Parramatta powerhouse Maika Sivo’s barnstorming double on Thursday night – including an unforgettable late match-winner to sink Melbourne – was the latest chapter in rugby league’s rich narrative of big men starring on the flank.
The 105kg Sivo is carrying the torch passed on by modern era tearaways such as Eels predecessor Semi Radradra, Wests Tigers freight train Taniela Tuiaki and the irrepressible John Hopoate.
In the first edition of Zero Tackle’s Top 8, WILL EVANS from This Warriors Life ranks the greatest wing behemoths the game has produced.
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2. Eric Grothe
Eric ‘Guru’ Grothe set the benchmark for fear-inducing wingers, coupling searing pace with destructive power and a penchant for skittling defenders of any size. A laidback, guitar-strumming cruiser off the field, Grothe was an unstoppable wing machine when he crossed the white line, playing a vital role in Parramatta’s four premierships during the 1980s.
He scored 10 tries in just eight Tests for Australia, and while injuries curtailed his career from the mid-1980s, ‘Ecka the Wrecker’s’ aura has barely subsided since his retirement more than 30 years ago.
His son, Eric Grothe Jr, tipped the scales at over 100kg and also starred for Parramatta, NSW and Australia during the 2000s. But ‘Guru’ Sr is undoubtedly the family’s greatest football product, a member of the ARL Hall of Fame and regarded as one of Australia’s all-time great wingers. His famous try during the 1983 finals series against Canterbury, where he bumped off six defenders in an iconic 60-metre run, is regarded by many as the best individual try ever scored.
