I had the most honorable pleasure of sharing a few beers with a true Bradford Northern great yesterday evening.

Keith Mumby it has to be said is a true gentlemen.

While we we're talking Dennis (Blotto) asked me to ask him about where the name "Steam Pigs" originated from and Keith's reply was that it was used as a reference to when the two sides contested (then very much competitive) scrums and the steam coming off the front row forwards that could be seen on a cold winters evening at Odsal.

I heard it was to do with a tale told before Keith's time.

Apparently going back a long time whenever the fair came to Lister's park one of the rides included a kind of steam powered merry go round but with pigs instead of horses. Some wag decided to name Northern the steam pigs after this ride since they too were rather slow and went around in circles.

Wasn't it a name they gained when they played at Birch Lane?

I'd heard that a steam pig was a part of factory machinery that was outdated and not used on a machine anymore. The team were called t'owd steam pigs as they were useless at the time. There is a steam pig at the Industrial Museum by the way. Think I first heard this about 30 years ago!

The bits about 'steam pigs' coming from the (I think, textile) machinery are quite correct. How the name was transferred to the rugby team (and there are others who glory in being called "steam pigs", btw) I don't know. It is true that it wasn't intended to be entirely complimentary though, and it is also very true to say that that there have been periods in the club's history when they didn't exactly excel. That's me drummed out of the supporters' club..........