After reading the thread about Sinfield and Hanley it got me thinking about the best players I'd seen play at Leeds. This will obviously change across different eras and it open to all sorts of interpretation but here goes my effort. I've not put too much thought into it so will probably omit someone obvious.

Harris
ET
Carroll (season 1)
Senior
Hall
Sinfield
McGuire
Peacock
Buderus/Diskin - This is the toughest decision for me (heart said Diskin, head says Buderus!)
McDermott
Ellis
JJB
Hanley

Burrow
Lauitiiti
Morley
Kirke!!!

I'm struggling for a 4th prop other than Bailey - sure I must be missing someone obvious though.

I have managed to incorporate Hanley & Sinfield into the one team and with McGuire & Harris taking the ball outside Sinfield I think this could be devastating.

I found it hard to not pick Brad Godden, 1 of my favourite players but felt TC and Keith were more devastating in their prime.

Presumed you had been watching longer than that for some reason. Apologies for probably adding on years.

I have to be honest and say that although watching since 1978, I can't honestly remember off the top of my head some of the names, even though in reality they were actually pretty good players in their own right.

ET, Harris, Sinfield, Hanley, Schofield, Crooks, Tunks, McGuire, Morley, Ellis, Grothe, Morris, are all players I can say off the top of my head I would look to place in a best team though.

Edit: Forgot to add David Ward, and one of my all time favouries despite only playing a short while, Izzard.

Kylie?

Very difficult to fit 35 years of players from various eras into one team, and I'm bound to miss out someone doing this off the top of my head, but (and this is the best players I've seen at Leeds in their respective positions, irrespective of time spent at the club):

Ettingshausen, Grothe, Godden, Senior, Atkinson, Holmes, Schofield (thought he played some of his best ever rugby at scrum half when Holroyd broke into the side), Powell, Ward, Pitchford, Lauitiiti, Morley, Hanley

Subs: Sinfield (just because he has to be in there somewhere), Dixon, McDermott, Peacock

assuming all players at their peak when i saw them

Webb
Calderwood
Walker
Senior
Hall
McGuire
Burrow
McDermott
Buderus
Peacock
Lauitiiti
Ellis
Sinfield

Eastwood
Jones-Buchanan
Leuluai
Bailey

Harris
Fallon
Schofield
Senior
Hall
McGuire
Burrow
McDermott
Lowes
Peacock
Furner
Ellis
Hanley

1- Morvin Edwards (Probably contraversial, but I found him very entertaining)
2- ET
3-Tonie Carroll
4 - Craig Innes (Classiest centre I've seen in blue and amber, closely followed by Godden)
5- Calderwood (In his prime)
6 - Harris
7 - Schofield (only at 7 to accomodate Harris)
8 - Fleary (that 1st season was awesome)
9 - Newton
10 - Peacock
11 - Morley
12 - Ellis
13 - Hanley

14 - Jackson (worked really well as interchange with Newton)
15 - Harvey Howard
16 - Barrie Mc
17 -Lauititi

Lots of very good players to miss out, and some club legends. That pack and bench would crucify the powder puff packs of modern day super league. Would be interesting to see what the combined bans of Newton, Peacock, Moz, Howard and Barrie would add up to.

1: Harris
2: Carl Gibson
3: Innes
4: Senior
5: Bai
6: Schofield
7: Burrow
8: Powell
9: Diskin
10: Peacock
11: Dixon
12: Ellis
13: Sinfield (sorry Ellery)

14: Hanley (how often did that happen in real life?)
15: McDermott
16: Lauititi
17: Morley

I know I only have one prop on the bench (Morley never played there for Leeds that I remember, but screw it, I've got arguably GB's greatest ever player there instead). I could probably have named 3 or 4 packs and still felt like I'd left people out.

If I were going to be basing it on players I saw play for Leeds but who were at their best somewhere else, Lowes would be at 9, but we got shut of him in the nick of time.... I'm fine with that by the way.

I'll take that as a compliment because my posts are so mature, sensible and thought provoking!

I was born in '82 so ET is my first real memory and only gets in because I saw him tear it up for Cronulla in later years!

Having seen him play for Aus and later Cronulla, I regard ET as one of the best players I've seen, but despite being 2 years older than you, I didn't really start going to matches until 1989, so I missed his spell in blue and amber.

Hmmm, a best players you've ever seen play (in the flesh) thread might be fun....

For Leeds just this once: 21st November 1993, V Leigh, Headingley, Won 27-18

I think I only got dragged along a few times before that but I vaguely remember ET, Schoey, Phil Ford, Gibbo, Creasser, Crooks, Maskill, Powell, Divorty.

Don't know if that lot were ever in the same side but in my head that's my earliest Leeds memories!

