POLL: Canberra Raiders 2010s Team of the Decade: Lock

[greeneyed]

Canberra Raiders 2010s Team of the Decade: Lock



It has been 10 years since The Greenhouse voted on the Canberra Raiders Team of the Decade - for the 2000s. Back in 2009, Alan Tongue was voted Canberra Raiders Lock of the 2000s. Now it is time to vote on the Lock of the 2010s!

Here are the nominees:

Shaun Fensom

Shaun Fensom joined the Canberra Raiders in 2007, playing Jersey Flegg before captaining the Green Machine to the inaugural National Youth Competition premiership in 2008. He was named at lock in the NYC 2008 Team of the Year. He made his NRL debut in Round 5 of 2009 against the Cronulla Sharks. He became a regular in first grade in 2010 and went on to play 139 NRL games in green, 128 of them as starting lock... the remainder on the bench. He was a tackling machine. In Round 11 2011 clash with the Bulldogs, Fensom equaled Nathan Hindmarsh's record for the most tackles made in a single rugby league game (75). He made a club record 1135 tackles for the 2011 season and averaged over 40 tackles a game for the next few years. He won the Meninga Medal and the Fans' Choice Player of the Year in both 2011 and 2012. He was dropped to NSW Cup midway through 2016, playing for Mounties in the 2016 Grand Final. He was released a year early just before the 2017 season, due to salary cap pressure, and he joined the North Queensland Cowboys. Fensom was a fan favourite, but he did not play representative football. He made four finals appearances for Canberra (2010, 2012) and scored 14 tries over eight seasons.

Josh Papalii

Josh Papalii made his debut for the Canberra Raiders off the bench in Round 10 of 2011 against the Melbourne Storm. Papalii was born in New Zealand, but moved to Brisbane with his family at a young age. He played his junior football with Logan Brothers, and came to the Raiders through their Queensland Cup affiliate, the Souths Logan Magpies. He represented the Raiders in the National Youth Competition in 2010-11. He has now played 197 first grade games for Canberra. He has 132 games to his name at second row, 27 at prop, 19 at lock, and the remainder on the bench. He started his career in the second row, but was moved to lock in the middle of 2018 and to prop for 2019.

Papalii has played 11 Tests for Australia, starting two in the second row (2013-19), and four for Samoa in the 2017 World Cup. He has represented the Queensland Maroons in 15 Origin matches (2013-19), four at starting prop, one in the second row, and the remainder on the bench. Papalii has also played two games for the Prime Minister's XIII (2013-14).

He has won the Meninga Medal and Canberra Raiders Fans' Choice Player of the Year three times each (2016, 2018, 2019). He has eight finals appearances to his name for Canberra (2012, 2016, 2019), including the 2019 Grand Final. He has scored 47 tries in green.

Sia Soliola

Sia Soliola made his NRL debut for the Roosters in Round 1 of 2005, playing 92 matches before heading to English club St Helens in 2010 - where he played 117 matches. The veteran joined the Raiders in 2015, winning the Meninga Medal in his first season with the club. Soliola has played 16 games at lock in his 108 appearances for the Canberra Raiders. He has also started in 35 games in green in the second row, 26 at prop and the remainder on the bench. He has made six finals appearances for the Raiders, including the 2019 Grand Final. His three finals matches in 2016 were at lock. He has scored 16 tries and one goal for a total 64 points for the Green Machine. He was awarded the Ken Stephen Medal in 2019 for his community work. He represented New Zealand (12 Tests) and Samoa (four Tests) prior to joining Canberra.

Joe Tapine

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Joe Tapine joined the Newcastle Knights in 2013, playing in their National Youth Competition team in 2013-14. He made his NRL debut for the Knights in Round 9 2014 against the Penrith Panthers. He was named in the 2014 NYC Team of the Year and represented the Junior Kiwis in 2013-14. At the start of 2016, he signed a three year deal with the Raiders, commencing in the 2017 season. He was eventually released early by the Knights, allowing Tapine to make his debut in green in Round 3 2016 - against the Knights. He has now played 80 games for the Raiders, with 17 at lock, moving to the scrum base in Round 13 of 2019. He has also played 25 matches in the second row. He has played his remaining games off the bench. Tapine has made six finals appearances for Canberra, including the 2019 Grand Final, with three off the bench (2016) and three at lock (2019. He has scored 14 tries for Canberra - and appeared in nine Tests for the New Zealand Kiwis and one match for the New Zealand Maori (2019).

