Monday 8 October 2018

Hall Of Fame: Louis Anderson

By the time Louis Anderson made his Super League bow, he was 23 yet seemed to have been around for a long time already having played three seasons with the NZ Warriors. Perhaps that is down to his brother Vinnie, five years his senior, already having played three years with St Helens by the time Warrington signed him up.

After 104 games for the Wire - and 104 points quite poetically - in four years, he made the switch to Perpignan. It wasn't perhaps the most marquee of signings, with the very greatest of respect, but he quickly settled into the club.

An initial three-year deal turned into a seven-season spell with the club and there never seemed any threat of him leaving the Gilbert Brutus in that time. Bar one season in the number 8 jersey, he quickly became a mainstay in the back row and a unit around which the Dragons pack could be built.

Rarely flashy but always dependable, his win percentage stats are remarkable. Basically, if he played, the more likely were the Dragons to win.

The true test of a player is how they are regarded by their peers. Here, note Alex Chan and Giants prop Suaia Matagi giving Louis the farewell haka after his final Dragons appearance before retirement.


He'll be tough to replace alright.