Brady Rawlings doesn’t like to lose, much less roll-over, but on this rare occasion he feels he has to concede defeat.
In the latest Shinboner Showdown, the three-time Syd Barker Medal winner has registered an early vote...for his opponent and idol John Blakey!
"It's quite funny that I'm being compared to John when I've modeled myself on him as a player and as a person," Rawlings told kangaroos.com.au.
"I always looked up to him with his work-rate and his willingness to do anything for the team."
But the general public is not as certain about the contest with opinions very much divided.
Blakey is only marginally ahead in voting and Rawlings believes it's only fitting after the impact he had in 224 games at Arden Street.
"He was able to play in a back-line that achieved the ultimate success, whereas that's something I'm still striving to do. That's an area he's going to beat me in....apart from all the other things.”
While he's full of praise for someone he considers a hero, Rawlings was able to spot a few weaknesses that might just swing the ledger.
"I was a bit staggered to see in his stats he only averaged one tackle a game. I'm not sure those sort of numbers would get him a game these days," he joked.
"The other thing is that this is based on his full career. I'm still going, so I don't know if it's a fair comparison just yet."
Whether you've had the pleasure of watching Blakey through the 90's or Rawlings over the past decade, it's fair to say they've been two of the Kangaroos' finest. But if you had to pick one or the other, who would it be?
Vote here now