Donald v Snake (pure speed)

[Killer03]

I've been watching some old highlights and the thing that stood out to me was Donald's pure pace on the wing. He really was electric. Now Snake was also somewhat of a speedster, and early in his career when he made a break it really was a case of shut the gate....too quick.

So it got me thinking who was the quicker? (this is nothing to do with best player etc etc). From a pure speed point of view who was the quickest? Over say 40m and 100m?

 

[R3]

I've been watching some old highlights and the thing that stood out to me was Donald's pure pace on the wing. He really was electric. Now Snake was also somewhat of a speedster, and early in his career when he made a break it really was a case of shut the gate....too quick.

So it got me thinking who was the quicker? (this is nothing to do with best player etc etc). From a pure speed point of view who was the quickest? Over say 40m and 100m?

It blew me away at the time to learn that Chris Hicks clocked faster 40m and 100m times than both of them.
It was mentioned on several occasions but no one really seemed to react to it back then coz snakes overall game was already sizzling

 

[Jerry1]

Hicks was massively underrated. When he left to go to the U.K. He was the highest point scorer over there.

With Robbo on the other wing and snake at the back we were spoilt rotten..

 

[maxta]

What exaggerates (forget my spelling).....is the Pure timing of hitting a hole others did not know was there....often the case of these wingers with lightning pace who can only hit top gear with no one in front of them.....Hicks
Snake could position himself outside the shoulder of the player engaged to the tackle, to exploit his pace hitting that angle at top speed......Still think Snake wins that explosive race over the first 10-15 that wins games....

 

[Killer03]

It blew me away at the time to learn that Chris Hicks clocked faster 40m and 100m times than both of them.
It was mentioned on several occasions but no one really seemed to react to it back then coz snakes overall game was already sizzling

Seriously? I find that amazing as Hicks never struck me as a speedster.

I thought he and especially Robbo were massively underrated, but certainly not speedsters.

 

[Woodsie]

Donald over 100m
Snake over 20m
But Frogs eyes would have all of them covered over the 10m, 20m & 30m.

 

[HoldenV8]

Early in his career, Snake supposedly did a hand held 10.2 for the 100 at training.

I don't know what Donald ran but it would have been close because that kid could run.

Hicks never struck me as a speedster so kinda surprised he recorded times faster than both of them.

When you compare Snake's time to others who have been noted as "the fastest in the game" such as Martin Offiah (10.8), Des Drummond (10.8), Darren Albert (10.6), Larry Corrowa (11.0), Brett Dallas (10.8), and even today's speedsters like James Roberts (I've heard of a 10.4, though I am sceptical), Snake's time holds up well.

Were any of them as fast over the 100 as Ken Irvine or Johnny Bliss? Irvine once held the World Professional record for the 100 yards at 9.3 seconds, while in 1947 Bliss apparently (while wearing full footy gear including the old, heavy leather boots, plus carrying a football) ran the 100 yards in 9.9 which would have won Gold at the 1948 London Olympics (American Harrisson Dillard won Gold with a 10.3).

 

[PONTIAN SEA EAGLE]

Donald by far as most of his tries were long range.I reckon he & gartner were 2 of our quickest.

 

[Woodsie]

Early in his career, Snake supposedly did a hand held 10.2 for the 100 at training.

I don't know what Donald ran but it would have been close because that kid could run.

Hicks never struck me as a speedster so kinda surprised he recorded times faster than both of them.

When you compare Snake's time to others who have been noted as "the fastest in the game" such as Martin Offiah (10.8), Des Drummond (10.8), Darren Albert (10.6), Larry Corrowa (11.0), Brett Dallas (10.8), and even today's speedsters like James Roberts (I've heard of a 10.4, though I am sceptical), Snake's time holds up well.

Were any of them as fast over the 100 as Ken Irvine or Johnny Bliss? Irvine once held the World Professional record for the 100 yards at 9.3 seconds, while in 1947 Bliss apparently (while wearing full footy gear including the old, heavy leather boots, plus carrying a football) ran the 100 yards in 9.9 which would have won Gold at the 1948 London Olympics (American Harrisson Dillard won Gold with a 10.3).

From memory, the 1948 100 sprint was in metres as opposed to Bliss's time in yards.

 

[Woodsie]

Donald by far as most of his tries were long range.I reckon he & gartner were 2 of our quickest.

Frog's eyes was very fast over the 100m, but there were plenty faster, what he had was blinding exceleration over the first 10m-30m, both from a standing start and rolling start.

 

[nightster]

Ken Irvine was manly's fastest clocking 9.3secs (over 100 yards) at a Dubbo sprint race

 

[Brocky]

Early in his career, Snake supposedly did a hand held 10.2 for the 100 at training.

I don't know what Donald ran but it would have been close because that kid could run.

Hicks never struck me as a speedster so kinda surprised he recorded times faster than both of them.

