Brett Hodgson

Quote: Winslade's Offload "Well you are starting to push my memory there, and it is nowhere near as good as Teeside's. I can remember all the names, probably because dad talked about them at the match. Ally Naughton, I can remember nothing. Jim Challinor and Laurie Gilfedder I remember quite well. Didn't Laurie defect to Wigan. Bobby Greenough and Jackie Edwards were a great pair, but I only remember them in the Autumn of their careers. I loved Parry Gordon, but even though I only saw the tail end of Edwards, I suspect he was the better SH. Dad says that they were both eclipsed by Gerry Helme. The great Bevan, alias 'the mummy', I only saw a handful of times (I think). I suspect he must have started taking me along to the rugby around 1960-61. I remember being more interested in the trains shunting up and down the line, and wondering when the final whistle was going to blow.'"

Gerry Helme, the first man to win the Lance Todd twice was a brilliant scrum half. He had a famous tackling technique where he used the momentum of big forwards and throw them in a sort of Cumberland throw. His partnership with Ray Price is the first I have strong memories of. Ray was a pocket battle ship, tremendously strong and hard as nails. St Helens in those days were coached by Jim Sullivan and were very physical and games with them were wars of attrition. We never finished with thirteen men and Danny Naughton sustained a career ending broken leg. Ray Price revelled in this atmosphere and dished out so many pastings that, in 1956, Saints bought him off us. On balance though for sheer footballing entertainment I thought Edwards and Greenough were brilliant to watch and my personal favourite combination.