My dad used to work with one of that team when he was at Thames Board Mills - think it may have been Wanbon - and he got me all their autographs in my autograph book, including Murphy.

I also think I may have a copy of a dvd of the game somewhere??

Cheers for that. Many thanks.

Nor sure where I got 'Derek' from. The one I had most difficulty remembering (I was at the match) was Alan Whittle. This was simply because he played stand-off most of the 73/74 season with Murphy more often than not just acting as coach and not being in the side. Not surprisingly Murphy felt himself to be an essential part of the Cup Final line-up, so Whittle (who had been impressive all season) switched to centre. What I can't remember is if this was a blow for Frank Reynolds (who'd been an excellent centre all season) or if he was injured at the time, thus making it an easier call. Anyone recall?

I'm not sure but I think Murphy played centre.

I seem to remember Frank Reynolds had been in and out all season with injuries.

The last game I can remember him playing was in the semi at Wigan where I think he scored.

Murphy played stand off.

Frank Reynolds was injured
Murphy was stand off. I still have the cutting from the Guardian somewhere with the headline "Murphy is stand off Whittle at centre"
Brian Brady started. Bobby Wanbon was sub

remember wanbon flattening one of there players..must dig out the dvd of that game

Probably the game that ignited my interest of the wire.

Was playing a football match in the Warrington league that Saturday, and after word come through that Wires had won.

Murphy - 6
Whittle - 4
Brady - 10

Murphy should have walked early doors and Dave Wright dropped a few in a late on fracas.

This post inspired me dig out DVD really shows how different the modern game is, especially hookers who actually had to strike for the ball not fed straight back to loose forward. My wife watched it, she has only seen modern game since we got together 9 years ago and then only occasional games as we live in Kent, her words were, ' It looks brutal ' and when you see some of the tackles I can see where she is coming from.

In fact, in the build-up to the 1974 final it was only really at hooker that I had any concerns about Featherstone Rovers. 'Keith' Bridges was not only the GB hooker at the time but was way ahead of Kevin Ashcroft when it came to winning posession. My view was that if we can get enough ball we would win , which is what happened. I don't miss the contested scrums, though, they were always a right mess and led to numerous 'differential penalties', something hardly seen today.

The thing that I remember vividly and after the effects of a 'couple' of my dad's beers, (I was a gawky teenager in 74), taken on the midnight Bank Quay train had worn off by match time, was that Derek Whitehead was so self assured with place kicking.

We were stood in the lower tier of the Featherstone end which was actually full of Wire and every time Derek landed one some wag was exclaiming that he could smell a bit more Brasso on the cup......

I might be wrong as the detail is foggy, perhaps it was the comfort of the afterglow of my last can of Long Life as we pulled into Euston at daft o'clock, or plain naivety on my part, but, it seems that the game was never in doubt??? Happy days

I would love to know what went on in those contested scrums and why certain hookers were able to dominate possession. Keith Bridges was indeed one of the best and he appeared to have all the skills at a fairly young age - but what were those skills? Certainly hookers were hard men but there must have been more to it than that. Any ideas?

The most successful hookers managed to break most of the rules most of the time and get away with it. We used to see Ashcroft or Bridges, or Stevo for that matter, striking before the ball went in ( offence) lying on the floor ( offence) getting one arm loose from binding ( offence ). The refs could not blow up for everything ( including half back violations notably 'feeding' which used to be a cry from the terraces heard almost as often as 'offside' these days ) or the game would never have restarted. Best done without, I reckon, unless you think rugby should be partly about winning the ball, rather than what you do with it when you've got it.

Good props were needed as well as a good hooker, I'm finding it hard to quantify but so much went on in scrums (some of it legal) that I'm not sure I could do justice to all the skills (and skulduggery) that went on, don't know how today's forwards could ever adapt to that world

Alan Whittle moved from centre to stand off when Murphy went off....Murphy went to scrum half in place of Parry on his return I think?

For sure....Bernard Manning led the community singing!@@!