Having typed that - Roy Powell is my other bench man! Knew I'd forgotten someone! (forgot Furner as well to be fair!)

1. Harris
2. Bai
3. Carroll
4. Senior
5. Hall
6. McGuire
7. Burrow
8. McDermott
9. Buderus
10. Peacock
11. Ellis
12. Morley
13. Sinfield

14. Dunemann
15. Lauititi
16. Adamson
17. Leuluai

Best rugby players as opposed to best for Leeds/longest serving, and I only caught the very end of Holmes & Ward's career:

Ettingshausen

Grothe
Schofield
Senior
Hall

Harris
Coleman

Peacock
Lowes
Crooks
Lauititi
Morley
Hanley

McDermott
Dixon
Ellis
Sinfield

Coach: Murray

ettinghausen
atkinson
godden
schofield
hall
holmes
burrow
peacock
ward
mcdermott
morely
ellis
sinfield

roy powell
fleary
newton
furner

Thornett - A Smith - Schofield - Dyl - Atkinson - Harris - Burrow - Peacock - Simms - McDermott - Ellis - Haigh - Hanley
Subs
Holmes - Howard - Morley - Furner

Harris
E.T.
Innes
Senior
Hall
Mcguire
Burrow
Mcdermott
Diskin
Peacock
Morley
Jjb
Sinfield

Dixon
Ali
Schofield
Glanville.

Although i've left out some legends likes Holmes ,Atkinson ,Dyl ,i cant honestly say they were at their "peak" when i started watching and they were names my old man used to glow when talking about.
Also harsh on players like Roy Powell ,Godden ,Fallon ,Fleary ,Farrell ,Maskill ,Furner etc etc but it's hard to choos when the scope is so wide.
RE-Hanley not making it a fantastic player no doubts at all but i always have more fond memories of Glanville for some reason.

so tough to remember let alone choose a 17 going back to 78/79 but here goes:

Harris
Grothe
Schofield
Senior
Atkinson

Holmes / Lyons - head says Lyons as was old enough to appreciate him. Heart says Holmesy as first rugby hero but sadly never saw him (when i was old enough) at his absolute peak
Goulding / Burrow - unless I've missed someone obvious, just realised that we've not had a truely world class scrum half in my lifetime of watching

Peacock
Ward
McDermott
Laurie
Lauitiiti
Hanley

Subs - Sinfield, Morley, Ellis, Powell

Thornett
Smith
Schoefield
Senior
Atkinson
Jones
Stevenson
Robinson
Simms
Peacock
Morley
Ellis
Sinfield
hanley
McGuire
Holmes
Ali
I did a number of those out of sentiment ,but I still think its a fair 17as well as once again showng I'm an old bugger

Been watching since very late seventies but going to base my selection upon players seen since mid eighties when I really started paying proper attention.

1. Ettinghausen
2. Ryan Hall
3. Brad Godden
4. Keith Senior
5. Mark Calderwood
6. Garry Schofield
7. Rob Burrow
8. Jamie Peacock
9. Matt Diskin
10. Barrie McDermott
11. Morley
12. Glanville
13. Sinfield

14. Iestyn Harris
15. Lautiti
16. Powell
17. Dixon

Harris
ET
Carroll
Innes
Fallon
Schofield
McGuire
Peacock
Buderus
McDermott
Ellis
JJB
Sinfield

Hanley
Burrow
Morley
Dixon

Always difficult these but here goes
1 HARRIS
2 ET
3 SCHOFIELD
4 SENIOR
5 HALL
6 SINFIELD
7 BURROW
8 BARRIE
9 DISKIN
10 PEACOCK
11 MORLEY
12 ELLIS
13 SINFIELD

14 DIXON
15 FURNER
16 ALI
17 MCGUIRE

1. Iestyn Harris
2. Paul Sterling
3. Brad Godden
4. Keith Senior
5. Marcus Bai
6. Garry Schofield
7. Danny McGuire
8. Barrie McDermott
9. Terry Newton
10. Jamie Peacock
11. Adrian Morley
12. Gareth Ellis
13. Kevin Sinfield

Subs: Ali Lauitiiti, David Furner, Marc Glanville, Ellery Hanley

1. Andrew Ettinghausen
2. Carl Gibson
3. Garry Schofield
4. Keith Senior
5. Marcus Bai
6. Iestyn Harris
7. Cliff Lyons
8. Barrie Mcdermott
9. David Ward
10. Jamie Peacock
11. Adrian Morley
12. Roy Powell
13. Ellery Hanley

14. Kevin Sinfield
15. Jamie Jones Buchanon
16. Gareth Ellis
17. Ali Lauitiiti