You have ONE vote in this poll. You may change your vote.

Only one player has played more than 20 matches at lock for the Canberra Raiders - Shaun Fensom. For the purpose of this poll, the benchmark for a nomination has been reduced to 15 games played in the position.

This will be the final poll before Christmas... we will announce the results of the polls for the starting team over the holiday period... and vote on the bench, coach and player of the 2010s in the New Year.

See the list of all the Canberra Raiders players of the 2010s... and the results of the polls as they unfold: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33793

[greeneyed]

I was tempted to go for Tapine, given he played in the Grand Final at lock... but Fensom dominated the position for over six seasons.

[Raider47]

Fensom with Tapine on the bench. Tapine the more talented player but I think Fensom's service over the years was more significant.

[Seiffert82]

Not sure if Fenno will win this one based on a number of differing opinions about him, but for mine he should be a shoo-in for our lock of the decade. At times he was superhuman for us.

[christoraider]

I’m a dark time he was a shining light . Fensom all day long for me


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[gangrenous]

This one will be closer, you can make a strong argument that all 4 are a lock to win this one...

But seriously my vote is Papalii just to annoy GE.

[Seiffert82]

This one will be closer, you can make a strong argument that all 4 are a lock to win this one...

But seriously my vote is Papalii just to annoy GE.

Quite tempting.

[greeneyed]

[Seiffert82]

I'm sure Papa has passed the ball from dummy half here and there over the past 10 seasons too.

8. Papalii
9. Papalii
10. Papalii
11. Picker
12. Papalii
13. Papalii

[Matt]

Body of work is the main driving factor, so it has to be D-Fensom

[Matt]

I'm sure Papa has passed the ball from dummy half here and there over the past 10 seasons too.

8. Papalii
9. Papalii
10. Papalii
11. Picker
12. Papalii
13. Papalii

[-GD-]

Fensom all day, everyday.

[afgtnk]

I’m a dark time he was a shining light . Fensom all day long for me


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He was indeed. Comfortably our best lock for the decade.

[bonehead]

fensom - gave his all for us

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[Roger Kenworthy]

This thread shows how overrated Fensom was by Raiders fans. He was a fringe firstgrader made to look consistent by the knuckleheads around him. The proof is in the fact that he left us while in his prime and could only manage to find bench roles while our club moved into a much stronger era.

Considering that he probably is still the best option from this poll. In a more flexible team of the decade I'd be going with Whitehead, Soliola and Bateman as the backrow.

[gangrenous]

But in a really flexible team you’d have Papalii in all the forwards right RK?

[edwahu]

Fensom was an excellent player at his peak and much better than a fringe first grader. He won Raiders player of the year in 2012, which was a good football side packed with talent.

The game changed to favour big locks and he regressed as a player at the same time, but that's clouded memories of how good he was.

[Roger Kenworthy]

But in a really flexible team you’d have Papalii in all the forwards right RK?

I'd have him at centre switching in and out of the pack with Croker.

[Roger Kenworthy]

Fensom was an excellent player at his peak and much better than a fringe first grader. He won Raiders player of the year in 2012, which was a good football side packed with talent.

The game changed to favour big locks and he regressed as a player at the same time, but that's clouded memories of how good he was.

I believe the game had already changed when his career begun. Making 40 tackles and taking 15 runs with very low impact isn't what the game was about by 2009.

[The Nickman]

It's so good to see Fensom getting so much love. Croker, Fensom, Vaughan, that used to be my 3-2-1 "rule" in the dark times. They never let us down, and as such, all three should really be present in the team of the decade.

[magoo]

No contest _Fensom.
Played with heart and courage without fail.

[Northern Raider]

Some good players there but Fenno gets the nod. He was continually a stand out while the rest of the team were stinking it up.

[Seiffert82]

Fensom was an excellent player at his peak and much better than a fringe first grader. He won Raiders player of the year in 2012, which was a good football side packed with talent.

The game changed to favour big locks and he regressed as a player at the same time, but that's clouded memories of how good he was.

I believe the game had already changed when his career begun. Making 40 tackles and taking 15 runs with very low impact isn't what the game was about by 2009.

