following on from tonights front page on the YEP, Who is your most obscure Leeds RL player ever ?

I'll go with John McNeill, a reserve hooker signed from Featherstone Rovers,in the 1980's IIRC, his claim to fame was nothing to do with his playing exploits.
He did,however, steal a full sized steamroller and proceeded to run amok with it



Anyone remember him ? played about twice for the 1st team and yet his name always stuck with me

Any one of the Friday Night Heroes under Norman Smith who played several seasons in the Alliance side but made less than a handful of first team appearances.

So the likes of Paul Worthy, Phil Turner, Martin Smithson, Martyn Rowse, Stuart Chick, David Nelson et al.

Nathan Picci.

In a dire season, in a dire team, he gave the most exciting 20 minute Leeds career I have ever seen.

See also Paul Bell and Peter Smith for short-lived antipodean imports

Mick Shaw!

He was better than James Lowes you know.

Nah, Mick Shaw was a lightening fast hooker, and had a couple of good games.

Plus he was part of a corking gag in Open Rugby. We had both him and Mike Forshaw in our first team at the time, and when one was substitued for the other, the question 'who was subbed?' was asked. 'Forshaw For Shaw' came the reply.

My choice for obscure 'big name' (according to the YEP) signing is 'Chris Vasey'. Throughly useless.

Ryan Bailey



My mother approached him and she didn’t come back too impressed!

Sean Miller, third choice hooker behind David Ward and a certain Mr Hethrington. Outragous permed mullet if my memory serves !

also that well known family... A.N.Other

There's a proliferation of number nines coming to light in this thread, so...

Russell Sowden, understudy to David Ward.

Played the Challenge Cup game against Saints where Paul Gill picked up his career altering broken leg IIRC.

I have one but I cant remmber his damn name



2nd row forward supposedly big hard man lasted about 20 mins finished with a broken jaw then got sent down for some nefarous (sp) deeds back in Leigh IIRC

Rex Terp........full back genius !

Double, Alan Rathbone is your man.

Alan Rathbone, GB international at the time he signed for Leeds IIRC.

Rumour has it he was incarcerated at HMP Haverigg near Barrow and played for their prison team in the Barrow & District local competition.

The prototype for James Roby and Mickey Higham? All zip and no skill?

I know the identity of one of the various AN Others from the late 70s.

He was first choice hooker for Roundhay RU at the time but the boot money at Roundhay was more than he could earn playing for Leeds Colts

Wickerman, I remember Sean Miller well. After the JP final win at Wigan ,1983 ? against Widnes most of the team were celebrating at the now long gone Smiths Arms on Marsh Lane.
Miller was making a nuisance of himself and somebody decked him


not hard really he only looked about 8 stone dripping wet

jimmy dunn

Howard Budby

after mcneill i was thinking windy miller & there he was

how many 'replacements' were tried for david ward till maskill & lowes had long runs?

after kevin dick & mark conway in the early eighties was there a consistent scrum half till ryan sheridan had a few seasons?

Patrick Entat

Would that hooker be the one who went on to play for England ?

No, I doubt it anyway



He played for several other RU clubs under false names though, in fact he was a bit of a mercenary and once played in three separate rounds of the John Player Trophy for three different clubs under three different names - when we went to watch him we had to keep our mouths shut in case we used his proper name, I was once asked by a well dressed clubman at Fylde who their new hooker was that week and I couldn't answer him even though he'd seen me bring their "new" hooker to the ground in my car

was he a cricketer as well?

remember a local league cricketer who poss played league & union