Oooh that's a tricky one. Having mulled over it with a stimulating port n lemon, I have:

1. Ratch
2. Hodgson
3. Johnson
4. Hesford
5. Lyon
6. Penny
7. Mathers
8. Grose
9. Reardon

1. Hodgson/Johnson

3 Ratchford/Hesford

5 Penmy
6 Lyon
7 Reardon
8 Grouse
9 Mathers

1. HOGDSON
2. JOHNSON
3. RATCHFORD
4. HESFORD
5. LYON
6. PENNY
7. GROSE
8. MATHERS
9. REARDON
97. TOMMY O'REILLY

Forgot him, I want to change my list.

Some people being seriously harsh on Lee Penny methinks.

People forget just how good a full back Johnson was.
Incredibly unlucky to be in the same era as Garry Jack, Graeme Eadie, Gary Belcher etc, as to get no international caps.
I can only remember him having one bad game for us ( v Wigan JPS 85, on the tele, too).
He came into the line, superbly (n.b. players COME into the line. They don't [ichime[/i into it. That's boll0cks). Had great speed (plenty of long range tries....LCCF 85. people always forget that one).
Great positioning, and a superb tackler ROUND THE LEGS.

That lot, 13 miles down the road, had rather a special FB at the time, too.

He was bloody good

Phil Veivers wasn't that good.....

I’m struggling to assess the relative merits of Hodgson v Ratchford bearing in mind the relative strengths of the teams they played in. There were so many playmakers in Hodgson’s team that he wasn’t targeted as much as Ratchford in my opinion. I will ponder.
Penny is tainted for me by that pointless bloody scrum “move” and the tendency to trail his boot when hurdling a try scorer.
I was gutted when Lyon left and his kicks to touch were like they were fired from a howitzer.
I didn’t see enough of Johnson to form an opinion as he was around in my “wilderness years” living on the south coast when there was virtually no press coverage of league down there.
To sum up I did do the list but the dog ate it.

1. Ratch
2. Hodgson (hands down the best fullback in this list but the end of his career and only 2 seasons with us)
3. Grose
4. Mathers
5. Reardon
6. Cardiss
7. Penny

I can only rate the ones I saw, maybe its harsh on penny but I don't remember him being good.

Johnson or hodgson at 1. That shouldn't even be up for debate. I can't split them if I'm honest. Then hesford and ratchford to scrap over the remaining top 4 places.

Plus he was the last player of that era to wear 'proper' rugby boots!

I'm enjoying the thread but the original proposition was along the lines of was Ratchford the best value for money SL era signing? Therefore I'd be judging him on that and take into account fee paid longevity quality of performance and impact on the team say leadership exemplar behaviour on and off the pitch and in Ratchford's case his ability to play in a variety of positions.
It wasn't simply a FB beauty parade going from Hesford to Ashton and on that basis he has to be up there.
As far as FBs are concerned I'd go with Johnson and Hesford equal first with Hodgson a midgies tackle in front of Ratchford but like others have said there may be a bit of rose tinted in there the teams they played in the style of rugby and the fact that everything was better in the 70s such as music and Waggon Wheels

Much as I liked Hesford and his phenomenal goal kicking, I always felt he looked the part but didn’t create much at all. Controversial I know.