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Message: [QUOTE="Big Pete, post: 2721799, member: 1899"] [CENTER][CENTER]1988 Players of the Year[/CENTER][/CENTER] [CENTER][CENTER] [/CENTER][/CENTER] [B]ALLAN LANGER (BRISBANE)[/B] A bundle of energy, brilliant and intensethat in part sums up the Broncos scheming little dynamo halfback Allan Langer. Langer had an immediate impact on the Sydney premiership, carrying his bright performances as Queensland’s State of Origin halfback in 1987 into the new season. He set himself high standards every week and gave wholehearted displays in each game he played. Langer was not able to oust Peter Sterling from the Test halfback role against Great Britain, but took his chance when Sterling damaged his shoulder later in the year. Langer took over as Test half against Papua New Guinea; played for Australia against The Rest of the World and also against New Zealand in the World Cup final. The remarkable aspect of Langer was his durability and ability to take control of the Broncos when captain Wally Lewis was missing. He played 21 of Brisbane’s 22 premiership matches and left no doubt that he was one of the top liners of the 1988 season. Whenever the ball was kicked deep down the field, almost invariably Langer would chase the ball and take the first tackle. The stand-out memory for Langer in a year in which he helped Queensland to a cleansweep of the State of Origin series, will be his first Test jumper – and two tries to go with it. [B]WALLY LEWIS (BRISBANE)[/B] It may not have always been vintage Wally Lewis through the 1988 season, but it was still clever, damaging play from one of rugby league world’s greatest players. Lewis had the distinction of leading the Brisbane Broncos into their first Sydney premiership season; Queensland to a cleansweep in the State of Origin series; Australia to Test series win over Great Britain, and leading Australia to victory in the World Cup final in New Zealand. For that reason, it was difficult to go past Lewis as one of the five-players-of-the-year. Whenever Lewis was involved in the play, there was always the expectation that something productive was about to happen. Lewis continued as the inspirational and brilliant leader in Queensland’s first cleansweep of the State of Origin series, playing brilliantly in the third match after NSW had established a big lead. He stood up to the consistent pressure of the week-in, week-out Sydney competition – as one would expect of a great player – and for a time looked as though he was taking a Brisbane side to the finals. That Brisbane didn’t make it is no reflection on Lewis. He played 19 matches, not missing a match except for representative commitments. Lewis’ final act for the year was a broken arm in the World Cup final where he stayed on the field for a time during the first half to help the Australians set up an unbeatable lead. [FONT=&quot]It was another eventful and powerful year for King Wally.[/FONT] [/QUOTE]

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