Wigan Warriors: The 18th man contributors reveal their favourite players of all time

Robert Kenyon:

The first Wigan player I tried to emulate was Mark Preston, watching him flying down the wing on a season review VHS.

Later I loved Kelvin Skerrett because he was always battling the opposition, after Super Kel left I used to like Faz and Rads.

I wasn't old enough to have seen Hanley but with the courtesy of Wigan TV I'm going to watch some old games just to see what he was like.

The most underrated Wigan player in the time I've watched Wigan would have to be George Carmont, the guy was a classy centre with every facet of the position mastered.

If an alien came down to earth and asked what a rugby league centre should be I'd point them at George Carmont.

I don't recall him ever having a bad game, in attack he was quick, good step, good hands was creative and he worked hard and was solid in defence.

My favourite player of all time has to be Terry Newton, there are some very close seconds in Andy Farrell, George Carmont and Trent Barrett, but Newton was and is my favourite player.

He was a great passer of the ball, game awareness and support play was excellent and he could also get stuck in when he needed it.

Newton was a player that Saints fans hated but when he played for GB they loved him in the side.

I was gutted when he left and went to Bradford and even more so when he died but he will always be my favourite.

Jon Lyon

Since first watching Wigan in 1985, I have been blessed to see some of the greatest rugby players of all time.

The list of legendary players to wear cherry and white is endless.

It has been a privilege and joy to watch the likes of Kenny, Edwards, Gregory, Robinson, Bell, Hanley, Farrell, Radlinski and O’Loughlin, to mention just a few.

Aside from a one season obsession with Ray Mordt, my childhood rugby hero was Joe Lydon.

He was everything a rugby player should be to an impressionable 10 year old. Fast, strong running, good goal kicker, solid defender with a penchant for the occasional big (or high) shot, he was such an exciting player to watch.

Joe’s greatest asset though was his ability to pull something huge out of his bag of tricks at just the right time.

Whenever Wigan seemed to be struggling, which wasn’t very often in those days, he seemed to come up with the huge play to make a difference.

Whether it was a 61 yard drop goal in a cup semi final, fly kicking 75 yards to score in a Premiership final or one of dozens of length of the field tries, he was someone you could rely on to do something special when it really mattered.

Probably the most underrated player I have seen at Wigan was Mick Cassidy. He was a quiet player who never received any headlines but worked so hard for 80 minutes every week.

He was rarely injured, one of those players every team needs who would make tackles and run the ball up all day long, a vital cog in Wigan’s success.

My favourite player of all time has to be Ellery Hanley. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone even close to him over the last 37 years, certainly not in the British game, maybe only Brett Kenny and Wally Lewis are comparable worldwide.

Like Lydon, he had an incredible ability to pull a winning try from absolutely nowhere. He had such great upper body strength and would regularly carry three or four tacklers over the try line with him.

Hanley was the ultimate competitor and hated losing, a trait most world class players have. He also had pace to burn and an amazing ability to run almost diagonally sideways forwards faster than most people can run in a straight line.

His try against St Helens at Wembley in 1989 will live with me forever. He picked the ball up 40 yards out and glided past six Saints players with seeming ease.

He did something similar the year after in the cup semi final at Old Trafford against the same opposition in the last two minutes of the game, this time laying a try on a plate for Andy Goodway to win us the game.

Too many players are labelled as such but Hanley is a true legend of Wigan and rugby league.

Stephen Ford

The player I loved growing up was past his best when I started watching but his status as an all time great was unquestioned by Wigan fans and opposition fans alike and he is the one and only Billy Boston.

How people talked about Billy was always in glowing terms. When he was younger he was incredibly fast and as he matured he adapted his game so that he used his size and power more.

He made his first tour of Australia after playing only a handful of games, is the all time highest try scorer of the club and a word that is grossly overused, he is a legend of the game.

I think he was the reason why I loved rugby league from a young age.

Perhaps the biggest compliment I could give Billy is that I had the pleasure of talking to him when he ran the Griffin pub and he was an absolute gentleman.

Had time to talk to fans (many of us with too much beer inside us), answered all of our questions with many of them I suspect he’d been asked hundreds of times over the years but still gave full flowing answers.

Top player and a top guy.

The most overrated player is a difficult one because at face value it sounds negative.

The player I have chosen is a very good player but the press he gets for me exceeds his actual input into his game.

Josh Hodgson at Canberra burst onto the scene years ago at Hull KR and looked a potential world beater. I haven’t seen him have a really good game now for a few years yet he still gets mentioned as a potential “shoe in” world cup number nine.

Roby who is probably ten years older is still vastly superior to Hodgson yet people talk about Hodgson as international class.

Hodgson is a good player but hasn’t kicked on in his career and from a British point of view it is incredibly frustrating. More often than not he appears to take the wrong option at crucial times and for me just doesn't cut it as an international number nine.

Favourite player of all time? I think I could give a different answer seven days a week as I have seen some incredible players.

Gregory, Edwards, Offiah, West, Miles, Kenny, Ashurst, Robinson, Farrell, Hock, Botica, Bell, O’Loughlin. The list is almost endless and that is just from ex Wigan players.

The player that gave me most pleasure in a single season was Sam Tomkins. In 2012 he was actually unplayable. I think that he came through the juniors made his exploits all the more enjoyable. A true footballer with fantastic speed and vision.

The best player ever? A tough one but for me (ask me tomorrow and it could be a different answer) is Ellery Hanley. The guy was unreal. Incredible strength, power and versatility. I think you could play him anywhere and he would still excel. A once in a lifetime player.

Darren Wrudd

Looking back at my youth and where I found inspiration in the players of the day, you need look no further than Andy Gregory.

Growing up in Ince, he is one of our own and to see him rise through the ranks first at Widnes and then Wigan, via a short stint at Warrington, showed just how much it was possible to achieve if you worked hard enough.

After school I lost touch with rugby and never really had a hope of being good enough for anything other than a Sunday league, but I always kept up to scratch on that local lad done good.

To see him reach the highs of achieving so many cups and trophies, not to mention being only one of two players to play in six Ashes series against Oz, he has always been approachable and down to earth whilst playing at the top of the world scene.

If I ever bump into him, I insist on buying a round and usually send it anonymously or he tracks you down to come and spend time for a chat- that’s not what it's about.

From my first time seeing him play, he was inspirational in the toughness and skill on display and it really sticks in my mind being in awe of him as a lad – a full six years his junior.

Beyond the high praise lavished on so many of the big name players of our fine game, there are many who just go about their job in a professional manner week in week out and perhaps are missed when it comes to the end of year club awards.

One player who was probably in my mind as one of the most underrated of his era is Mick Cassidy.

Every club needs its engine room, a dependable squad member who is not the flashy finisher or speed merchant who claims the headline, but one on which almost everything the team achieves is built.

Cass was a tackle machine, more energy than the Duracell Bunny and a grip of iron. If he got hold of you, it was almost impossible to get away.

There are so many favourites over the years it really is difficult to pick a single one. From Phil Clarke to Kelvin Skerrett, Fran Botica to Inga the Winger, the list keeps on going.

But anyone who reads this column with any regularity will no doubt know where my loyalties lie. A more professional, dedicated and brave lad you would never find as a player.

Throwing himself under the truck so to speak no matter the consequence and it is that bravery on a field of play which singles him out as my all time favourite Wigan player.

I could never dream of doing what he did for a living and the excitement he brought backing up or on the break is palpable even as I type.

Rad’s it is then, who else could possibly come close.

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