Ever since Roby ‘won’ it – it lost all credibility in my mind.

Edited for accuracy

Cunningham hasn't won it either, despite being frequently recognised as SL's best player ever. Ditto Senior (see my sig).

You really do leave yourself open for a nobbing dont you?

I knew that would flush an arrogant Saints fan out.

Champions once in 7 seasons and you really do think you've been the best team in the competition don't you?

Hilarious.

I'm not so sure about Graham. I remember Lee Crooks, and he does remind me a bit of him. Crooks had nice hands, and (before the burgers took too much toll on his waistline) had a great engine - in a day when front row forwards played the full 80. Graham has those qualities, but there the similarities end. Crooks was a fearsome front row forward, he knew how to take and hand out pain. He also (in his Hull days) could bust the line and had surprising pace. Then there was his kicking game.
I think if you also look at our recent history of front row forwards, Graham looks more like a big fish in an ever shrinking pond. Peacock and Morely are the last of the giants (and both converted back row forwards). We have a very poor selection at the moment - Crabtree is a decent player, but after that you would be pushed.

In 2005 we lost Senior, which had a devestating impact on our season. Up until that Bradford game we were clear at the top of the league, and in the CC final. Losing him was the difference between a clean sweep and runners up in everything. Senior was in devestating form that year and a huge loss.

Crooks wasted his talent IMO and after his move to Leeds is GB days were effectively over, he was great at club level but his skills were negated at test level. We're about as well of for test props now as we have been for years. In the 80s we had Ward and Crooks and that was about it. In the 90s it was more likely to be Skerrett, Harrison & Platt (converted 2nd row). In the 00s it was Fielden, McDermott and now I'm struggling. In the late 00s it's Graham, Peacock and Morley. Crabtree isn't top quality IMO but Burgess has the potential to be as good as any of the above.

Agree about Crookes going downhill at Leeds, it was the shoulder injury at Bolton in the JP semi that finished the job on him. He put so much weight on while he was out he never got his engine back. In fairness to him though he had played first team rugby from the age of 16 and he never wanted to leave Hull.

I disagree about the number of good props around though, fairly easily over the period you quote I can think of several good front row forwards, Fieldhouse, Dixon, Len Casey, Trevor Skerrett, The Jeffasaurus, Mike O'Neil... I could go on.

All decent forwards but not really up to ashes test class even if they all had a go at it. One exception being Dixon who was up to it as a second row without a doubt.

I thought Crooks looked much better at Cas but barring one test in 92 he never troubled the test team versus the Aussies again. His lumbering style made him easy meat for the aussie defenders.

Remember him at Saints. Crap.. very good pro for Halifax and effective at Widnes earlier in his career I think.

Remember Roy Haggerty demonstrating his hardness and stupidity in equal measures against Fieldhouse in the Lancashire Cup - he laid Fieldhouse out with a right hook, but it was right in front of the referee who sent him straight off. Priceless...

When you say Len Casey don't you mean Leo casey - also remember big Hughie Waddell...

His move to Leeds did him.

he simply didn't want to leave Hull and handled it very badly. Quite refreshing that he himself is candid about his failings at Leeds, unlike his big boozing buddy at the time who I could never imagine accepting culpability for anything he did wrong during that era.

Cue a response from Tony Ferrino.................