When you compare Snake's time to others who have been noted as "the fastest in the game" such as Martin Offiah (10.8), Des Drummond (10.8), Darren Albert (10.6), Larry Corrowa (11.0), Brett Dallas (10.8), and even today's speedsters like James Roberts (I've heard of a 10.4, though I am sceptical), Snake's time holds up well.

Were any of them as fast over the 100 as Ken Irvine or Johnny Bliss? Irvine once held the World Professional record for the 100 yards at 9.3 seconds, while in 1947 Bliss apparently (while wearing full footy gear including the old, heavy leather boots, plus carrying a football) ran the 100 yards in 9.9 which would have won Gold at the 1948 London Olympics (American Harrisson Dillard won Gold with a 10.3).

Do you remember when they used to have the league Olympics were GArtner came second to Larry Corrowa

 

[Jerry1]

Ken Irvine was manly's fastest clocking 9.3secs (over 100 yards) at a Dubbo sprint race

That's not bad considering usane bolts world record is 9.5 seconds. Meters v yards is only around10% difference.

 

[HoldenV8]

From memory, the 1948 100 sprint was in metres as opposed to Bliss's time in yards.

Yeah I'll have to give that one

 

[HoldenV8]

Do you remember when they used to have the league Olympics were GArtner came second to Larry Corrowa

Before my time lol

From what I have seen, Garts was quick but others were quicker over the 100. Few could match him over 40 or 50 though.

 

[Woodsie]

Before my time lol

From what I have seen, Garts was quick but others were quicker over the 100. Few could match him over 40 or 50 though.

Garts was unusual in that he got faster as he got older. He had a fair amount of natural speed, but consistently did heaps of sprint training and improved as the years passed.

 

[HoldenV8]

@Woodsie , Bliss did a 9.9 for the 100 yards in full 1940's footy gear and carrying a football. And his only sprint training was his beach sprinting and whatever else he did in his spare time (I seriously doubt rugby league training had sprints back then lol). Put him on a 100 metre track with appropriate 1948 apparel and not carrying a football and it would have been interesting to see what time could he have done.

Garts was unusual in that he got faster as he got older. He had a fair amount of natural speed, but consistently did heaps of sprint training and improved as the years passed.

I have seen 3 videos of Garts sprinting. The 1977 World Cup Final at the SCG where he went 70 metres to score. Pommy centre Les Dyle actually made ground on him. The 1978 Grand Final replay where he left the Sharks defense choking on his dust. And a game from (I think) 1987 at Brookie against Balmain where David Ronson made a break and ran 50-odd metres leaving defenders in his wake. Garts came from nowhere and mowed him down, but Ronson slid over and was awarded a try.

 

[Woodsie]

@Woodsie , Bliss did a 9.9 for the 100 yards in full 1940's footy gear and carrying a football. And his only sprint training was his beach sprinting and whatever else he did in his spare time (I seriously doubt rugby league training had sprints back then lol). Put him on a 100 metre track with appropriate 1948 apparel and not carrying a football and it would have been interesting to see what time could he have done.



I have seen 3 videos of Garts sprinting. The 1977 World Cup Final at the SCG where he went 70 metres to score. Pommy centre Les Dyle actually made ground on him. The 1978 Grand Final replay where he left the Sharks defense choking on his dust. And a game from (I think) 1987 at Brookie against Balmain where David Ronson made a break and ran 50-odd metres. Garts came from nowhere and moved him down, but Ronson slid over and was awarded a try.

Yeah, how good Irvine could have been will always be a debate.

Had the occasion to play outside Frogs eyes in a few lower grade games so I probably have an unfair advantage when discussing his pace, but to give you an idea of his acceleration, in a reggies game at Redfern he took a ball on our own ten yard line and lit the afterburners and I took off after him, by the time we hid the 25m he was about 8m in front and I thought F..K. By the time we hid the 80m I was only 2m behind and took the pass to score. I was quicker over the 100m but as I said he got faster each year by training hard and his 100m pace increased a lot.

 

[Bearfax]

I've seen some startling runs by players but one that stands out for me because I was only 20 metres away at Brookie was watching Stewart in his hey day, run diagonally across field, during which he flew past Jared Hayne like the latter was standing still and scored in the corner. A quite startling run from a little over 20 metres out from the other side of the field

 

[Peter C]

Early in his career, Snake supposedly did a hand held 10.2 for the 100 at training.



Were any of them as fast over the 100 as Ken Irvine or Johnny Bliss? Irvine once held the World Professional record for the 100 yards at 9.3 seconds, while in 1947 Bliss apparently (while wearing full footy gear including the old, heavy leather boots, plus carrying a football) ran the 100 yards in 9.9 which would have won Gold at the 1948 London Olympics (American Harrisson Dillard won Gold with a 10.3).

I think you'll find that the in 1948 Olympics , it was over 100 metres, not yards.