Inspired by this post from Cat on the RD thread, I thought it might be worth taking the chat on to a separate thread...

Some of my memories....

The licorice allsorts approach to signing players (endemic throughout the Murphy era, despite him saying at the start "no more money will be wasted on second raters"). Felt like there was a constant merry go-round of ageing veterans and unknown NZ/South Sea Islanders. I think everybody was trying to mine that market at the time hoping to unearth the next Henry/Robbie Paul.

Didn't we go crawling back to Swann, Dermott and Mafi a few weeks after making a big show of sacking them after getting smashed by Bradford, because we needed bodies for the squad?

Chucking Jon Duffy and Warren Stevens in to the first team. I think they were only 17. Both were clearly too young, I wonder if it harmed them long term. There was a lot of hope around Duffy at the club as a potential successor to Harris.

Nigel Vagana. One success from the licorice allsorts approach. You could see he was streets ahead of the others - such a smooth runner with great hands. I hoped we could hold on to him and Toa (who had flashed briefly at this point but kept getting injured) but was clearly too good for us. I remember him being a stand off for us, but can't remember whether this was just in a few games or all season?

The Wigan win. There was a rule of thumb back then that 90% of the time we were utter garbage, but when we were at a point of maximum chaos and at home against a good team, we would pull off something spectacular. I remember 'calling' a few Wire upsets in advance using this rule over the next few years, though sadly never confident enough to put money on them! I think this was the week when Dorahy had just been sacked and Cullen who was still in the playing staff was put in charge as coach, although after we won, it became "Murphy was in charge with Cullen".

The demise of Richard Henare. He had been the Nigel Vagana of the year before, and there was a lot of excitement going in to the season about how he would do. It soon became clear that this was a guy with issues and his form went downhill before him being sacked for disciplinary reasons. For a while I saw him as the great lost hope, but he never got out of the Championship after that.

As if the Corona virus wasn't tipping us over the edge, up pops 1997.

You think that was bad? Wait till 1998. At least chaos gave us some excitement.

It was like being glad to have seen the back of 2001.

At least we had Michael Eagar .

Didn't we also get that plant pot from Saints, Fogarty?
The only thing he did after leaving there, was get out-acted by a sheep in Emmerdale

He rose to greater heights than that....he was in Snatch getting knocked out by Brad Pitt.

Anyway, we're getting off topic. Eagar and Fogarty were just a twinkle in DVDVs eye, back in 97 when we had Vagana and Dallas Mead.

97 was also the end of the road for the last stalwarts of the Brian Johnson era. Cullen called it a day and Kelly Shelford was released. I remember Shelford - who was one of the heroes of my teenage days - copping a lot of stick towards the end, but his reputation seems to have been rehabilitated since given how he is revered on this forum.

Chips & mayonnaise with a side of very young ladies were his downfall.

Well you brought 98 up.......wink
I was glad for 98. I looked forward to Fogarty, when he first ran out for us. Didn't last long
Eagar was the shining light in another drab year

All taken back to his flat just off Irwell Road.

I know Henare's landlord
He's told me a couple of stories, over the years
No surprises that he never got to appear on University Challenge.
Not the brightest.

Bloody enjoyed watching him play, though.

1998 - Adam Doyle, enough said.

As someone who has watched plenty of non-SL rugby, I remember Henare signing for Carlisle in the mid-90's.