Fullback. Mullet.

Do you know I never ever knew that till Wiganers started to tell us that,but really is it only recent years since we started playing Wigan in finals?

Just when i started watching Leeds and my memory could be wrong but I too had a bit of sympathy for Peter Fox. Didn't he take over shortly after we had the big influx of Aussies under Bamford and some of the British players had been dropped to accommodate them. He was left to pick up the pieces to an extent. I remember him signing Jeff Grayson but not sure which others players he brought in ?
A dodgy decision away from Wembley at a time when we won bugger all.

As I alluded to earlier, some Leeds fans suffered psychological damage as a consequence of Wigan's dominance from the mid-80's to mid 90's and they haven't got over it yet.

It is an interesting stat but as stated aside from the 90's (when wigan stuffed everyone) and the 2011 final we haven't played them all that often and certainly not in SL times.its not going to be something weighing on the players minds going in were it to happen. certainly not in the way the CC final was becoming an albatross round the neck and Saints' likely sinking feeling going in, were they to face us at OT anytime soon.

I think this is because we always went into every season in those times with great hopes fuelled by wholesale changes and big money buys each season, as you alluded to in an earlier post with the names you reeled off all probably coming in over a 2 season period.I, and probably many others, thought the Dougie laughton revolution was going to be the turning point.

In reality we never really got close to Wigan, and you always felt that come the big games they had a massive edge on us.

I'm sure tvoc can give a full list but Fox's Aussies ranged from the sublime (ET, McGaw) to the ridiculous (Peter Smith, Bob Morris) and from memory other signings - for quite a bit of money - included Andy Mason, Phil Fox and Gary Price. Apologies if I've got my dates mixed up and some of those were Bamford.

Nope! Still dont remember him.....how many games did he actually play? (This could be a very potentially worrying answer)

Played for us in the 87/88 season.I think he played most of it but not sure quite how many games.

Think I must have given most of that season a miss......twas round about the time my son was conceived

Cliffey played with ET and McGaw in his first stint at the club.

Lyons first stint was the year before ET & McGaw. He played with ET (on the wing. To accomodate Gary Spencer) in his second stint, under Reilly.

So Cliffe was 84/85? And ET/McGaw was 85/86? Cliffe/ET was obviously 88/89.

Fullback with negligible pace but his positional sense was second to no-one. Starring role in the unforgettable JP/Regal semi in Bolton V Wigan. Was still watching replays of that game weeks after - at least until we lost the final such was Leeds style in those days.

I would say that for most of Leeds golden era Wigan have not been a contender. Is only in recent seasons where they have been capable of winning the big one.
In 2010 we lost in the semi to them
2011 they lost in the semi to saints
2012 we won in the semi vs them
2013 we lost in the semi vs them

Less vs Wigan in the semi has been a pretty common occurrence, and since 2003 the winner has always gone on to win the gf.