can someone confirm if Graham was included in the 2004 SL Dream team please- we have a difference of opinion here

2003 Phil.

Super League Dream Team: G Connolly (Leeds); L Vainikolo (Bradford), G Ellis (Wakefield), K Senior (Leeds), B Carney (Wigan); G Appo (Warrington), A Lam (Wigan); C Smith (Wigan), T Newton (Wigan), A Lynch (Castleford), J Peacock (Bradford), M Adamson (Leeds), A Farrell (Wigan

2004 graham appo was the year of



he was gash in 2004, and 05.

2003 was a happy season for us because it was a year where we didn't have big expectations at the start of the season but we did well. Cullen said the season was about "leaving Wilderspool with dignity" and I thought we did. The team seemed to have a good spirit and that was Cullen at his best as a coach. After that the expectation started to come in when we moved to the HJ and Simon Moran started putting significant money in so we were signing big name players, now looking back I wonder whether some of the players we signed privately didn't rate Cullen much and/or felt like they'd already achieved the success they would have in their careers and were winding their careers down with us, because despite the high profile additions the team never seemed to click like it did in 2003, for the rest of Cullen's time in charge, apart from a good run in mid season 2005.

I really enjoyed 2003. As well as Appo having his good run at the end of the season there were a few other good performers that year, Nat Wood started to really come into form with us, Brent Grose had a good year, as did Nick Fozzard, Paul Wood and Mike Wainwright.

That was also the only year we've had a major injury to Lee Briers. He's been more or less Senior-like in his durability, which doesn't often get mentioned.

lee briers, post hand injury, and post off season weight gain (pre removal of ty haircut)

My best memory of Appo was when he picked off Jules Oneill's kick at Widnes and went the length of the field. Robert Relf, with his DD's bouncing all over the show was being taunted by Appo as he made an honourable attempt to catch him.

Coincidently, Appo had a fair set of baps himself the following season.

Appo was superb in 2003 for me when Briers was injured, and poor in 2004.
He came back overweight and (possibly) he thought he could rest on his laurels.
Even so I was not impressed with the way we 'got rid' of him at the end of the year.
I'm not on about Johns coming in, I'm on about the club and Lord Hoyle (specificaly for one).
Hoyle bemoaned the fact that we were loosing Dean Gaskell who had one of the lowest tries scored to games played ratios in SL around then, but didn't mention Appo or a couple of others who were leaving.
Having said that I suspect that Appo may not have been a team player and that was also an issue - and one that wouldn't have sat well with TS in todays game.
Then wasn't there also a tax issue? (allegedly)

Stray pass wan't it?

I doubt Appo had endeared himself to either teammates or club staff in his last 2 years especially as he got a good contract after his form in 2003. Nobody on here says Gleeson was treated badly when he moved on, but even in Gleesons last couple of years when he wasn't as good as his first two, he was still a pretty good performer, Appo just became anonymous, the last time he did anything for us was the last game at Wilderspool when he got a hat-trick against Wakey.

Because he didn't keep himself in shape he was always injured in some form in his last couple of years and all he did was hang around on the wing not looking too threatening or bothered what was going on. His career in Australia seemed to show the same pattern, rookie of the year when he started at Canberra, then moved out for disciplinary reasons, went to Adelaide and scored a stack of tries in one season then the club folded, went to the Roosters, lasted one season then got moved on, went to the Cowboys, lasted one season then got moved on, went to Huddersfield (under Tony Smith), spent half a season then moved on to France, then joined us a year later. A succession of clubs were tempted to give him a chance because they knew he was dangerous when he was fully fit, he had Offiah-esque speed, but the end result was always the same. When you compare Appo's attitude to guys like Hicks, King, Hodgson and Monaghan, he is not in the same universe.

It was a bit of freak form from Appo, reminds me of Tomas Gravesen when he played for Everton, average and below for his entire stay at Everton, untill a freak first half to the 2004 season, he was that good he got a move to Real Madrid in the January.

He was brilliant to watch in that last half the the 2003 season though, that step and duck under the arms of the opposion defence and his inevitable gallop for the corner for the 4 points, which became 6. Often against the weaker teams in the league. I do remember him having a brilliant game against Wigan at Wilderspool that season though, he scored a couple I think. We lost narrowly in that game but it was one of the games when he performed against one of the top sides.

Last few memories of Appo were the last league game at Wilderspool against Wakefield, someone in the BB stand had a small banner with 'Please stay, don't go to Saints Appo' on it. It's a real shame he didn't.
The "winning" try against Saints at the HJ, when he went under the sticks, we really thought we'd won it. I'm almost over what happend next.

The one residing memory I have of appo was from the JJB gym all the players used to use...... he was running on a treadmill a few away from me... he then decided he had been on it for long enough.. so he stopped it and started to get off.... the guy in there supervising the training for the club then proceeded to tell him in no uncertain terms to get back on.. to which appo replied "f**k that mate.. im off"..... he just walked out of the room... all the players went silent... apart from Briers who was on an exercise bike, he just started laughing...... all the non rugby playing people in the gym just stood and watched.

looking back i guess that just shows how unprofessional the club was at the time.