Huge talent and such a nice guy.. I was lucky, or unlucky enough to play against him when he went to Bedford to play union before joining wasps. Then had the misfortune of playing in a charity game with him on the opposite team a few years later after we had both retired.. As a front row I just watched in awe from a distance as he left our backs looking like a Toyota Yaris against a Bugatti Veyron in both games.. He made truly great players look like they were treading water.. Met him again a few years ago at a dinner and he came over to say hi, remembering me from those days, which just showed how good a guy he really is, as I was pretty much a nobody that he must have just seen as a blur gliding past me.. No airs and graces, just a top bloke and true legend..
I was lucky enough to see Martin in action many times for the fabulous Widnes team of the late 80s/early 90s, along with legends like Kurt Sorensen, Tony Myler, Jonathan Davies etc. To my mind the greatest club football team across all codes I have ever seen........and I'm a Man U fan !!
more than an exciting player, Martin was RLs first true "superstar", a recognisable sporting celebrity. Its not irrelevant also that he was a black superstar. Kids of all ethnicities wanted to finish like Offiah. Wish the sport had his like today. :'(
@@agnostic47 youve missed the subtle difference between "RLs superstar" and "superstar of RL". The latter is what you are referring to and the former appears on Question of Sport several times and gets kids in Tottenham interested in our game.
First tim I saw him in the flesh we (Hull FC) had Hussain M'Barki facing him. Didn't end well for M'Barki. We stood there looking at each other in stunned silence as everytime he got the ball he just accelerated away. Someone suggested we complain to the RFL it was that unfair. It was funny though how anyone tall and black seemed to get signed regardless of wether they actually could play. Not seen a talent since nor are we likely too.
Offiah showed the advantage of having real gas aligned with balance and ability to change direction on a dime. I remember that try against the Kiwis broke NZ hearts that day. Simply brilliant.
I am a Widnes fan & I too saw him in all his glory. But its this this under 10 secs for 100m I can't belteve. Don't get me weong he was quick, very quick indeed. But 1992 Linford Christie became the first british man to dip under 10 secs for 100m & he was an olympic sprinter. So I myself can't believe Martin did it 1 year later. To my knowledge only 4 britons have ever gone under 10 secs, and He's not one of them. Sorry.
oh and lol he scored more for wigan than he did for widnes just thought id get that in as i see theres no wigan trys on there and i know u widnes lads are still all starey eyed about him :)
As a Saints fan I saw Vollenhoven play but would say Offiah was better. That is some statement. I saw him once have a 1 to 1 with Phil Vievers and i swear he winked at Vievers before going round him.
I remember being in the dentist waiting room and picking up a copy of Rugby World, as you do. It mentioned Offiah on the cover. I turned to the article and saw his playing career proudly reduced to: Rosslyn Park -1987 London Wasps 2001-02.
Late to the party, but great vid... top tuneage, too. Golden age of rugby league... amazing player. Distinctly average at everything other than try-scoring, mind, but give him that ball and a bit of space and it was like letting lightning out of a bottle... anything could happen, and usually did. Great times.
@ianuk2008 martins tries were something special he had outstanding pace and backed up really well but my vote will always go to ellery hanley a complete allrounder who scored most of his tries in the centre of the field making it easier for the conversion
Great Britain coach gameplan-give it to Martin in space.. Kid in Australia reminds me a bit of Martin-keep an eye out for Hamiso Tabuai Fidow...lovely mover, goes 2 to their 1
I always enjoyed watching Offiah play. Being an aussie i missed alot of his english league exploits, but enjoyed his international games against my two favorite players in Andrew Ettingshausen and Michael Hancock. I even remember his couple of stints in the aussie league with east and St George (didnt do too well though)
To be honest mate I hated him when he played for Widnes or Wigan against Leeds, but that in itself is a mark of respect! A lot of people said he was a soft git but I saw him take some real cheap shots and still come back looking for the ball 110% respect! Ps if he is going to the World cup he can buy me a beer or 2?;)
great player but he dint make it easy for the likes of barrie mcdermott he bullied him when mcdermott got his transfer to wigan for only 26 000 or something but big mac showed him both legends but barrie the best prop i ever seen and he from widness the meanest and biffest props come from the likes of widness leeds
Martin Offiah,Billy Boston,Wally Lewis all incredible players whose obvious talentwas not recognised by RU selectors; and went on to become immortal RL stars. Stupidity at its most blatant. Jason Robinson was the exception; and look what happened.
@gazgibson lol i know but you know how the ausys wind us up ,he could run but put him up against iro when he played for leeds and he shit his self i remmber him thowing the ball into touch to get away from him :) lets hope we have a better season this year m8 its been to long with no silverware and it would shut latics up )
In 1993 at wigan we had a chairty sprint with all the fast wingers in the rl at the time and offiah won under 10 seconds but to be fair the lengh they was running was a pad untill 100 mrts ,he pace was unreal but he could never tackle but in them days the minute he got the ball no matter where he was on the field he would score .
