Cordle still caught enough to score 32 tries in his debut season.

Kelvin Skerrett or Stuart Fielden

Both started with Bradford then went to Wigan. Both played prop.

Two awesome players, though Len was more a no. 13 whilst Karl was usually in the second row, both had a very similar style though, for my money Casey was slightly the more creative and probably had better hands, whilst Fairbank probably did a little more bursting through the line. Both were superb defenders (we could have done with their like over the last few seasons) so I can't split them there.

I think I'm getting splinters in my bum........

Fielden was absolutely immense for us – regularly played 60-80 mins – Skerrett wouldn’t have been able to do that. Stu also managed to bust holes (similar to big Kelv) and did have the aura about him that he shouldn’t be tackled never mind upset.

I did love Kelv’s superman impression while playing for Wigan though when he ran into a brawl and jumped in and missed everyone.

I think that Fielden’s performance against Wests was the best I’ve seen by a prop for as long as I can remember (Maybe ignoring Gallen’s effort in SOO…..).

Darrell Shelford or Steve McGowan…………

I always thought Shelford was a good, steady centre but Jesus had an excellent try scoring record, even though he may have looked ungainly.

That's what made him world class. Was he wearing his gloves?

Shelford was a good handler of the ball and good in defence. McGowan was also good in defence.

I remember McGowan had an off season with Norths when they were a top flight ARL club and came back a much improved player, bigger and faster. Shame some of our other lads couldn't do the same at the time.

It's a close one but I'd go for Shelford, just.

Just watched it again on YT ("Kelvin Skerrit is Superman"icon_wink.gif. He gets Stuart Cummins right on the 'tache.

Good lad.

nick zisti or jeff wittenberg
different positions but we chased both for a few years only to be left wondering why?

was wittenberg as useless as zisti? I don't remember too much of him but I remember wondering why Zisti even bothered.

No, Wittenberg went on to play SL with Hudds (?) after he left us. He didn't perform up to his reputation but he did [ilook[/i as though he'd played the game before and might produce a better performance, though if he did I can't remember it.

I remember Zisti's first game; he got the ball whilst on the run and burst through the line and then appeared to tread water and was caught in seconds.....I think that was as good as it got. It was definitely the fastest he ever ran and I can't remember another line break.
Alan Redfearn or Paul Deacon?

Wittenberg scored the try at Sheffield which clinched the game when we won the title in 1997 that makes his contribution infinetly better than Zisti's.

On the subject of Zisti I remmber watching him play for Hunter Mariners in the WCC in 1997 and he scored tries for fun and looked a decent player, I have no idea how he became so bad in the space of two years

We would have won that game at sheffield without that try though, I do rememeber it being a good strong run though.
Was he the last aus prop we signed? think he put us off a bit.... meyers was signed as a backrower and initially played there more (bit like carlaw who was in 2nd row at brisbane before he signed he ended up at prop too for a bit.

think both were chased for at leas two years think in 97 we were looking at zisti and had approached him before then. Wittenberg we were trying to get in 96 under some hype (prob not as much as zisti).

what about evans or nero? hated both but looking back more unfair on evans -at least that guy could pass both ways.

Evans did a really good job for us and ended up having quite a good try scroing record if I remember correctly. Nero was a great let down after looking a steal from Huddersfield where he finished very strongly.

Evans was probably dirt cheap too compared with Nero, so have to go with Evans on that one for me.

How about Sonny Nickle or Paul Medley?

IIRC Nero was a player we'd been chasing a few years before so when he left Hudds I thought he would have been a good signing. Maybe my expectations were a bit high, I dunno but he didn't match up to be fair. Evans was solid though; good eye for the line, decent passer of the ball and a fair defender, so I can't knock his contribution. considering what happened when he left we would most likely have been much better if we could have kept him.

Evans over Nero any day. I never got what McNamara saw in Nero (and many others!).

