On youtube, the club has uploaded 'Leeds 34 Salford 28 1988-89 season' in full. This was Craig Izzard's first game for Leeds. I remember the match. There was a bit of unrest in the South Stand due to one of the Skyrack lot being slung out/told off for swearing. In fact, during the game you can hear some chanting about being allowed to swear.

Anyway, I remember every player for Leeds, even ones of little renown like Gary Lord or Chris Vasey. I remember pretty much when we signed them and what they look like, but Rex Terp is complete blank. I have no recollection of him whatsoever. A quick search reveals him to be an Aussie, but no stats of his time at Leeds are available.

How often did he play for us? How bad was he that I have no memory of him?

The poster, Craig Izzard will be able to provide a better view of Mr Terp.

I need to go and buy more calamine lotion as hives are flaring at the mention of his name

Sir Rex of Terp!!!

A legend in his own lunch time!!!

He only played that once for us before sinking without out trace.

He did go on to play for the St George club alongside one Tony Smith.

Works for the Australian Postal Service now I believe.

Not one of the greatest overseas signings for Leeds.

I remember him and vaguely remember that match too.

Am sure he wasn't the worst overseas signing though...for longevity alone, Nathan Picchi must hold that record!

Picchi looked a good game player for the 20 minutes he played.

Rex Terp was only a teenager during his short spell at Leeds. Became a bit-part player for St George and in the Winfield Cup early to mid-90's.

[url=http://websites.sportstg.com/get_file.cgi?id=517543[uMark Laurie is to blame for Rex Terp![/u[/url

But who was to blame for Mark Wilkes two seasons earlier?

Don't remember Wilkes.

I remember Bob Morris though.

Mark Wilkes played once for Leeds (v Barrow at Headingley)

He played stand off IIRC and kicked two goals in a 14-4 victory.

He came from Australia (allegedly) but there's no record of his RL career down under that I've ever been able to find. He's very much a mystery of which there were quite a few back then. He may have played in a local Toowoomba RL competition. At least he wasn't called A.N. Other.

I remember this game vividly. Gary Divorty and Craig Izzard both debuted and, if I remember correctly, both had a stormer. Izzard's first few minutes were'nt something he'd want to remember as I think he knocked on with his first touch and nearly decapitated a Salford player seconds after with a swinging arm that missed. He had a few barnstorming runs though and went on to be a great player for Leeds - as did Divorty. Terp, I remember nothing about!

I remember Picchis one and only game under Dean Bell ,did his shoulder that 20mins more or less ended his career i think but looked good for the 20mins i recall

Awesome name. Did he have a porn standard tash to do it justice?

If Leeds could have kept Izzard that season they'd have won the league IMO.

Must watch this again.

Remember very clearly that Izzard (er, I mean I) came on, knocked on a couple of times, and all the talk at half time was that we'd signed ANOTHER complete lemon. But then in the second half he was fantastic.

Rex Terp goes along with Mark Wilkes as evidence that we'd give any Aussie backpacker with a pair of boots what amounted to a first team trial. At least we binned them as soon as possible, unlike Joe Vickery.

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pzwjaTx94w[uThere was a little bit of niggle in this game - same season[/u[/url

I think that's my favourite ever Leeds game. Shame there's only the highlights not the full game uploaded otherwise we could count the amount of times Joe Grima and Paul Dixon should have been sent off (eight and seven respectively).

Lowlight was Moriarty's assault, which really crossed the line even for then. Highlight, other than the score against a really good Widnes side, was Mike O'Neill accidentally decking Paul Hulme during the south stand dust-up.

Indeed, those edited highlights don't do the game justice in terms of dirtiness, needle, biff and all round assaults and GBH. Even Carl Gibson put sly studs in on Martin Offiah near the end of the game, to which Offiah's reaction was to throw the ball at him. The commentator John Helm berated Offiah so clearly didn't spot what Gibbo did



How many ex-Union players in that Widnes team? Tait, Offiah, Kebbie, Devereux, Davies, Moriarty, etc. Even Leeds had Ackerman, Ford and Young on the books that season. It highlights the extent to which RL has suffered since Union turned pro (particularly in Wales). All those players above would have continued playing Union were they playing now.

At least we won the game the game he played in. One of the highlights in an otherwise car crash of a season.

Absolutely. It also shows how much better Widnes were at recruiting from RU than we were. Think Emosi Koloto had an RU background too, while we got Brooke-Cowden...

And John Gallagher.

Koloto was from Union (Tonga).

Doug Laughton always had a keen eye for sniffing out Union talent.

David Cruickshank is one that springs to mind! I also remember Issards debut with fond memories but a few on that team sheet took some thinking about.

What a great watch - thanks for sharing the link.

3 things that particularly stand out for me;

1 - Watching that reminds me why the game is better without contested scrums, they were a mess to be fair.

2 - Paul Dixon was one of my favourites as a youngster - What I'd give for a genuine hard man like that in the pack nowadays. Never a backwards step, not often guilty of pure thuggery without provocation, but dealt with thuggery head on and just generally was hard as nails in everything he did.

3 - Whilst the game nowadays is much slicker, more organised in attack and defence and therefore easier on the eye, and much much cleaner in terms of violence.... The ad-hoc play and unpredicatability of every tackle of every set of six (regardless of field position) was great to watch, and seeing forwards go at it hell for leather, no complaints, no milking for penalties, too much pride to let anyone think you were hurt and generally just wanting to demolish anyone in he opposition is something I miss dearly.

God I wish forwards could be proper forwards nowadays - I'm happy to see the back of the out and out thuggery and cheap shot attacks, but the old fashioned toe to toe, gladiatorial, knock 10 bells out of each other mentality was fantastic theatre.

Don't forget david young best prop in the world!

David Cruikshank. What a pile of Shiite he was. Remember him getting sent off early doors against Saints at hq for nearly decapitating someone, then we subsequently went on to hammer them with 12 men. Happy Days.

Mark Wilkes was probably the worst player I've seen in first grade. IIRC he was an Aussie who was at a lower grade team (York?). The game he played against Barrow was barely above amateur standard from both sides.

I used to have that Widnes game on a VHS. t was excellent, but Moriarty's elbow remains the worst assault I've seen live. IIRC that was also the game where Roy Powell collapsed in back play. They later said it was due to coming round from a deep concussion, but its hard in hindsight not to wonder if it was the same problem that caused his untimely death.