Watered down is nonsense! Hooking role is far far more important than its ever been! Monas first Duane Mann second and to beat Duane Mann takes a LOT of beating

Wire fans wont be particularly surprised to See Steve Roach swinging punches at Tamati's Head while Wayne Pearce his holding Tamati in a bear hug pulling him away from the fight.

Pearce is doing nothing wrong, anyone that's been in a blue knows that's what you do, you stop the opposition from fighting rather than your own man. but hitting a bloke who had both arms wrapped up is exactly what Roach was all about.

oh and Kurt Sorensen Stayed down "injured" in back play why the entire brawl happened which wont suprise some people either.

Random fact about that Dowling v Tamati brawl. One of the spectators just behind the fence where they were fighting was a young Mark Taylor, later to be Australia cricket captain in the 1990s. He got blood spattered on his shirt from the brawl.

Les Boyd once opined that Tamati was the toughest man he has ever encountered on or off a rugby field, which is clealry a fairly ringing endorsement. Kevin was also an extremely nice fella off the field, as was Sir Les.

As for Monas and the hooking debate, well Duane Mann was a personal favourite of mine and was probably ahead of his time. He was certainly nearer to the accomplished, thinking, footballing, extra half-back style modern hooker than most of his peers at the time. Given his international pedigree it could be argued he was the better player, and I think he was.

Difficult for me to be objective really, because whenever I think back pre-SL the vision I see isn't the unyielding Boyd/Tamati/Jackson monoliths but Tony Hodson plodding through the central park mud in the John Player semi. Maybe a course of therapy will fix that for me, but it puts the whole "is the game better now" argument into context.

I've never seen a Warrington player control the pace of a game better than MM, between 2009 and 2012 I wouldn't have picked any other hooker in the world than him. He knew when we had to play tough, and when to go wide/fast. He see's things that most spectators and even players can't see.

Throwing a 30 yard pass across your sticks on the first tackle 10 meters from your line, sweeping to catch a chip kick and a flick pass in our own half (see the Penny try at Knowsley Road)

It's just incredible to watch, best 9 in a Warrington jumper in a long time!

Re the hooking debate Mann/Monaghan

For me, you couldn't put a fag paper between them. Both absolute quality, and a pleasure to see them both in P&B.

The biggest crying shame in our recentish history, was Duane's leaving at the end of the 1992-93 season. Always dynamic for us, and ripped holes in defences, as well as having great distribution. Got into double figures for tries each season (iirc) he played for us. If only he had one more season with us, he's have guided us round the pitch, and have had the great Johnny Davies on the periphery, finding any gaps. That season we finished on level points with Wigan and Bradford, would have seen us champs, with Duane as hooker. Instead, who did we have in his role. Yes, that RL "colossus", John ****ing Thursfield, who was about as much use as Telly Savallas' comb, and scored as many tries, as Cliff Richard has had his leg over.

MonaghanM has been a class act for us. He'll take some replacing.

As a footnote. I still don't get the anti Monaghan tirades when he played in the halves, in the first 2 months of his Wire career.
We had a reasonable start to that season, with him playing there, and (again, iirc) he picked up a few MotMs, before it all went sour with Cullen.
Whilst he wasn't exactly Alfie Langer, he certainly wasn't Rocket Rodwell.

Kevin Ashcroft was a good player, but he had his shortcomings in what was the hooker's main role in his eraIF we could win any ball. Their hooker, John Bridges, was a possession-machine, and there was a chance that Fev would take most of the ball as a result. In the end we won that match well, and Kev played a significant part in the victory. I don't suppose anyone can find the scrum stats from that match to see how he actually did against Bridges?

I don't have the stats, but we were thrashed in the scrums if I remember correctly. Mike Nicholas made the game safe for us, but the score line didn't reflect what was a very hard battle against a classy Fev side. Nicko's son Morgan is now playing for our U19's having stepped up from the U16's last year.

If your looking for a ball getting hooker in the days of contested scrums Paddy Lannon was the daddy of them all....If I remember correctly he went two seasons unbeaten. In the loose he was absolutely hopeless.

Paddy Lannon was the best hooker for winning the ball that I ever saw but probably the worst in open play.
In the 74 final of the first eleven scrums we won one and got two free kicks, Featherstone won five and got three free kicks so, in effect they won the scrums eight to three. Bridges then instigated a fight in the course of which either Bobby Wanbon or Billy Pickup flattened him and we won the next four scrums three to one.
Before he went off with a cut head Brian Brady handed off Jimmy Thompson and put him on his arris. Some feat to do that to a world class forward.
If the scrums had been uncontested, IMO, we would have murdered Featherstone.
Personally I would have given the Lance Todd to Mike Nicholas

I've heard interviews from both Ashcroft and Murphy both saying in that in the 71 and 74 CC finals Murphy told Ashcroft not to win a scrum.
Murphy wanted leeds and Fev to know they were in a battle.
Resulting in wins for leigh and wire, each were against the odds.

He obviously got it wrong then because he won several scrums, particularly when Bridges was on another planet.
Ashcroft was a tough guy who would mix it with anybody but he was extremely average at winning the ball.
I would not say our win against Featherstone was against the odds. We were far the better team and given a fair share of possession there was only going to be one winner.

We were slight underdogs that day.
Fev were the holders and I think finished top of the league regular.

I cannot remember Featherstone ever winning the league. They were cup specialists with a big heavy hard pack which suited the heavy grounds of Winter rugby and they did enjoy great success in getting to Wembley but did not break many pots in the league.
In actual fact, that year, they finished eighth in the league and won nothing. Warrington won The John Player Trophy, The Captain Morgan Trophy, The Club Championship and the Challenge Cup. Not bad for underdogs

We was slight under dogs according to the interview with Murphy.
I was too young to know any better in 74.