I can't believe no one has mentioned Ian Kirke yet.

Perhaps they are unsure if he has made the required number of appearances to be considered. Well he has - 108.

Watch the floodgates open now.




Of those:
Andrew Ettingshausen - 41
Marcus Bai - 63
Cliff Lyons - 53
Marc Glanville - 52

The rest are OK.

Predictable much?

Case Closed.

What he said, but too much to ask.

very suspicious methods
probably the only guy to have seen all the relevnt players gives you five names,
you get to vote on them
the number of names is reduced (to five names?)
then someone else can decide which of the names left goes on the team sheet

Have you seen photos of his sister?

I must admit, no (surprising as Damo seems to share everything about his life on SS and the Sin Bin). Is Tad likely to use one as his avatar?

Have to agree...the era of Shoey, Atkinson, Hynes, Smith, Batten, Clarke et al coincided with an Ashes and a World Cup winning GB side containing many of said players.

For me the greatest Leeds side of all time (based solely on players I have seen on a regular basis - so excluding some outstanding players from pre 1967) goes...

1 - Holmes
2 - Smith
3- Hynes
4- Dyl
5 - Atkinson
6- Shoebottom
7- Seabourne
8- Clarke
9- Ward
10- Pitchford
11 - Ramsey
12- Haigh
13 - Batten

14. - Harris
15 - Sinfield
16 - Peacock
17 - Hanley

Bound to have missed someone obvious

me and my gaffer had a right debate on this subject this morning, out of all the players wev'e both seen play we came up with this

thornett
atkinson
senior
dyl
a smith

j holmes
seabourne

pitchford
ward
clark
ellis
haigh
sinfield

I think you've put in 2 left centres - so a bit of a cheat. I had to think long and hard about Senior vs Dyl. For me Dyl just shaded it. As for second row Ramsey brought some real mongrel and steel to the pack which every side needs. For me Batten was simply amazing and sneaked in ahead of Sinfield and Hanley (who was excellent but never in his prime at Leeds)

I should read the small print, however still not a bad team me thinks

I'm not qualified enough to comment on players from the 60's, 70's, 80's or even early Super League so my team will be way off for many people but here is my attempt. Don't berate me because of my age.

1. Harris
2. Donald
3.
4. Senior
5. Cummins
6. McGuire
7. Burrow
8. McDermott
9. Diskin
10. Peacock
11.
12. Ellis
13. Sinfield

I'm not going to fill in the rest as I'm not sure any one else really warrants them places. I know not many of these would make the 'Best Ever' side but they are just my thoughts. I am also aware that not many rate Donald very highly but playing in the same position I though he was amazing for at least a season or two and then suffered without an out and out centre partner towards the end of his Rhinos career.

Lauitiiti? most recognised overseas player in Leeds history imo.

OK I won't. I can go back only as far as 1989, so much as I am aware that there were better players before my time, I won't include them because I never saw them play.

1) Iestyn Harris (goes here because I wanted an altrernate 6 and he was good joining the line from fullback)
2) John Bentley (youth may have clouded my judgement, but I did like Bento)
3) Craig Innes/Brad Godden (both played 4 really, and I genuinely can't choose)
4) Keith Senior
5) Marcus Bai (made a huge difference to the 2003 team when he joined in 2004, edges out Carl Gibson)
6) Garry Schofield (could also have gone at 3, but there's a log jam there. Now noted as a gobe, but boy was he good when he was a player)
7) Rob Burrow


Roy Powell (ahead of his time in the athleticism he had as a forward, fearsome tackler, great ball carrier. Really nice man)
9) Matt Diskin
10) Jamie Peacock
11) Paul Dixon (see Bentley, John, a childhood idol, had to be in)
12) JJB (there's an element of sentiment overruling wisdom here, but he's a lad who had promise, then had injuries, then looked like he'd never make it, then came to epitomise everything good about the 07/08/09 sides)
13) Sir Kevin Sinfield (Hanley was technically a better player, but his best stuff was played elsewhere, and he didn't win 4 titles, a Harry Sunderland and a Lance Todd trophy while playing for Leeds)

I have ended up with quite a few current players, which actually seems only fair given that we currently have easily the most successful team of my lifetime. I've probably forgotten someone important here, but meh.

Completely forgot about Lauititi. That fills the 2nd second row spot. Cheers

cant incled Bai,didnt make 100 apps

Hanley couldn't really pass or kick, so I'm not sure thats the right choice of words ....

He was quite good at the other stuff though

superb athlete ,great tackler,broken field runner,these attributes still qualify him as a great player

I too forgot Ali, so I shall remove Glanville (who didn't play one hundred times anyway) and put him on the bench.

Well, for your information.... I didn;t read that bit.

Can I put Carl Gibson in instead.

100 appearances is quite a lot, probably means at least 4 seasons (unless they were very lucky with injury), so it must limit the field a bit.

Close on four seasons these days perhaps but not many over two full seasons in the 60's/70's (although a reduced number of substitutions or none at all.)

Didn't really seem to matter though did it. Actually come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that I remember Hanley kicking goals at some point so he must have been able to kick, of sorts. He wasn't a passer in the Andy Greg sense, but could pass, he just didn't need to, IMHO of course

So difficult to leave out some class acts. So to make it easier I have restricted my choice to players that I have seen myself.

That is with the one notable exception of Arthur Clues. I saw him play for Hunslet just the once but got to know Arthur after his playing days. The reason I have included him is because so many people whose opinions I admire rate him so highly and I wanted an enforcer in the pack and I suppose what swung it was you just have to admire a guy that scored a try and made a century at both Headingley and Sydney cricket ground.


Ken Thornett

Les Dyl (I know he is a centre but I had to include him)
Garry Schofield
Lewis Jones
John Atkinson

John Holmes
Mick Shoebottom

Jamie Peacock
David Ward
Steve Pitchford
Arthur Clues
Ellery Hanley
Ray Batten

Bench if allowed
Danny McGuire
Kevin Sinfield
Gareth Ellis
Bill Ramsey


With Jones, Shoebottom, Holmes, Schofield all able to play at SO, Centre or FB I have picked Shoey at 7 as he was also an outstanding scrum half.

I would have liked the speed of ET on the wing but he doesn't qualify for the 100 matches and perhaps neither does Rosenburg? So Dyl gets in obove Alan Smith.

Harris good though he was could not be fitted in.

If these players were in their prime then you would see pace, power and an incredible mix of creative players with all the skills.

Interestingly, the book that I quoted earier had some teams listed by some well respected people (people who's judgement I'd take as pretty good) and looked at who they'd pick for the players that I've never seen.

After all, why should we all hold up Jeppo's judgement as something special ? Just because he's old, doesn't make his judgement 100% solid .... Wasn't he involved in the signing of Peter Smith ? Smith is judged on another thread as just about the worst player in living memory to pull on the blue & amber