No chance, Potter was much better, solid as a rock.

so was cassidy

But look at the type of players he was tackling at the time - mostly plodders that trained 2-3 evenings a week. Not the 16-17st ripped athletes running angles at full tilt that we see in the modern game.

To be fair I'm sure he didn't have the training Hansen had either. It's very difficult to compare players of such different eras, all you can do is look at how they compared to other players at the time.

Agreed, ask Morley.

You mean like against the Australians ?

Have a look at Potter against Manly 1987.

He had shoulders like a brick outhouse and arms like a gorilla that used to reel them in.



Here he is just behind 'zip zip' Ella coming out at CP.

It wasn't against Manly, we had an all British team. (West was on the bench but didn't play)

Do you not agree that Hansen is a better attacking player than Potter?

The pic isn't from the Manly match. Ella played for us a year or two earlier . Manly was an evening game.

re Hansen being a better attacker.

Well yes of course. Potter was there to stop other teams.

It was the Potters and Cassidys that built the platform for some of the great Wigan eras. They are the workhorses and Hansen is in a similar mould/job. The unsung heroes.

If Hansen could perhaps view some of Denis Betts attacking moves he would be a world beater.

Hansen has only been our top tackle once in his career. He's not been the top tackler at the club since 2008, so why are we considering the best tackler of all time and being compared to Potter?

Potter was a top player in his era, all out effort big hits. Opposition kick off Mick Ford takes ball Potter first hit up - like clockwork. Potter and Case added a loy to the Wigan pack.

If you had the choice of Potter or Hansen, who would you pick?

I'd take Hansen every day of the week because he is the better all round player, Potter offered very little in attack.

I think I read somewhere that Potter isn't well, mentally.

What was Potter like in attack, a grafter or just offered nothing at all? Hansen's a grafter in attack most of the time. He's improved in that area and makes more metres with ball in hand than he used to but doesn't show much ball handling skills - rarely passes or offloads. In fact when he set up a try with an inside pass against Rovers it was the first time I've seen him pass a ball. If he can do that he should do it more often. He also just relies on cutting back inside all the time. He doesn't seem capable of stretching the defence out wide like Hock, Hoffman, Farrell and Joel Tomkins did/does to good effect. His attack is one thing that stops Hansen being a top quality player, but he offers enough as a strong runner.

I'd pick Hansen over Potter. Potter was tackling machine but slow in attack. I preferred a back 3 of Goodway Betts and Hanley in that era.

Similarly to do today I honestly would sooner have a back 3 of Hock Faz Lockers or even Hock Tomkins Lockers or Hoffman Hock Lockers etc... over Hansen.

This thread seems to be turning to which was the best back row, so I will have my say on this.
In my opinion one of the best back rows I saw at Wigan was as follows.

Bill Ashurst, Dave Robinson and Doug Laughton, every one of them different but didn't they work well together.

+1
I've mentioned it to Dave Robbi when we were in the same tour group in 2008 for the World Cup.

It's one of the great travesties in life that Bill Ashurst played when he did.

If he had been born earlier, then the Boston era, and later from the mid 80's or even today he would have been an absolute world beater (he wasn't too bad even in his own era).

His kicking for touch had to be seen to be believed.

Had the pleasure of his company at the last flag fund-raiser event where he and his son sat on the same table as us. On the way home my missus commented on how Bill was an absolute gentleman all evening.

Best backrower is an interesting one, guess opinion will be partly dictated by which era fans started watching Wigan.
For me without a doubt as a 13 it's Hanley, however I don't think he would have played 13 in the modern game.

Andy Faz also deserves a mention.

Not only the best back rower but probably the best player I've seen. Weird really because he couldn't kick particularly well, his passing wasn't great and he wasn't a tackling machine. He had something very special about him though and I think he could make a decent job in any position on the field.

Excellent !

We used to see Bills family at CP.

They used to scream and shout "there's our Bill".

So hard to imagine he is now a devout Christian.

Good for him !

He was a real hard case.

A true Wigan legend.

If the 40- 20 had been around in his day, he would have kicked the opposition to death. They would have never got out of their own half for sure.


And as an aside...........if he still drinks, I would love to buy him a pint for shutting up STEVO off Sky.

I would have Ian Potter in any Rugby league team to block up the middle. Second choice would be Mick Cassidy.

Just like the backs, these blokes don't come along every few weeks.

Quote ="Pemps"Not only the best back rower but probably the best player I've seen. Weird really because he couldn't kick particularly well, his passing wasn't great and he wasn't a tackling machine. He had something very special about him though and I think he could make a decent job in any position on the field.'" Hanley was hard to pigeonhole in every respect. I spoke with my old Dad this evening, and he still follows Wigan on Sky. His all time number 13 was Billy Blan, another all time Wigan legend. www.wiganwarriors.com/WPlayerP.a ... SquadID=11 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Blan My Dads school mate is second from the left back row - Martin Ryan. No not Ken Gee. My Dad can go back to the 1920s with Wigans history.

Quote ="Pemps"Not only the best back rower but probably the best player I've seen. Weird really because he couldn't kick particularly well, his passing wasn't great and he wasn't a tackling machine. He had something very special about him though and I think he could make a decent job in any position on the field.'" Hanley was hard to pigeonhole in every respect. I spoke with my old Dad this evening, and he still follows Wigan on Sky. His all time number 13 was Billy Blan, another all time Wigan legend. www.wiganwarriors.com/WPlayerP.a ... SquadID=11 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Blan My Dads school mate is second from the left back row - Martin Ryan. No not Ken Gee. My Dad can go back to the 1920s with Wigans history.

I have also seen this mentioned.

I sincerely hope he is being helped by family, friends, and the RL community.

Shame to hear. There must be over 150 different players that have come and gone over the years in my time of watching the club (1982) and the vast majority just simply slip back into obscurity. There are a few exceptions,those who have gone into coaching (Edwards, Farrell, Wane, Betts..etc), those in Management (Rads, Bell, Lydon...etc) and then those that still follow the club as a supporter and you see at the DW regularly or just in the town itself (Andy Greg, Westy, Martin Crompton...etc).

I've heard that some players that once their careers have finished don't necessarily want anything to do with the game at all, one of these I believe is Derms. But everyone is different I suppose!!

Finally, good to see Gilly at the DW in recent seasons, my particular favourite being when him and his son danced on the pitch in front of the Wigan fans at the HJ after the cup semi win against Saints!!