Ellery Hanley - Played 113 + 1, Tries 106, Goals 1, D Goals 1, Points 427

I don't envy the judges here but your team is certainly a good starting point.

Not gonna do a team but Dave Heron,Shoey,Danny Mags,Sinny and JP all have to be in there for mine.Even dare I suggest the Welsh Lancastrian who shall not be named?

Isn't that the beauty of something like this ... To be honest, I had some assistance in putting this together, as (I think his last book in Leeds) Ken Dalby did a book about 20 years ago called 'Nothing But The Best' , which listed the greatest 4 or 5 Leeds players in their positions. Interestingly, Dinny Campbell doesn't feature, but the book also allowed me to check and make sure they've all had the requisite 100 appearances (Shoey was the main one I wanted to check)

Ken Thornett, whilst Australian, clocked up over 100 appearances at full back, Stan Smith 187 tries in 261 games just before the second world war is a massive strike rate (especially given that for some of that time Eric Harris was on the other wing !). I've had to miss Les Dyl and Syd Hynes off. Aussie stand-off Vic Hey, Barry Seabourne at scrum-half. Mick Harrison at prop, Tony Crosby or Tony Fisher at 9, you could even argue Roy Powell in the 2nd row for sheer tackling and the grafter in the pack.

I might have to do a second best team too ...

I also wanted to come up with a wide spread of the greats too ... I would be dead easy for me to full the team with players from the great side of the late 60s, but that would also be taking away the contribution of Joe Thomson. Joe is still up there on the all time list of goal kickers and held the club points record for many years, despite the fact his last competative game for Leeds was in 1933.

And who's to say you're wrong ?

I don't think I have the Ken Dalby book you've mentioned there but I recall Leeds doing something similar to this exercise before with Joe Warham taking the 'king maker' role.

His selections were made during the 1991/1992 season and he was restricted to the previous thirty years. It wasn't an entirely free choice though as he had to select one option from three in each position which meant John Holmes (at stand-off) losing out to Mick Shoebottom and Jack Fairbank was listed at prop where he might have got his pick had he been in the second row.

He eventually went:
Ken Thornett
Alan Smith, Garry Schofield, Lewis Jones (C), John Atkinson
Mick Shoebottom, Barry Seabourne
Mick Harrison, David Ward, Steve Pitchford
Bill Ramsey, Bob Haigh, Ray Batten

*Noting that he signed 8 of the above players for a combined total of less than £5K

Then he [ihas[/i to be in there !

The other absolute certainty has to be John Holmes....at stand off. (never at centre). I have never seen any better.

I confess to knowing nothing about the players prior to the late 70's era....but my father always used to wax lyrical about Lewis Jones.

Of the present generation Danny McGuire has a good chance of making it to the bench (at least on the basis of his abilities prior to this latest injury).

I would doubt anybody has a higher regard for John Holmes than I do but I'd still select Mick Shoebottom in front of him at stand-off and that's no disrespect, they were both greats.

I think JP will be regarded as all time great and obviously Sinfield from the present squad

Then I wish I'd had the opportunity to have seen him....anybody better than John Holmes at stand off must have been a prodigious talent.

It wasn't a case of night and day it was just that Mick was the complete footballer, everything he did in attack and defence was bang on. Quick, elusive, creative, brave, tough and filled with an indomitable spirit. All packed into a mere 13 stone, 5' 10" frame.

John Holmes summed Mick up nicely; [i"Mick Shoebottom was the best player I have ever seen. He was versatile, hard, had rare match-winning qualities and was an inspiration to everyone around him. 'Shoey' was absolutely superb."[/i

I have to go now I'm filling up.

How do you select two players who were simply the greatest ?

Easy. 'Shoey' at scrum-half and John Holmes at stand-off.

But for his tragic injury against Salford I'm certain that is the way things would have unfolded post-1971.

I've got the greatest respect for both Ray Batten and Ellery Hanley but I'm now leaning towards our greatest ever skipper (goalkicker ?) at loose-forward. And I'd include Iestyn if it's a 17-man line-up, too.

The thing about Holmesy is that he won medals at full back, centre and stand off half ...