He was the fastest winger i have ever seen at wigan and scored countless amout of trys with the world beating side we had back then but i tackle he could not and when iro went to leeds i watched him run into touch to get away from iro but no one could match his speed and from the wingers we have today no one will.
Firstly, great vid. Secondly, a Great vid without THAT Wembley try, or any of the ten he put past Leeds that time (sorry, does that still hurt?) Thirdly, as a Wiganer when growing up I didn't know any black kids, there weren't any at my school, but Martin Offiah was a hero to all of us. There were some pretty bad attitudes to race up there and probably still are, but if a kid let rip with one of their idiot parent's racist attitudes, you could point to Chariots Offiah to prove them wrong.
if you read the comment he under 10 seconds when they had a race with the fastest wingers at central park back in the 90s which as i said in the comment is NOT hundred metres ,use your eyes m8ty.
Me dad went to school with Offiah. Although he was like 3 years below my dad. He was brilliant, i think my dad played against him though lol. My dad must have go his ass kicked...
Even when he was in his thirties and shot he was still better than 95% of the wingers who have or will ever play the game. We just dont make them like this guy anymore!
@dutchrhino one good moment we have on him though, challenge cup semis probably 87, phil ford comes across the pitch diagonally to rob him of a try at Headingley, right in front of me, crowd went crazy, legendary stuff, nice vid
There's no denying that Offiah was a great rugby league player and I would never begin to deny it. What I'm saying is that he was very often the man on the end of some great work by his forwards and the inner backs. There's is no denying that he could turn a potential tackler inside-out but may I refer you to Greg Inglis, Billy Slater and Jonathan Thurstans who can invent their own tries as well as take the soft ones on offer... I've always loved Martin but I still maintain he was over-rated...
Best winger ever dude was so fuckin fast you couldnt miss him or he would run the whole field and score also he was a big bloke so he was hard to put down as well from close range a natural try machine
I wouldn't go so far, he had lots of pace and was quite elusive but just about scrapes into the top 5 British wingers of all time. He's not even the top scoring winger, not by a long way.
Yeah he ran like the wind but didn't make it as a great at international level- I remember seeing him drop the ball on various occasions. Also, I don't think I ever saw him pass a ball (yeah I know - he didn't have to)
He was very good but I find it hard not to point out that he was very often the man on the spot after everyone else had done all the hard work. The reason he is very rarely touched before he scores is not just that he's quick but that his team-mates have taken all the punishment and put him in possession of the ball with 5 metres to run. Great finisher, but over-rated in my opinion.
Huge talent and such a nice guy.. I was lucky, or unlucky enough to play against him when he went to Bedford to play union before joining wasps. Then had the misfortune of playing in a charity game with him on the opposite team a few years later after we had both retired.. As a front row I just watched in awe from a distance as he left our backs looking like a Toyota Yaris against a Bugatti Veyron in both games.. He made truly great players look like they were treading water.. Met him again a few years ago at a dinner and he came over to say hi, remembering me from those days, which just showed how good a guy he really is, as I was pretty much a nobody that he must have just seen as a blur gliding past me.. No airs and graces, just a top bloke and true legend..
I was lucky enough to see Martin in action many times for the fabulous Widnes team of the late 80s/early 90s, along with legends like Kurt Sorensen, Tony Myler, Jonathan Davies etc. To my mind the greatest club football team across all codes I have ever seen........and I'm a Man U fan !!
more than an exciting player, Martin was RLs first true "superstar", a recognisable sporting celebrity. Its not irrelevant also that he was a black superstar. Kids of all ethnicities wanted to finish like Offiah. Wish the sport had his like today. :'(
He was a superstar in his era, there were many superstars long before offiah came along.
Clive Sullivan was a black superstar of RL while Offiah was still in nappies and Ellery Hanley didn't exist I suppose?
@@agnostic47 youve missed the subtle difference between "RLs superstar" and "superstar of RL". The latter is what you are referring to and the former appears on Question of Sport several times and gets kids in Tottenham interested in our game.
First tim I saw him in the flesh we (Hull FC) had Hussain M'Barki facing him. Didn't end well for M'Barki.
We stood there looking at each other in stunned silence as everytime he got the ball he just accelerated away. Someone suggested we complain to the RFL it was that unfair.
It was funny though how anyone tall and black seemed to get signed regardless of wether they actually could play. Not seen a talent since nor are we likely too.
My childhood hero, every weekend, my dad would drive me up to wigan just to watch the martin offiah show
You can't beat raw pace.