Didn't he start in the front row for North Queensland in the 2017 grand final? Also won our POTY in 2012 as has been pointed out. I don't think it's at all fair to call him a fringe first grader.

[Roger Kenworthy]

Fensom was an excellent player at his peak and much better than a fringe first grader. He won Raiders player of the year in 2012, which was a good football side packed with talent.

The game changed to favour big locks and he regressed as a player at the same time, but that's clouded memories of how good he was.

I believe the game had already changed when his career begun. Making 40 tackles and taking 15 runs with very low impact isn't what the game was about by 2009.

Didn't he start in the front row for North Queensland in the 2017 grand final? Also won our POTY in 2012 as has been pointed out. I don't think it's at all fair to call him a fringe first grader.

Yeah but he was still the same old Fenno when he was here in 2016 and couldn't make the 17. So as soon as we became really good he didn't make the cut. Did well to get to a GF as a journeyman with the Cowboys, that is true. I just feel like standing out during the David Furner error is along the lines of being Zimbabwe's best cricketer. We've had a great break row over the much more successful few years, no way I'd pick Fenno over Soliola, Whitehead, Bateman, Tapine, Paps.

[Botman]

Yep, like most of you, my vote is Fensom

Around 2015, his style of play become very redundent very quickly, and sometimes that happens. But prior to that, this was one of our best players game in, game out. A total stud who was probably unlucky not to play some rep footy.

I dont disagree with Ed, that if im picking a team today, Fenno wouldnt be my pick. But that's not what this is about. This is about, as i keep saying, the body of work in the decade we're talking about, and Fensom's first 5 years of this decade were tremendous. I mean really tremendous. Not fan favourite tinted glasses stuff. That guy worked his **** **** off, and impacted games with his toughness and his worth ethic weekly.

Ed says his his 40 tackles and 15 hit ups didnt matter, but even now, find me how many middle forwards averaged 40+ tackles and 100+metres?
You could lock Shaun Fensom in for that, and it was sorely needed for our football team.

Shaun Fensom is IMO, perhaps the most accurately judged/appreciated Raiders player in GH history. The forum loved him at the times where what he gave us was meaningful and significant... and when his style aged out, the vast majority of us "got it" and were happy to move on.

[BadnMean]

Yeah I disagree.

His good points were an enormous heart, huge effort and wholehearted contribution for the club. I appreciate him for that, respect all that he did and thank him for it.

But our roster was poor, he was ok, but very limited. Like a slightly bigger tonguey without the hints of creative flair. Could have been a great, just above minimum wage contributor at a strong club.

Early on his engine gave rise to Brad Clyde -like hopes. But he had none of the size, power, gamesense or skill of Clyde. Not his fault, just facts. I can live with him getting picked just on consistency and effort in a dark period. But he wasn't very effective or very good.

He made 50 tackles because he was a soft target and never made a hit- Hodgo laid more shoulders in this season than Fenno in 5 seasons (honestly, I'm rewatching. Hedge has come up with a cheeky bellringer or 2 every game, even Gallen in his testimonial). He got monstered every second hit up. His offloads were dumped out the back after getting picked up and driven.

It was a hard period to watch and the fact he was so appreciated just for the fact he tried, despite being well short of the physical and skill components required tells a story. As does his lack of success, injury or otherwise at subsequent clubs.



You're looking at an opposition lineup... Our 4 lock options are in the other team. Whose name do you feel most comfortable facing in the other team... Sia will smash you all day + the odd flash... Tapine hits big, steps, offloads... Josh Papalii... yeah
Or Shaun Fensom? Fensom is the definition of "meh" in your own team or the opposition so he doesn't make the team of the decade, despite years of consistent, "not garbage, great effort".

[edwahu]

That's just not an accurate take on his early years at all.

[The Nickman]

Yep, like most of you, my vote is Fensom

Around 2015, his style of play become very redundent very quickly, and sometimes that happens. But prior to that, this was one of our best players game in, game out. A total stud who was probably unlucky not to play some rep footy.

I dont disagree with Ed, that if im picking a team today, Fenno wouldnt be my pick. But that's not what this is about. This is about, as i keep saying, the body of work in the decade we're talking about, and Fensom's first 5 years of this decade were tremendous. I mean really tremendous. Not fan favourite tinted glasses stuff. That guy worked his **** **** off, and impacted games with his toughness and his worth ethic weekly.

