mmmmm

McLinden, Moran, Martin

McLinden, M'Barki, Retchless

2 games spring to mind to show how he still had it.

Up in Edinburgh, first game back for us from him leaving the Bulls, playing against.............natch the Bulls, and he took them apart for the win.

Canberra, if I recall properly he came off the bench when we were already 12 or 14 points down and again took control and dominated the match

Richie Barnett, Dennis Moran, Grant Young.
Tough to decide though, if we'd not got the Chad I'd have had Jason Hetherington for example.

i'd forgotten about Grant young, think if he hadn't broken his leg he would have been one of our best ever props.

Sumo! Sumo!

Marty,Hoppo....then I cant decide between Jason Hetherington (Shame his Mrs couldnt settle in London for at least another year),Scott Hill or Henry Paul.....Imagine the side with all these at their peak..

Very nostalgic thread this. The first name has to be Peter Gill. The finest and most inspirational player ever to play for a London club and, in my view, the greatest non-capped Australian to play RL in England in the 40 odd years I've been watching the game.
After him there are a whole host of players. I would have to have Hussein M'Barki who scored a try for Fulham against the 1982 Kangaroos, one of only three tries scored against them on the tour I think. Number three, for his overall contribution to the game should be Shaun Edwards, but honorable mentions to Reg Bowden, Dave Eckersley, Sam Stewart, John Crossley, Mike Davis, John Gallagher, Scott Roskell and about 20 others.

Serious point here. People reeling off names such as Stewart, Davis, Crossley etc - with respect, I've never heard of any of these players, and its hardly like we were a side that were dominating RL during their era. Were they just standouts in a poor side or are you only naming them for nostalgic reasons? I can understand players such as Roskell and M'Barki, but the others? Seriously?

You can only judge players by the standards and context of their time. Sam Stewart was a Kiwi international and a graet leader for us in the Copthall days.

As for the others, if I still have a clear picture of them after a quarter of a century, they must have had something going for them. John Crossley was a super little stand off with real pace who could score a try from anywhere with a sniff of a chance and a bit of space. Mike Davis, now forgotten, was an Aussie half-back who played for Fulham when they got kicked out of Craven Cottage and went to Crystal Palace. He was simply the classiest player in a very ordinary team, a beacon of light who scored a load of tries.

Can I also add Mark Johnson, a classy South African winger from the Sam Stewart/Mark Riley era and the fantastic Robbie Beazley (have we ever had a better hooker?) who could sniff out a half chance when he got anywhere near the line. We mustn't forget Terry Matterson who was still a great player when he came over towards the end of his career.

We also had a few young guys who came over from Brisbane Broncos and only played a few games for us but were like a breath of fresh air at the time and went on to be distinguished players. I am thinking in particular of Leo Dynevor, Ben Walker and Syd Domic.

One last name - Tulsen Tollett - who was a real quality player before he went to Quins RU, but never quite the same when he came back.

McLinden,Hopkins and Retchless - skill, creativity, never say die attitude!

Since I started watching regularly in 2002:

1. Scott Hill - brilliantly gifted playmaker; a shame he was never fully fit enough for long enough to really show what he could do.

2. Mark McLinden - exciting and inspirational player in a variety of positions who often seemed to turn games in our favour through sheer willpower.

3. Lee Hopkins - tough, consistent forward who rarely made a mistake or missed a game and could run with the ball and score tries like a back. I think he's the main reason many people are so disappointed with Robinson & Williamson; memories of Hoppo playing in the same position are still fresh, and they're simply not as talented as he was, but few are.

I agree with that comment- I dont think Ive seen a better second rower running out wide like he did-possibly Ellis ex Leeds- something in our game we haven't replaced

in my ten years of being a supporter(i have only missed a handfull of games) i would go for
hetherington moran retchless

Some great names here. I've never forgotten Mike Davis, as he was the first real livewaire scrum half I can recall us having. On a less positive point, it's interesting that you bracket him with John Crossley; Crossley was the one who was first to jump ship when the original Fulham club went belly up, while Davis was the one player who didn't take part in the play for free match when the second incarnation of Fulham was going down the pan. At least we got revenge on Crossley when he came back with Fev!

As for ex-Brisbane players, honourable mentions for Terry Matterson and "Bad Boy" Julian O'Neill.