Will go down as one of the true legends of the sport. I'll still be talking about him when I'm an old man.
the kiwi fullback had to untangle his jockstrap after that game
HE CAME TO MY SCHOOl TODAY for sports awards isn't that great!!!
what school do you go to
stjames
Hassassanator 5
St James in wakefield?
Ben Long Nah Barnet london
Offiah showed the advantage of having real gas aligned with balance and ability to change direction on a dime. I remember that try against the Kiwis broke NZ hearts that day. Simply brilliant.
@ianuk2008
not the best RL player ever, defo best winger and despite what loads of people think had a brilliant defensive game.
Sorry but he isn't the best winger ever. Maybe top 5 at a push of British wingers.
I am a Widnes fan & I too saw him in all his glory. But its this this under 10 secs for 100m I can't belteve.
Don't get me weong he was quick, very quick indeed.
But 1992 Linford Christie became the first british man to dip under 10 secs for 100m & he was an olympic sprinter. So I myself can't believe Martin did it 1 year later.
To my knowledge only 4 britons have ever gone under 10 secs, and He's not one of them.
Sorry.
"The best winger I have ever seen! He was awesome!"
I agree with that, and I'm a Saints fan!
oh and lol he scored more for wigan than he did for widnes just thought id get that in as i see theres no wigan trys on there and i know u widnes lads are still all starey eyed about him :)
I used to love going Naughton Park in the 90s with my dad, what a brilliant atmosphere. It's a shame whats happened to Widnes now
As a Saints fan I saw Vollenhoven play but would say Offiah was better. That is some statement. I saw him once have a 1 to 1 with Phil Vievers and i swear he winked at Vievers before going round him.
They say that his defence was bad but I remember him tackling Paul Sironen head on
martin Offiah is the main reason why I love the Wigan Warriors and Sydney Roosters,such a great player
fucking hell, i've never thought he was that good, he was fucking amazing....top player
4:24 the ball boy goes and celebrates with him haha. Offiah, what a man, what a player!
I remember being in the dentist waiting room and picking up a copy of Rugby World, as you do. It mentioned Offiah on the cover. I turned to the article and saw his playing career proudly reduced to: Rosslyn Park -1987
London Wasps 2001-02.
terrortorn. Thank you for that. I will enjoy using it whenever a Yawnion fan gets a bit above himself.
Late to the party, but great vid... top tuneage, too. Golden age of rugby league... amazing player. Distinctly average at everything other than try-scoring, mind, but give him that ball and a bit of space and it was like letting lightning out of a bottle... anything could happen, and usually did. Great times.
the try against wigan broke my heart - dont think we ever forgave him
@ianuk2008 martins tries were something special he had outstanding pace and backed up really well but my vote will always go to ellery hanley a complete allrounder who scored most of his tries in the centre of the field making it easier for the conversion
Back in the days when watching Widnes was enjoyable!
40 yards is 36 meters, so you will want to find his 36m time
deffo aint one of the best props either, he was crap!!
Loved watching Offiah and those amazing Widnes teams. I'm on the video at 6.50 jumping on Offiah when he scores at Castleford
The best winger in rugby league history period!
Thanks for placing this video on TH-cam
Great Britain coach gameplan-give it to Martin in space..
Kid in Australia reminds me a bit of Martin-keep an eye out for Hamiso Tabuai Fidow...lovely mover, goes 2 to their 1
One of the most clinical finishers in either code of rugby
I always enjoyed watching Offiah play. Being an aussie i missed alot of his english league exploits, but enjoyed his international games against my two favorite players in Andrew Ettingshausen and Michael Hancock. I even remember his couple of stints in the aussie league with east and St George (didnt do too well though)
The music is annoying, the video would be better with crowd noise instead.
No better try scorer than him. And as a winger, what better complement could you get?
What a player glad i was there to witness it at Widnes back in the day
Loved thr fans from witness.
Such good times back then
Speed Demon with Rocket shoes on!
No Wigan trys wtf it was his greatest achievement being in the invincible's side .
1:10 awesum run
Is he DJ'ing now?
Great production all credit to Dutch Rhino.
Left Mark Preston behind on that last one who was no slouch either.
One of the best nicknames ever! Awesome player as well!
To be honest mate I hated him when he played for Widnes or Wigan against Leeds, but that in itself is a mark of respect!
A lot of people said he was a soft git but I saw him take some real cheap shots and still come back looking for the ball 110% respect!
Ps if he is going to the World cup he can buy me a beer or 2?;)
This would be perfect without the music
great player but he dint make it easy for the likes of barrie mcdermott he bullied him when mcdermott got his transfer to wigan for only 26 000 or something but big mac showed him both legends but barrie the best prop i ever seen and he from widness the meanest and biffest props come from the likes of widness leeds
Martin Offiah,Billy Boston,Wally Lewis all incredible players whose obvious talentwas not recognised by RU selectors; and went on to become immortal RL stars.
