Ha ok fair point on Sinfield, I suppose I meant of people who actually played for him in the first team.

Mick Worrall was up there with the Mcdermott era project signings. At least Doug got rid pretty quickly rather than letting them see out a contract and trying over and over to make it work.

was doug doing all the contracts that led to the summer of 96

No his team, apart from Ellery who had been replaced by Dean Bell in theory, was still intact when he left in the summer of '95 and finished runners up in the first season after he left. It was from there that it went to **** although the signs were there pretty much I'd say from when Bell swapped Paul Cooke for Carl Hall and then inexplicably let James Lowes go.

My dad used to work with lowes' dad.if hetherington had offered an extra year he would have stayed. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Lowes had already left when Hetherington came in.

Quote: The Ghost of '99 "No his team, apart from Ellery who had been replaced by Dean Bell in theory, was still intact when he left in the summer of '95 and finished runners up in the first season after he left. It was from there that it went to **** although the signs were there pretty much I'd say from when Bell swapped Paul Cooke for Carl Hall and then inexplicably let James Lowes go.'" weren't we letting go due to being out of money and nearly selling ground then tait refused to play for bell 96 was when we came 10th with bell putting his boots back on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Leeds_RLFC_season

Quote: The Ghost of '99 "No his team, apart from Ellery who had been replaced by Dean Bell in theory, was still intact when he left in the summer of '95 and finished runners up in the first season after he left. It was from there that it went to **** although the signs were there pretty much I'd say from when Bell swapped Paul Cooke for Carl Hall and then inexplicably let James Lowes go.'" weren't we letting go due to being out of money and nearly selling ground then tait refused to play for bell 96 was when we came 10th with bell putting his boots back on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Leeds_RLFC_season

Craig Innes was my favourite player for a while - temperament might not have been great but what a player.

Iro was the best to watch in full flight.

Senior the best for intimidation.

Liked Tonie Carroll as well come to think of it.

My hope is that in years to come, Newman and Broadbent might just wrap up that centre pairing. Leeds have tended to have good centres over the years. Back on topic I’m just not convinced LS is up there - happy to be proven wrong.

Craig Innes was a fantastic player, He was almost the ultimate centre as he had every skill set within his game.

I recall when Dean Bell was asked at that time who is the best player in the competition and that he replied Craig Innes

It's a real shame how it panned out when Innes had a stint at Perth and then signed for Manly (as he clearly had his head turned by the lure of the money on offer from the ARL versus Super league war down under)

That's my thoughts too Jim

IIRC we were running at a loss under Laughton but it was being managed. Then it was a financial disaster untill Cadick and Heathrington took over.

last result conceding 70 pts in fimal , no schoey , no ellery -- we'd have been hunslet mark 2 going to elland road

It makes me wince just thinking it was even close - I'd probably have stopped watching, at least every week but, regardless, the last 20 years of trophies would be vanishingly unlikely to have happened.

we'd have gone with the goldfish and i couldn't have sat in thrm seats weekly ------looking at 93 when goulding kicked us to death in the semi final i thought ward was in charge and i threw a scarf away did we have another semi final hammering under waed poss 91 ? 93 was the year of schoey's diary and alleged fall out in the semi final

92 and 93 at Pie Park, both under Laughton, the first a Regal Trophy final, are two of the most scarring experiences of my childhood. I don't think anything that happened under David Ward was so bad in such a big game. You compare his last game - the John Gallagher dropped bomb at the Boulevard - with Doug's - that '95 Premiership Final - and wonder whether the four years in between, fun as they were, had all been a cruel waste of time and money.

Sinfield was that hidden gem which paid off later I suppose although I wonder what he must have thought when Doug disappeared.