Gets my vote for 'Post of the Thread'. Certainly makes some of the names previously suggested relatively less revered.

I was there for that Leigh v Wigan game crowd was announced as 22000. Me and big bro where in the ground 2 hours b4 kick off. Little bro could not come as he was only about 3.

Does anyone remember Dave Smith ?A forward we signed from Huddersfield along with Andy Pucill ,we played a game at Rochdale and with a few minutes to go we were losing by 9 points , we were pressing of the Rochdale line , Dave got the ball and attempted a Drop Goal



so Bizarre .

Good post kirkhall, you certainly know your stuff.

I think Jim Humble played more than a couple of seasons for us, as I said before I hero-worshipped the guy (used to imagine I was him when running for the bus or errands for my mam, side-stepping lampposts as I went).

P.S. Can't believe nobody's mentioned Mick Stacey

So, can I take that as a mention for Mick, then?

OK - I think this one has run its course now.

To have the final say, my best were - (in no particular order) Woods, Drummond, Turley, Risman, Mick Martyn, Murphy, Owen, Lewis, Kindon and Ledgard.

I'm sure the likes of Pawsey, Allan, Mossop etc would also have been on there, but I can't remember that far back!

I'll collate the results now, and post them on here, and LeighLife, later this weekend, as well as passing them on to the club. If their idea on using this information comes to fruition, the club will, of course, let us know.

Many thanks to almost 50 people, who contributed, via the two websites.

Voting, across the two websites, for the most popular 23 players, was:-

27 – John Woods.
22 – Des Drummond.
17 – Alex Murphy.
12 – Mick Martyn.
11 – Tim Street; Neil Turley.
10 – Stan Owen.
7 – Joe Walsh; Chris Hill; Alf Wilkinson.
6 – Jim Ledgard.
5 – Trevor Allan; Charlie Pawsey; Steve Donlan; Adam Bristow.
4 – Bill Robinson; Walt Tabern; Paul Rowley; Peter Smethurst; Gordon Lewis.
3 – Tommy Sale; Chris Johnson; Dave Eckersley.

It's a good list but I think Murphy is way too high and I doubt that Chris Hill will like the 'yesteryear' tag.

Don't know - the way he is progressing, he could be 'yesteryear' as far as we're concerned!

Personally I am not sure what Adam Bristow really achieved in the game or in a Leigh shirt for that matter other than failing to bend his back and allowing Barry Eaton to dart underneath him and thus cost us the 2000 NFP GF and a guaranteed place in the following year's Super League.

I am sure someone of superior knowledge will be able to correct me.

Fans 'revere' players for all sorts of personal reasons. Personally, I wouldn't include Adam in this kind of list either, but the idea was to collect peoples' individual ideas, and Adam is someone's personal choice.

As far as a 'guaranteed' place in SL that year, we definitely wouldn't have got in - for the same reasons that Dewsbury didn't. The RFL had decided that our stadium wasn't up to it, (at least they recognised we had one that year!

) and our plan to play some games at the Reebok was also rejected.

However Alan if you speak to Mike Nolan, He will tell you that we had indeed been given the nod to enter SL if we had gone on to have beaten Dewsbury in the Grand Final.

He once said to me, having been given that decision it then made listening to Bob McDermot's victory speech post match even more painful than it should have been.

How can Murphy be too high he was at the helm for the biggest two achievements in our history as well has being
Widely acclaimed the greatest ever league player.

Amazing comment from reffy

Totally agree soldier. Murphy should be top of the list for me (and by a long way)

Alex Murphy without doubt is the greatest rugby player in either code ever in this country ......

Agree with all the points about Alex Murphy (so does Alex!!!), but he wasn't exactly revered by Leigh fans when he played at Saints and warrington - so - revered at Leigh - his only club - must be Mick Martyn. Most of Mick's tries were simply sensational. He regularly crashed through tackles and scored from all over the park (180+times). His defence was first rate too. (Mick was unlucky to be at his peak when GB had their best ever back 3 - Huddart, Whiteley and Karalius)

At the time, I was working with Chris Healey, who was still CEO of the club. (I'm sure Mike took over after that) The messages Chris was coming back with from Council meetings were that we weren't going to get in. The problems for Leigh and Dewsbury, and indeed Hunslet, were created by Wakefield having gone up previously, and then not carried out the promised ground improvements

It is an amazing comment because it is my opinion.

He is one of the best ever players to play the game but that doesn't mean he has to be revered.

[iREVERED...deserving honour and respect especially by reason of age.[/i In my opinion that isn't Murphy.

Her majesty disagreed with you as well - A MURPHY. OBE

Or MBE. Always get them mixed up

...... and you think her majesty had anything to do with it or even had heard of him?


Lets agree to differ on his qualities.

To be fair - the honours system isn't the best indicator of an individual's reverential worth:

LORD Archer
LORD Taylor of Warwick
SIR Jimmy Savile
Stuart Hall OBE
I suspect that list could quite easily be expanded on - but you get my drift!!

AJM was, without doubt, one of the all time greats on the field - and his success as a coach/manager for this club is well documented - but the fact also remains that he dropped this club like a stone - TWICE - to further his ambitions.

Three times actually. 1971, 1982 and 1985 when St.Helens came knocking.

Fair point - although, on the first two occasions he walked out on:

a) The Challenge Cup holders
b) The League Champions

In '85 he left a newly promoted club to return to Saints..... his hometown team, and first love - so I suppose we can forgive him that one!!

Ha ha, I remember that well. Dave Smith played for Thatto Heath as an amateur and we had some right ding dong battles playing against each other. that was a really poor Leigh team !

My favourite team was in the 80's.

Loved Woody and Dessie, but my favourite back was John Henderson. He was a fantastic and quick Centre.

My favourite forward was Jeff Clarke.

The most gifted forward of that era to grace HP in the late 80's was Ian Schubert. He was coming to an end but a fantastic playing ball handling back rower. A joy to watch !