Now we're officially in silly season thread wise and no-one has yet started the annual what will the new home kit look lie thread, I thought I'd try to rekindle some memories of yesteryear from HQ.
I going to kick off proceedings by harking back to January 1st 1985. It was the season that we had the Antipodean invasion with 10 of the little blighters turning up in the Blue and Amber to mix it with the likes of Ward, Holmes, Dick, Wilkinson, Dickinson and Hague. We also had the young guns coming through in Medley, Creasser, Conway, Hill and Powell.
This particular tale is of one of the most explosive wingers of the decade. The bearded wizard that was the guru, the gorilla, Eric Grothe.
The previous home games had heralded in the programme that 'Christmas is coming, so is Eric Grothe' ,
And it was in the car park next to the then souvenir shop that the legend arrived with family in pristine sponsored Austin Montego that myself and a few mates patiently awaited the chance for an autograph from the great man before he disappeared past the dulcet tones of John Brook selling his programmes and open rugby '70p or 2 for £1.40) into the wintergreened aroma of the old dressing rooms.
After entering the arena via the old concrete ramp, The Guru proceeded to dismantle the days opponents, Leigh with a hat trick of tries on debut much to the delight of the 11 year old sat on the paddock wall.
A game to savour! And though Eric played no more than 20 games for the club he still remains in my all time top 10 players ever to grace the Headingley turf , which is saying something considering that 12 months earlier this same poster had snow balled the Emperor of Lang Park, the King Wally Lewis as he received his marching orders whilst playing for Wakefield. We might not have won much in the 80's but boy, we had some cracking players to watch!

Next!

Who remembers the old city shop in Leeds market which is the spiritual home of Leeds Rhinos retail surely?

Where the Carnegie stand is now I used to dream of going in one of those temporary boxes that kept out the elements.

I remember that game well. At one point Eric had a Leigh player wrapped round him, he spun around and threw him off with such force that the Leigh player collided with his own team-mate and cracked him in the leg. He went off injured and didn't come back on. They used to let us kids in the gym to watch and Eric Grothe was an absolute monster at the weights.

I was exiled in Newcastle so all of this is news to me, RL was never spoken of and never printed in those days of regional national newspapers, Gosforth RU and the occasional Challenge Cup Grandstand is how I got my fix in those dark days...

Two special memories from me.

1st 1957
Leeds 13 Wigan 11
8 years of age. My dad had an horrific accident, breaking his back and both legs in Oct 1956, but struggled to come out of hospital in early January 1957.
We came over by train for the cup game in February '58 and had to walk from Leeds station in the middle of the city up to Headingley. Dad was in agony.

Arriving at the ground the gates were shut (full house). The gates were broken down and I stood at the corner of the North and West Stand. David Bolton broke his leg (no subs) and Billy Boston scored two 75 yarders. Eric ashton missed an easy conversion and Leeds won 13 - 11.

Fast forward to 1991.
I bring my 5 year old son to see if Wigan can complete "mission impossible" 8 games in 18 days. Bobby Goulding drops 3 goals and Ellery Hanley 1 in a great Wigan 20 - 8 win to secure the title.

Happy days.

I've always had a lot of respect for Leeds fans because you've had to put up the same cr@p over there that we have over here.

However, a recent encounter with Mr Hetherington has soured my views of your club.

My first game watching the team with my Dad at Headingley in the 1989 Challenge Cup game against Widnes. We got absolutely hammered but I've never seen the ground so packed. It was like being at a football match in the good old days, I'll never forget it.

Tell us about your encounter with Mr Hetherington Rogues please

I remember that game. One of my memories from that game was Martin Offiah, after scoring a try at the Western Terrace end, jumping on top of one of the big metal boxes in front of one of the floodlights to do a little dance.

