O'Conner was a fave back in the day, deceiving pace & a dynamite step.
Magic moments like 1 try off a dropout against St G ...caught the ball & carried it back to the D line...BANG...thru the 1st line 40m out, comes to the fullback..BANG...grasps at thin air...under the posts.
O'Conner could sniff out a try from anywhere & was silky smooth in attack & reasonable in defence.
Lyon is elusive & far more robust & always picks the perfect lane to suit the situation whether its to beat his man inside or out , or to get his winger into space (with Matt Gidley the best I have seen at this)
Lyon has the solid defence of a lock foward which is rare in todays outside backs, making great decisions in many cases that cut of tries that would have been scored against most opposition.
Both up in the best centres Manly have had in my time as a supporter over 30 years.
Though both great competitors I tip towards Lyon on his toughness, leadership & the fact regardless of the opposition, game or score, he has a very rare quality for a centre....he always gets involved in the game, the bigger the occasion the bigger stamp he has.
A good example was when we were trounced in the 2011 final vs Melbourne at Melbourne. Copped a hiding yet Lyon - 3 tries , saved plenty & kept the game respectable on his own, centres usually try to hide in the background in these situations blaming the incompetence of the fowards & poor service, just shows the tenacity & class Lyon has.