Stupidity at its most blatant.
Jason Robinson was the exception; and look what happened.
@gazgibson lol i know but you know how the ausys wind us up ,he could run but put him up against iro when he played for leeds and he shit his self i remmber him thowing the ball into touch to get away from him :) lets hope we have a better season this year m8 its been to long with no silverware and it would shut latics up )
In 1993 at wigan we had a chairty sprint with all the fast wingers in the rl at the time and offiah won under 10 seconds but to be fair the lengh they was running was a pad untill 100 mrts ,he pace was unreal but he could never tackle but in them days the minute he got the ball no matter where he was on the field he would score .
He was the fastest winger i have ever seen at wigan and scored countless amout of trys with the world beating side we had back then but i tackle he could not and when iro went to leeds i watched him run into touch to get away from iro but no one could match his speed and from the wingers we have today no one will.
Firstly, great vid.
Secondly, a Great vid without THAT Wembley try, or any of the ten he put past Leeds that time (sorry, does that still hurt?)
Thirdly, as a Wiganer when growing up I didn't know any black kids, there weren't any at my school, but Martin Offiah was a hero to all of us. There were some pretty bad attitudes to race up there and probably still are, but if a kid let rip with one of their idiot parent's racist attitudes, you could point to Chariots Offiah to prove them wrong.
if you read the comment he under 10 seconds when they had a race with the fastest wingers at central park back in the 90s which as i said in the comment is NOT hundred metres ,use your eyes m8ty.
Me dad went to school with Offiah. Although he was like 3 years below my dad. He was brilliant, i think my dad played against him though lol. My dad must have go his ass kicked...
DJ tiesto-everything
Even when he was in his thirties and shot he was still better than 95% of the wingers who have or will ever play the game. We just dont make them like this guy anymore!
@dutchrhino one good moment we have on him though, challenge cup semis probably 87, phil ford comes across the pitch diagonally to rob him of a try at Headingley, right in front of me, crowd went crazy, legendary stuff, nice vid
A true rugby league great.
offiah was def not over-rated! he was one the world's most exceptional finishers in either code at his peak. a majestic runner. superb
Where did you get this information from.
I've tried to find it & there is no reference anywhere that he ran 100m in under 10 secs.
@paul150365 To be fair when Wigan had Botica kicking it didn't make much difference where the kick was on the pitch. Agree about Ellery though.
wow year I was born cool.
im a wigan fan and he never ever run under 10 secs, or he'd be in a different sport, what nonsense!!
I know Chariots is long retired but I still wish he was playing for St George. He spent a season there in 1991
A pure entertainer. He could produce something out of nothing and he very rarely bombed an opportunity - world class.
Widnes forever
Enjoyed the rugby but not the music.
Hahaha, my old school mate Lee Jackson at 3:17, still owe you a punch Jacko from 1982/3 ish ;o)
even still i bet he couldnt do it in 10 seconds m8ty...
There's no denying that Offiah was a great rugby league player and I would never begin to deny it. What I'm saying is that he was very often the man on the end of some great work by his forwards and the inner backs. There's is no denying that he could turn a potential tackler inside-out but may I refer you to Greg Inglis, Billy Slater and Jonathan Thurstans who can invent their own tries as well as take the soft ones on offer... I've always loved Martin but I still maintain he was over-rated...
Of course you're an Aussie
So true, so true!
(Love the name!)
barrie isn't from widnes he's from oldham mate
yeah, maybe he should have played prop
plum
Best winger ever dude was so fuckin fast you couldnt miss him or he would run the whole field and score also he was a big bloke so he was hard to put down as well from close range a natural try machine
I wouldn't go so far, he had lots of pace and was quite elusive but just about scrapes into the top 5 British wingers of all time. He's not even the top scoring winger, not by a long way.
under 10 in 1992 100 metre look it up
Warrington fan here - saw him play for Wigan against us at Wembley. He ripped us apart. Fantastic player
@wolfie5 - offiah has never played for Wigan against Warrington at Wembley .
wow....they sure can run can't they?
Greatest winger of all time
Legend!! couldnt catch a ball or tackle his grandmar but that man sure could run
Nonsense
Does anyone know the background tune?
Dj tiesto I think?
He Came to my Brothers School Today and gave them all autographs
Yeah he ran like the wind but didn't make it as a great at international level- I remember seeing him drop the ball on various occasions. Also, I don't think I ever saw him pass a ball (yeah I know - he didn't have to)
He was very good but I find it hard not to point out that he was very often the man on the spot after everyone else had done all the hard work. The reason he is very rarely touched before he scores is not just that he's quick but that his team-mates have taken all the punishment and put him in possession of the ball with 5 metres to run.
Great finisher, but over-rated in my opinion.
Couldn’t tackle though. I guess 0-60 in 2 secs was more than enough
I loved theme song