The best memories are always the ones where your dad is involved and the very best ones are the ones where he does something "a bit naughty" and you both keep it a secret from your mum

Mine are of a Challenge Cup semi final at Odsal and if I could be bothered I'd look it up because I'm sure it was either 1970 or 71, and now I'm guessing that it might not have been 71 because I think Leeds lost.

Anyway, the ground was packed (the grounds always look packed when you're a kid) and we ended up stood in front of the big old stand opposite to where the teams run out - back then there was seating inside the stand and a no-mans land of about ten yards in front of them which had a chicken wire fence in front of it to stop people standing in front of the seats (they wouldn't have been able to see otherwise), beyond that the terracing continued in a standing area that wasn't under cover - thats where we stood, me, my dad and his big mate (all 6'5" of him).

Second half and Leeds are losing (was it St Helens ?) and suddenly the heavens open and the mother of all thunderstorms tips floods of rain and sleet on us all and the only thing keeping us from being under cover is the chicken wire fence - cue my dad and his big mate to start kicking it down followed by hundreds of others and an invasion of the no-mans land covered area in front of the seats, but in that nice Dunkirk spirit of co-operation that my dads generation had everyone sat down on the terraces and anyone who stood up was shouted at until they did sit down, including two policemen who came across to try and move a thousand or so now seated terrace spectators - they moved on when it became obvious that civil insurrection could be done peacefully.

Remember that game well. Over 26K in attendance that Sunday afternoon (I think it was a quarter final). Leeds had earlier beaten Hunslet in the Preliminary Round at Headingley, York at Bootham Crescent (another healthy five figure attendance) and Carlisle at Headingley. I attended all of them. Missed very few games back then, home or away.

Leeds 4 (Tries: Lee Crooks)
Widnes 24 (Tries: Joe Grima 2, Andy Currier, Richie Eyres, Martin Offiah... Goals: Andy Currier 2)

The fencing was in place at Bootham and the game was played on Sunday 29th January 1989, a few months prior to the Hillsborough disaster. Apart from the obvious dangers of fencing, penning supporters in and the increased potential for crushing (what were the authorities thinking back then FFS?), they also hindered the view which was another reason why I always stood as close to the rear of the stands as was feasibly possible.

York 9 (Tries: Horton... Goals: St John Ellis 2... DG: Horton)
Leeds 28 (Tries: Ettingshausen 2, Bentley, Crooks, Ford, Gibson... Goals: Bentley 2)

I am about same age as Rogues and I too was at that game in Jan 1957.At first we were stood at the front near the slope ,but with the congestion us lads were moved to sit on the straw in front of the stand.1961 1ST round CC Derek Hallas scored from a kick from Lewis Jones the ball bounced nicely 10 yards out.Bootle stepped into touch to make it 5alldraw.Wigan won the replay 32-7 the score came over as we were playing rugby at school.Jack Fairbanks provoked gentleman Eric Ashton and both were sent off.1961 Championship semi Leeds11 St Helens 4. Rozzy's 2 legendary tries and the way Leeds were focused we knew we were going to win the title

My first memory of Headingley sticks in my mind vividly.
My Dad had brought me, in the late 50s, I think, to see Leeds play Batley.
It was cold, with a sp crowd, and I knew nothing about rugby. One man stood out head and shoulders from the rest.
To a boy of such tender years he was an old codger witha bald head who should have been drawing his pension.
Lewis Jones, of course. who made everything look so easy and graceful when he was on song.
I followed the team ever since then and Jones was my hero.

Rogues' memories of Leeds Wigan encounters also stirred memories of a match my Dad also took me to see. A Wigan - Leeds cup tie, I think. It was so crowded, we had to stand at the back of the ramp where the players used to come out, and I got such a buzz from the atmosphere and the person to stand out for me was Billy Boston...a larger than life figure on the wing for Wigan. Wigan always then had an aura about them for me, partly because we hardly ever played them in the days of the Yorkshire and Lancashire Leagues. I stiil have a regards for the greats of those times like Boston, Ashton, Murphy, Vollenhoven, Jones and Fox.