intelligent and articulate" rugby league players. Just because the media chooses not to concentrate on them doesn't mean they don't exist.

A good example would be Mark Flanagan at Saints. All the lads and coaching staff speak very highly of him.

Also, there's a danger here in over-emphasizing academic intelligence, "book smarts", call it what you will. Just because a player isn't in the habit of using three or four syllable words - it doesn't follow that they are any less "intelligent" than the likes of, say, Jon Wilkin, who, for all his polished "media" style and expanded dictionary says so little of note you kind of wonder why he bothered.

I don't know about anyone else but I find the notion that "regional" accents speaking in working class idiom is undesirable to be downright offensive.

Paul Sculthorpe is one of many players who takes abuse for repetitive region-specific "filler" (such as "you know.."icon_wink.gif, yet this is [uworking class lingua franca[/u.

Ask Clare Balding who she thinks is more interesting - "intelligent", "articulate" Jon Wilkin, or that dashing northern scoundrel and all-round best bit of "Northern Ruff" since Lady Chatterley's Lover? - "Scuuuuuulllly!"



Yes, it's great when players offer new and sophisticated insights into the game. But let's not forget our working class roots, eh?

It's interesting looking at the NRL and comparing Cooper Cronk with Jonathan Thurston. The latter takes a merciless (although good natured) ribbing on the Footy Show over his myriad gaffes over the years. It's even worse for poor old Mario Fenech!

But if you asked me whether I prefer Cronk to Thurston - I'd have to say no. Sure, CC is a switched on guy. But Thurston is nothing short of 22ct. GOLD on camera!

I think Peacock comes over very well as an intelligent, articulate orator.

You've forgot Mick Morgan - I can't speke !

I think it's more about character than being educated and articulate. Television at the moment is awash with a big, northern sportsman, who isn't the brightest, but has a bit of a connection with viewer, Andrew Flintoff. Sport needs these characters, people like Sam Thiaday and JT. They are likeble people, who you can tell enjoy doing it, rather than having a cardboard cutout of Robbie Paul mumbling through a broadcast, as 'presentable' as he may be.

For me, keep the characters in the game, the 'love to hate, hate to love' people, like Sean Long, Lee Briers and Sam Tomkins. NRL do it with Noddy, Gaznier and Tallis, football with Ian Wright and Robbie Savage, we should wheel out our charismatic guys on the sidelines of matches too.

Malcolm Alker was quite good in front of the cameras believe it or not, some of the guests on Super League Show make you wince.

Tom Armstrong at Leigh is currently completing a master degree in petroleum engineering.

His accent makes him almost unintelligible to people not from the north of England.