Ed says his his 40 tackles and 15 hit ups didnt matter, but even now, find me how many middle forwards averaged 40+ tackles and 100+metres?
You could lock Shaun Fensom in for that, and it was sorely needed for our football team.

Shaun Fensom is IMO, perhaps the most accurately judged/appreciated Raiders player in GH history. The forum loved him at the times where what he gave us was meaningful and significant... and when his style aged out, the vast majority of us "got it" and were happy to move on.

You’re all over the place here, pal. Why are you voting for Wighton at five-eighth if this is your argument?

Surely by your logic the only common-sense answer is Blake Austin?

[Botman]

Yep, like most of you, my vote is Fensom

Around 2015, his style of play become very redundent very quickly, and sometimes that happens. But prior to that, this was one of our best players game in, game out. A total stud who was probably unlucky not to play some rep footy.

I dont disagree with Ed, that if im picking a team today, Fenno wouldnt be my pick. But that's not what this is about. This is about, as i keep saying, the body of work in the decade we're talking about, and Fensom's first 5 years of this decade were tremendous. I mean really tremendous. Not fan favourite tinted glasses stuff. That guy worked his **** **** off, and impacted games with his toughness and his worth ethic weekly.

Ed says his his 40 tackles and 15 hit ups didnt matter, but even now, find me how many middle forwards averaged 40+ tackles and 100+metres?
You could lock Shaun Fensom in for that, and it was sorely needed for our football team.

Shaun Fensom is IMO, perhaps the most accurately judged/appreciated Raiders player in GH history. The forum loved him at the times where what he gave us was meaningful and significant... and when his style aged out, the vast majority of us "got it" and were happy to move on.

You’re all over the place here, pal. Why are you voting for Wighton at five-eighth if this is your argument?

Surely by your logic the only common-sense answer is Blake Austin?

No, i think what Blake Austin gave this team in the 2017-18 years was utterly dreadful. He had to be moved from one side of the field to the others because his outside men where sick and **** tired of his glory boy Bull. That matters and it tarnishes whatever good will you built up.
Im not picking a play maker in my team of the decade whose outside men hated him

To my mind you have 2015 in which Austin was very good but his team finished 10th. Like at some point i dont give a **** how good you were as a play maker if your team finishes 10/24.
In 2016 he solid, but not particularly good or bad... defensively the cracks had began to appear and the league had figured out his one move. His impact was limited
in 2017-18, like most of the team he was absolutely dreadful, and as above, was such a **** **** at times that the coach couldnt play him on the same side as Rapana and Beej because they literally couldnt even communicate in game with each other, such was the state of their relationship, which was Austin's doing.
I cant and wont ignore that.

So i've got a choice of:

a) Blake Austin who had one stellar year who's individual performance did not contribute to winning football; 1 average year and 2 years that were an abomination. So AFAIC, one year a football worth considering.
b) Jack Wighton who had one stellar year, who's individual performance was a vital cog in a GF run, who earn state and international jerseys individually and collected the CCM in that year. He had individual success and he had team success. And at no point did the coach have to move him to another side of the field because he was a glory hunting ****

And you want me to pick Blake Austin given that?
Hard pass from me.

[The Nickman]

Sounds to me like you need to go the Josh McCrone route then.

[Botman]

Sounds to me like you need to go the Josh McCrone route then.

Imma go the route of picking the best player in the position who put the best body of work together in that decade.
At 5/8th, Jack Wighton's body of work in 2019 was more impactful and better than Austin's 2015-18, Campese's 2010-2014 and McCrone's entire god damn career

[The Nickman]

So you're just randomly pulling players out of a hat then? Good stuff!

[Botman]

So you're just randomly pulling players out of a hat then? Good stuff!

I guess so.
Enjoy dying on the Blake Austin hill, friend

[Danster]

Has to be Fensom.
Was always consistent in a time when the team rarely was.


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[The Nickman]

So you're just randomly pulling players out of a hat then? Good stuff!

I guess so.
Enjoy dying on the Blake Austin hill, friend

Oh, I will indeed, pal. When Blake Austin left the club I couldn’t have been more pleased to see the back of him, however I now will not rest until every single one of you acknowledge that he’s the greatest player to ever lace a boot for the Canberra Raiders.

Because that’s how this forum works... right?