That is the antiquated attitude most over here have still and that's why we've produced fullbacks like Wellens. It's starting to change a bit and the fullback is being used better at a lot of teams now (although that's still mainly in teams with antipodean fullbacks), but it's going to be a long time before we regularly start producing attacking options there from the junior levels upwards.

Hemmings is not as bad as Clarke is about Wigan the mans sickofantic.

But isn't he an ex Wigan player??

Obviously he is going to support his former club!

When a bomb goes up, we like to remind the kicker "We've got Paul Wellens', d*ckh3ad."

I would struggle to reach two hands to think of the amount of times he has missed a bomb.

He would never have been a Minichello, or Slater, he lacked the pace, but he supplied Saimts with years of passion, dependability and quite often a game turning tackle.

I love him, Saints fans love him, and we will hold him in high regard for years to come.

Wellens and before his time, Radlinski, are both pure class full backs. There are dimwits who just want a pacey, attacking f/b, and are too thick or unknowledegable to understand that there are other types of f/b too, who do different jobs. For instance, Keith Mumby, the best defensive f/b who ever drew breath in this world. He had no real pace, but joining the line and scoring tries wan't what Sir Keith was about, and I have still never seen a better tackler of the last man.

Well before Mumby (for me, ordinary at best although a great servant to Northern) was Hull's Arthur Keegan who rarely missed a tackle.

Then there was the great Paul Charlton who took full-back to another level, outstanding on attack and superb defensively.

The Aussies talk about Billy Slater, but, for me, Graham Eadie was the best I saw - an absolute powerhouse on the '78 Kangaroos tour.