Parramatta powerhouse Maika Sivoโs barnstorming double on Thursday night โ including an unforgettable late match-winner to sink Melbourne โ was the latest chapter in rugby leagueโs 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 Tackleโs Top 8, WILL EVANS from This Warriors Life ranks the greatest wing behemoths the game has produced.
*Check out This Warriors Lifeโs website and podcast, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
8. Lesley Vainikolo
โThe Volcanoโ slipped through the Warriorsโ defective recruitment net during the late-1990s to debut with Canberra, crossing for 35 tries in 69 games for the โGreen Machineโ. But Vainikoloโs tryscoring feats at Test level for New Zealand (14 tries in 14 appearances) and in Super League for Bradford (143 in 148 games) rendered the 110kg monster one of the most terrifying wingers in the code to mark during the 2000s.
He was lured to Rugby Union in 2007 and scored five tries on debut for Gloucester, but his five-Test tenure with the England national team was largely uninspiring.