Nickle vs Medley is a good one. Medley in his early days with us used his pace to get us out of some sticky situations often enough, however his defence wasn't great when he went for the big hit and missed more than he connected. He did have a bit of a renaissance under Elliott and Smith.

Nickle wasn't here half as long but added pace and a fair bit of dog (which Medley never had). An altogether scarier prospect but more ill disciplined and you got fewer eye catching plays.

It's hard to pick between them but for loyalty and aesthetic value only I'd got for Medley.

Those saying Evans was better than Nero have clearly had too much Falernian! Nero was far superior according to any comparison when games played are taken into account: www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011 www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011 www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011 Evans might be better value for the coin though. I think people on here are forgetting how good Nero was here, although his last season was a bit of a disappointment. What about Halley versus Reardon?

Those saying Evans was better than Nero have clearly had too much Falernian! Nero was far superior according to any comparison when games played are taken into account: www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011 www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011 www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011 Evans might be better value for the coin though. I think people on here are forgetting how good Nero was here, although his last season was a bit of a disappointment. What about Halley versus Reardon?

Evans was pretty steady away, he was very reliable and always better than average. Nero OTOH had had spells in the past where he was and looked clearly a cut above, and I reckon was almost a top class player, but (apart from his penultimate season with us, when he regained something like past form) he rarely produced much over average. So because Nero was the more gifted player but didn't often produce, whereas Evans though less gifted gave more consistent service, I vote Evans. (I would in many ways compare Nero with John Woods - both could pull stuff out of the hat that other players can't, just didn't do it too often for us.)

I liked both Sonny Nickle and Medley, and it was a relief and a boost when we got him off Leeds, if you're old enough to have seen just how often they brought him on as sub in games we were going to win, and he had rampaged and ripped us apart. Unbelievable. It was getting embarrassing, we had to nick him off them. Surprised they let him go to be honest.

Nickle was a very solid player but Medley just had that extra attacking ability that made him a bit special and a more potent force. Aesthetics? I was once in the same ballroom dance class as Sonny, who is actually a nice quiet bloke and not at all what some might expect, and he made me look good (well, probably not actually, but you catch my drift) so yes. Would be happy with either of them in the current squad.

Didn't we sign Medders from Fax? I know he started at Leeds but.....

You're right, he did a few weeks at Fax en route to us, but then again that hardly counts



Still can't work out why Leeds let him go

Reilly decided that Medley didn't have the required aggression to be in his plans at Leeds. He says as much in his biography. He was sold to Fax for cash and Paul Dixon. Medley didn't want to leave and the YEP ran a letters campaign to keep him - to no avail. Medley then played a short period in 88/89 for Fax that included him coming on versus Leeds as sub and getting knocked out and put in hospital. He then turned up at Bradford in 89/90 for £110,000k from Fax giving us some much needed pace.

Northern coach Barry Seabourne incidentally signed him to play centre but he left Northern before the season started. Medley went on to play mostly in the second row but did turn out in the centre and on the wing.

Probably the fastest backrower I've seen, only Menzies in his prime was as quick. He scored some beauties for us over the years, my fave probably being the one versus Leeds in the cup semi in 97.

The only memory I have of Medley as a player was watching the bulls play their last game at central park and seeing him (with his first touch) break the line and go 30 meters. Really easy on the eye and a bit of a crowd favourite. Sonny Nickle was a very different type of player. He had a lot of mongrel about him and carried a bit of fear factor about him. We could have done with a sonny nickle this year, my vote goes for him.

Jamie Peacock vs Stuart Fielden?

I have a vague memory of Peter Fox picking Medley at hooker for one game at Wheldon Road. It may have been 93-4 when Northern were pipped to the Championship on points difference.

I only game I can remember Medley playing hooker was in a televised mud bath at the Willow's. It was a low scoring game with Dave Heron scoring the 1st try and a fantastic individual try minutes from the end by Dave Watson to win the game. As I recall, Stevo was spitting chips at Medders playing hooker but it worked on the night.