I may be wrong but I think Casey was playing for Bradford when he did Ken Kelly although he had two spells at Hull KR and is readily associated with them. He was a leading exponent of the stiff or swinging arm usually on a half back calculated to break the jaw when the ball was at the other end of the pitch and the blow was least expected. One of those players who deliberately went out to disable people and one of the most cowardly and dirty players I ever saw.

Mick Sullivan was one notorious for the biff and, although not that big, would fight anybody. Rumour has it that when he broke his arm, he saved the plaster when it was removed in order to strap it back on under his jersey in needle matches to make his stiff arm tackles more effective. I don't think there is a psychiatric term to describe his personality. He seemed to me a complete nutter who loved to take the biff as much as he dished it out. Although a supremely talented player who didn't need to mix it, he seemed to enjoy it too much to leave it out.

Ken Kellys' jaw was also broken by Joe Price. I think it was in the semi final of the John Player Trophy against St. Helens. We went on to win the game

Looked into this Wireone and you are right it was Bradford. The follow up was that when Bradford came the next season we got payback. Allegedly Mike Nicholas threw a punch in a scrum and it all exploded. Within the next, if I remember correctly 15 minutes the whole Bradford front row had been sent off, Jimmy Thompson, a young Brian Noble and Van Bellen. Think one of our guys too probably Nicko. Not even sure Casey was playing probably was at KR by then.

Nicky Kiss was in the same mould as Mikey mac. Good but dirty player not really a biff player but sneaky and dirty.

Like that ludicrously-coiffured upstart Charnley, Kiss was another one who looked like he should be selling pegs, lucky heather and tarmacing drives for people.

If you put Jimmy Thompson and Mike Nicholas against each other, it was a case of light blue touch paper and retire immediately. Both great players though. I may be wrong but, although they liked the biff, I never saw them go out to seriously injure anybody.

Joe Price was in the same mould as Casey. More of an assassin than an enforcer.

1. Skerritt
2. Newton
3. M.M
4. Hock
5. Bailey
6. Westwood
7. Sonny Nickel
8. Cowie

Bad tackling style


1. S.O.L.
2. Mozza

Kevin Tamati was here when Gregory was here because they both played in the 1986 Championship final v Halifax but I think Gregory had left for Wigan before Roach and Davidson came. I know my memory plays tricks on me but it would appear that AG's is even worse.

Yes, Andy Greg never played in the Roach & Davidson era, he'd left by then. Phil Blake was also here during the Roach/Davidson season and I think he played half-back alongside John Woods most of the time. Woodsy certainly played at half-back (alongside Rocky Turner I think) in the Maine Rd CC semi in which Roach, but not Davidson or Blake, figured. Souths wouldn't release the latter two.

Worst player I ever saw was Bradford's Marco van Bellen (with a not so silent D at the end).

One game at Wilderspool he took someone's head off and faked an injury until the next play the ball where he jumped up and booted the semi conscious wire player fully in the head whilst the officials we're continuing play.

ex saints player who is a friend of mine still says that Nickle is the dirtiest player he has ever seen.

he used to smash his own players in training.

in one training tackle, nickle got 'revenge' on him because he bought a dummy off him and made him look stupid, which resulted in howls of laughter.... he did this my charging the ball in and raising his elbow at the last min into his face... the player in question broke his eye socket in 5 places and broke his jaw.... saints brushed it under the carpet and told him to say it was 'an unfortunate clash of heads'...

he did this on more than one occasion.. but not with such severe consequences.... always to young players as well.

Toa Kohe Love...dirty bleeder.

You lot are too young to have seen Saints player Duggie Greenall....He was seriously disturbed...I once saw him push Wire player Bill McFarlane(some would say he too had mental health issues)at Knowsley Road head first into the wall when he was well in touch....Wire never even got a penalty I suppose it was considered to be on off-pitch incident.....Years late Duggie pulled me a pint at his St Helens pub...You wouldn't have thought it was the same bloke.

Off topic...Can whoever runs the site put the clock right ? I THANK YOU !!

I like the fact that the blinkered pie eaters who are tit for tatting are justifying their teams lack of care for other players welfare by using Ben Westwood in last year's grand final, a one off incident he should have been punished harsher for and then having to go back thirty years to name a player that was into fisticuffs at times.

It'd be clutching at straws to say they're clutching at straws, I'd be embarrassed if that was my defence.

Jesus

Mentioned this on here the other day, we'll be sat here in 10 years time and they'll probably still be using the Bennie incident to justify stuff

The Harrison Hanson shoulder charge that helped to caused Stef's damaged ankles was also dirty play surely ,especially when shoulder charges were outlawed.

but Westwood started it......

Amazed that no-one has mentioned Alan Rathbone. Seriously unhinged.

he used to be a regular name on here with previous posters. Maybe its a generation shift.

User name?

It would be intersting to read his thoughts - even if it was afew years ago

We must have started to watch the Wire around the same time. Greenall was the complete nutter. Vinty told the tale of how Greenall, then a senior professional, led a post match delegation into the Oldham dressing room to continue hostilities. He loved inflicting pain and was the ringleader of the dirtiest team I have ever seen but he also took it. As i have said before Ray Price handed out some real pastings to him and Greenall used to boast that he had broken nearly every bone in his body.
My favourite Greenall moment was when we were playing towards the cop end and Bev got the ball and went round the Saints winger, Brian Howard, whose son, Harvey, later played for Widnes. Anyway Howard dived and managed to get hold of Bev's ankle, Bev was trying to yank his ankle free when Greenall came charging across and launched himself at Bev from about six foot away. If he had connected God only knows what would the consequences would have been, However Bev had the finely tuned instincts of a flight animal and crouched to the ground. Greenall went flying over him on to the cinder track and into the wall. After some time, Greenall staggered off with his shoulder beneath his waist and that is my earliest recall of thinking that there is a God in Heaven after all.
Bill McFarlane was yet another example of someone wasting their god given talent. IMO he was immensely talented and, if he had half the application of Vinty Karalius, he would have been the stuff of folk lore. Instead he used to go out round Wigan on a Friday night, get popped up, start trouble and get locked up and have to be bailed out to play on the Saturday. A life style that would only end one way.

What? He became a referee?

Touche. I like it