No doubt Inglis’ feelings regarding his success at representative level compared to winning a premiership with South Sydney will upset people. What will get lost in the discussion is that this is Inglis’ own feelings about his own success as a Rugby League player, so its not like he can be wrong about his own opinions!
I tend to think that for elite players, representative success is seen as more of a personal achievement. Players get selected for their own form at club level. They get paid a large sum of money for every game they play. Playing at representative level also have a direct impact on the amount of money they make on their club contracts as well. It all pushes representative football from being less about the team and more about being a collection of individually talented players.
Club football is a little different…
Because there are far more club games the collective form of a team is far more important. Everyone has to be pulling in the same direction for a club to be successful. At representative level, if a player gets injured you just bring in another star. At club level you bring a fringe first grader into the side and everyone else has to lift their game.
Lets face it, South Sydney winning their first premiership since 1971 would be huge. You don’t even need to be a Rabbitohs supporter to appreciate the history that would be made if the Bunnies held the trophy high on the first Sunday in October.
As their best player, Greg Inglis would be the player leading the Rabbitohs to a premiership. That he is a fullback playing in the same South Sydney number 1 jersey as the great Clive Churchill, you couldn’t write a better place in history for a great player like Inglis.
That one of the games best players see’s club success as being a higher achievement than all of his own personal success at representative level is a good thing. It is all the more amazing considering that Inglis has achieved just about everything he possibly could as a player already.
I’m a Penrith Panthers supporter, but I’d like to see South Sydney win a premiership one day. As someone that loves Rugby League history, I think it would be great for the game to see the Rabbitohs win Premiership number 21.
They need to get it done soon too. After all, Penrith’s five year plan is almost complete…
