Yes agreed.

Watching the walk off game reminded me that Harkin could be a dirty little get, although a brilliant player, especially when he came back to us in the late 80s

Didn't we get Casey by letting Harkin go the other way?

When he was on song he was one of the best scrum halves around. He'd have had a field day with the 40-20 rule.

On the walk off game I was staggered by some of the foul play that went unpunished. I'd forgotten how much was simply "part of the game" back then.

The incident where I think it was Carroll who was fouled and there was a resultant set to between the HKR aggressor and a Northern forward resulted in a penalty to HKR. That would never happen now. You could see why players too matters into their own hands.

No need for real hardmen nowadays and in some ways that's not a bad thing. I remember creative players being targeted by the thugs and there being lots of deliberate high shots and broken jaws. Those days are thankfully gone.

Yes correct about Harkin / Casey deal

Talking of hard men being able to get away with it, have a look on you tube and search for Mark Broadhurst fight and it’s a video called big hit. It was during their tour of the uk and they played us, Wally Lewis was niggling all night and Big Mark had had enough and just leathers him. The ref’s reaction (think it was Fred Lindop) is just to tell Lewis to get up. Sky commentators now would be having kittens over that one.

There's a video of Broadhurst flattening someone in a HKR versus Queensland game when they toured here. He flattens some unsuspecting forward not Lewis.

It's a cracker of a punch. The reaction from the lad in the crowd is funny.

I was there at the Queensland game and they really were 'mucking out' and Rovers were very much on the end of it. Why they were playing like that I don't know because they had such a talented side but it was a cold miserable drizzly day in November I think. It was at a play the ball when Broadhurst laid out their hooker whose name escapes me . Broadhurst had done a fair bit of boxing and it was a great punch. There was a huge cheer and everyone in the best stand was on their feet. I think the ref was Whitfield it wasn't Fred and he daren't send Broady off. Rovers won 6 - 3 (or something similar) Mike Smith scored the try. I went with a mate who was a big FC supporter and was hoping to see us stuffed lol.

Yeah thats the one, I always thought it was Lewis he punched. He had been pushed and pushed up til that point.

I was at the Northern walk off match, was a bit young (13) to have much of a memory of it but I'm sure we came out of it worse after the RFL had had their input.

I noticed how deep the players were coming onto the ball, instead of so many flat passes you see these days.

It would definitely be one of Baz 'N' Tez's big hits!

Yeah it's the hooker not Lewis we got the penalty also I think

Whitfield remains the worst referee I've ever seen, and that's against some strong competition. The HKR walkoff game is one of many he ruined with his incompetence.

I was at the game as a 9 year old with Dad and Grandad and remember the long walk back to the car in a housing estate miles away - needless to say that was fun!

Whitfield always did think we'd come to watch him, like a preening peacock and a shocking ref.

Was anyone at Wakey in the cup (early 90s) when Whitefield gave us a controversial penalty try and also gave Neil Summers a try in the corner despite him being about 6ft short of the line? Swings and roundabouts innit.

Yes I was there that afternoon.The Summers "try"was laughable he was a country mile from the tryline yet Whitfield never consulted anyone he just gave the try.He was a strange one was Robin.For a while he was the darling of the RLF reffing all the major semis/finals and could certainly do the job but never seemed happy unless he was awarding contenious game changing penalties at crucial times.He quickly slipped down the rankings and then he was gone.Played for Huyton at full back which probably tells us all we need to know about his playing abilities.