Hull KR semi final replay for me at Elland Rd in 1986.

Nothing comes close.

Thankfully i was only 6 at the time and didn't start watching fully until the season after so was spared that one.I do remember my dad had the first game on tape though and iirc we should have won it and had many chances but finished 24-24?

If only we had the video referee in those days, there would have been no need for a replay and we could have beaten cas at Wembley long before this year.

You reckon we'd have beaten Cas in the final that year? I'm not so sure about that. The only consolation I had was hoping that one particular gobe KR fan remembered my comments to him when the hooter sounded at Wembley. I told him they'd get beat by Cas at Wembley.

No I'm not sure if we would have won although HKR were within a conversion of winning and that was after playing with Gavin Miller on one leg.

They still had Dorahy and Prohm on two legs each... bollox to 'em



Cas were a useful side back then with the two Beardmores and Joyner running the show, backed up by Ward, Johnson and Beefy England, etc.

In retrospect, I think the semi final loss against Hull KR hurt me the most because of the route Leeds had already taken to get that far. There was an overriding feeling Leeds name was on the cup that year. Halifax away first up on half a frozen pitch when we were expected to lose (Gibbo! Gibbo! Gibbo!)... Donny was straightforward but then... Widnes away, drew 10-10 Creasser penalty dying seconds from touchline... midweek replay at Headingley, Leeds win 5-0 (two penalties and a DG)... still not convinced Tony Myler's try under the sticks should have been ruled out... no complaints though... one of the most bruising games ever... then those two semi finals when we should have won the first one... then the intense replay... 0-0 at half time (I think)... 1-0 for quite some time during the 2nd half prior to Leeds running out of stream... only so much battering we could have taken from their forwards that night... Roy Powell was immense that night, despite the 0-17 loss.

Some great memories there. I remember both semi's quite well but not the other rounds as well as you.
Harkin sent off for a trip on Tony Currie and we got a handy lead only fof KR to come back with the bounced try late on.Seem to remember that been the season Kevin Rayne playing well in the 2nd row, and Medley emerging on the scene.
IIRC in the replay we were under the cosh for most of the game and finally relented.

Yep, the Hull KR forwards bashed us in the replay. Felt sorry for the coach Peter Fox... he deserved a bit more luck at the very least. Pretty much scapegoated by the fans and never fully backed by the board of directors either who appeared stingy when he was coach. He had to beg them for 50k in order to sign Carl Gibson. Sacked and replaced by an inferior coach, the Lech Walesa lookalike who had no such problem getting the board to part with cash like it was going out of fashion... Lee Crooks, Garry Schofield, Gary Spencer, Mark Brooke Cowden, Ray Ashton, John Basnett, John Fairbank, Vince Fawcett, David Stephenson and several Aussies like Peter Tunks, Marty Gurr, Peter Jackson, Steve Morris all signed... have I missed anyone out?

Don't remember Marty Gurr...what position did he play?

You've missed out a fair few that Peter Fox signed, but that would probably have harmed your point.

Fullback. Mullet.

Do you know I never ever knew that till Wiganers started to tell us that,but really is it only recent years since we started playing Wigan in finals?

Just when i started watching Leeds and my memory could be wrong but I too had a bit of sympathy for Peter Fox. Didn't he take over shortly after we had the big influx of Aussies under Bamford and some of the British players had been dropped to accommodate them. He was left to pick up the pieces to an extent. I remember him signing Jeff Grayson but not sure which others players he brought in ?
A dodgy decision away from Wembley at a time when we won bugger all.

As I alluded to earlier, some Leeds fans suffered psychological damage as a consequence of Wigan's dominance from the mid-80's to mid 90's and they haven't got over it yet.

It is an interesting stat but as stated aside from the 90's (when wigan stuffed everyone) and the 2011 final we haven't played them all that often and certainly not in SL times.its not going to be something weighing on the players minds going in were it to happen. certainly not in the way the CC final was becoming an albatross round the neck and Saints' likely sinking feeling going in, were they to face us at OT anytime soon.

I think this is because we always went into every season in those times with great hopes fuelled by wholesale changes and big money buys each season, as you alluded to in an earlier post with the names you reeled off all probably coming in over a 2 season period.I, and probably many others, thought the Dougie laughton revolution was going to be the turning point.

In reality we never really got close to Wigan, and you always felt that come the big games they had a massive edge on us.

I'm sure tvoc can give a full list but Fox's Aussies ranged from the sublime (ET, McGaw) to the ridiculous (Peter Smith, Bob Morris) and from memory other signings - for quite a bit of money - included Andy Mason, Phil Fox and Gary Price. Apologies if I've got my dates mixed up and some of those were Bamford.

Nope! Still dont remember him.....how many games did he actually play? (This could be a very potentially worrying answer)

Played for us in the 87/88 season.I think he played most of it but not sure quite how many games.

Think I must have given most of that season a miss......twas round about the time my son was conceived

Cliffey played with ET and McGaw in his first stint at the club.

Lyons first stint was the year before ET & McGaw. He played with ET (on the wing. To accomodate Gary Spencer) in his second stint, under Reilly.

So Cliffe was 84/85? And ET/McGaw was 85/86? Cliffe/ET was obviously 88/89.

Fullback with negligible pace but his positional sense was second to no-one. Starring role in the unforgettable JP/Regal semi in Bolton V Wigan. Was still watching replays of that game weeks after - at least until we lost the final such was Leeds style in those days.

I would say that for most of Leeds golden era Wigan have not been a contender. Is only in recent seasons where they have been capable of winning the big one.
In 2010 we lost in the semi to them
2011 they lost in the semi to saints
2012 we won in the semi vs them
2013 we lost in the semi vs them

Less vs Wigan in the semi has been a pretty common occurrence, and since 2003 the winner has always gone on to win the gf.