I'm getting a bit bored (especially after doing the super league score predictions) so thought I'd do this as a bit of fun.

With our existance seriously in doubt for muchof last year I got thinking about the past greats and wondered who everyone would think were the best Bulls players since the start of the Super League.

I've gone back through the squad lists and each week will post a new position, listing the players that have filled that particular role.

I know some players have covered a range of positions so a few names will crop up again from time to time. I've also not included many fringe players (those that only played a handful of games).

First position is Full Back. I've given everyone two votes in this position.

I'd have to choose sprogger out of this list withers I remember playing more on the wing and centre than full back-remember full back being his injury prone time. Like bk a lot but he is much more of an attacking and supporting full back whereas spruce was good all round

Withers - just for the hat-trick in the Grand Final

Nah he was class all round nothing much else to say.

Robbie - again pure class, I would have put Spruce down but it was a tie between these two for 2nd and I only had 2 votes :/

Kearney would have been third. Royston/Reardon 4th.

Have to agree that Wither's attacking came off the back of a great team.
Never the less- he's got my vote. The Rolls Royce of finishers.

Remember Robbie at FB but have fonder memories of Sprogger and Micky, Sprogger for his ability to use his pace to either to score or put his Team in for a try scoring position! Micky was the opposite seemed to amble to cover in defence and though not pacy in attack always seemed to find a gap or just shimmy past the defence, both were good in their own unique ways!
I don't think their are any really outstanding FB's in SL at present that can match the quality of the NRL's Slater Ingless and Barba!

Spruce for his incredible on-line defence to go with his attacking skills.

Gotta go with Spruce for this, close call with Withers though. The way Spruce put his body on the line in defence was awesome, IMHO he was the complete full back with all the skills in attack and defence...happy days.

Robbie paul for me pure class and bulls threw n threw

Close 2nd Wither's

I've gone for Spruce, closely followed by Withers.

Agree with comments about Sprogger, the complete fullback and was always amazed he didn't get more recognition outside Odsal. That said, he did play at a time when there were some outstanding Fullbacks in SL (Radlinski, Prescott, Harris etc).

I thought Withers played his best rugby at Fullback when he replaced Sprogger there. Again, like Spruce his body was put on the line countless times but think that his inexperience in this position left him vunerable to injuries.

I'd also point out that Reardon did look like a class act in his first spell at the club. Obviously his issues with injuries has held him back since he moved on but given some better decisions and good luck, he could have still been the No.1 at Odsal.

Sprogger was awesome from a defensive point of view. Almost faultless under the high ball, positionally superb.

Withers was the perfect support player, always there at the right time on the shoulder of the guy making the break.

Hard to pick between the two, but I think Mick just nicks it for the tries in some of those early final victories. Sprogger played in a great side, but he'd gone by the time we started to dominate.

It's difficult, different times and the game changing sooo much over time.

Best defensive FB for me has to be Sir Keith, his uncanny ability under the high ball (and there were some very cynical individuals running in to 'tackle', in those days) plus his tackling and reading of a game were way beyond excellent imo. Both Sprogger and the Ghost were very good defenders and better on attack then Keith, so would probably be a better 'all round' choice. I wouldn't have liked to choose which to pick if they'd been available at the same time, I'm delighted I was around to see them all though.

If Sir Keith had played for the Bulls it would have been no contest. Add sporting fairness to Bulliac`s list I never saw him do anything dirty or underhand.
Hard to choose between Sprogger and Mick Withers but for his last minute drop goal against Leeds which broke their hearts, I`ll go with Mick.

Keith Mumby was the best fullback i have seen, simple as that

Only saw Keith at the end of his career so I don't really know. From what i've been told he was an absolute star and probably still would be today, even though the game has changed so much.

First full backs I remember were Roger Simpson and Dave Watson. Absolutely love Watson as everyone else hated him so much!!! lol

What no Ian Wilkinson???

What a absalute legend when you could get through the smoke

As if no votes for Nathan Graham !!!

Absolute legend under a Bobbie Goulding bomb

Bull era only i'm afraid.

The Ghost is an easy choice for me. Close between Sprogger and Kearney, Sprogger just shades it but Kearney has time.

Keith Mumby was, of course, the greatest fullback ever, in the world, if you want your fullback to be your last line of defence. I've never seen anything even close to how good he was. He was also deceptively good at joining the line and was often underrated on attack. But those tackles, and that instinctive positioning. We will never see the like again.

Withers was very sound and reliable as a defensive F/B but his unerring attacking instinct and ghosting in for tries, often crucial ones in big games, was a treat to watch. So he gets my No. 1 vote for Bulls f/bs.

Poor Nathan always gets it in the neck.
He was a decent player who was very badly let down by his fellow defenders in a cup final and sadly got an undeserved reputation because of it. He made one real 'mistake' in that match, which was the first 'bomb' he let go, and that would have gone dead 999,999,999 times out of a million (more or less

) and before it bounced and took that horrendous reverse rebound, I suspect 99% of fullbacks would have made exactly the same decision.

The other supposed 'missed catches' he never got near; overrun by Saints attackers and with no support from his team mates who didn't even do the basics. Maybe they were tired, I dunno but they could have moved towards where the ball was dropping and made the onrushing Saints players run around them, at the very least.

Still, never mind let's blame Nathan..

Not that he was ever going to win this poll, of course.

Alex Green, Burnden Park.

Withers first, he was so suited to the modern fullback role. Attacking wise he was superb, he read the game so well. Always got on the end of things. Defensively I can't recall any howlers at all. Sure, he was in a champion team but he stood out as safe as houses.

Spruce second. Good in attack and defence. Not as classy as Withers and a bit slow to turn when a kick went behind him. Other than that he was very good.

Mumby was the best of all time tho!



Thanks. I'd just got over the recurring nightmares.

Withers - first class

Kearney - not played as many games as the ex full backs but is simply superb

3rd would have been Sprogger. Im counting Robbie to be a half back even tho he played with num 1 on his back

jimmy 4 bradford how many games at full back did withers play? first year wing, second year centre, and then some injury prone years I would be surprised if withers actually played 30 games at full back.

Love how even with options provided and suggested as a super league full back - mumby still gets votes in near enough double figuires. For someone who honestly did not see him but has countless times been told how good he was in defence how was keith in attack? bearing in mind we talk of a modern full back how would he have coped?

Still think witers did not have enough games at full back to be voted for above spruce and with Kearney being touted as not played enough games and being signed as a 6.....

keith mumby was the greatest fullback i ever saw for either northern/bulls, he was like a heatseeking missile