I once had a chat with Monie about his preferred fullback. He said "If Hampo was fit, he played".

Would have to be 94/95 for me (my first season too).

From what I remember, Botica was stretchered off right on the hooter in my first game vs Sheffield, so I presume Henry Paul played at 6 whilst he was out?

Can anyone with more 'experience' shed any light on that?

Quote: Guerrier "Would have to be 94/95 for me (my first season too). From what I remember, Botica was stretchered off right on the hooter in my first game vs Sheffield, so I presume Henry Paul played at 6 whilst he was out? Can anyone with more 'experience' shed any light on that?'" It's all here wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/in ... age_id=255

Quote: Guerrier "Would have to be 94/95 for me (my first season too). From what I remember, Botica was stretchered off right on the hooter in my first game vs Sheffield, so I presume Henry Paul played at 6 whilst he was out? Can anyone with more 'experience' shed any light on that?'" It's all here wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/in ... age_id=255

After the defeat of Brisbane in Brisbane in '94, Wigan looked unassailable. They truly were the best club-side in the world.

No-one would have believed at the time that it would all be downhill from there.

Morley taking out McCormack was memory of that season but not as memorable as the Mick Cassidy retribution.

Maybe these are just Cherry & White tinted spectacles, but 1986-87 takes some beating.

The team were tough as nails, and didn't just win games - they'd walk all over teams. We beat Bradford by 60-6, Widnes (who were extremely strong at the time) 40-4, and beat Warrington in two finals, who prior to that, we hadn't beaten for four, maybe five matches. In fact Warrington were the only team we lost to in the league; they did the double over us.

We came close to Australia, losing 26-18, and our only real blip was the shock loss to Oldham in the Challenge Cup in the final minute. The other three matches against them that season ranged from comfortable (Lancashire Cup Final), to us absolutely battering them (twice in the league).

Arguably, this wasn't as 'complete' a side as the 1994 team, but at the time, Wigan were just another team. By 1994, teams were beaten before they even took to the field, which I'm sure contributed to our dominance. Wigan hadn't achieved that 'aura' in the mid 80s.

Best bit - in a team featuring stars such as Joe Lydon, Henderson Gill, Shaun Edwards, Ellery Hanley, and from mid-season Andy Gregory, the player of the season was won by... Brian Case. Best prop we've ever had, in my opinion.

What a team that was !!!!!!!!!!!, and we played in a 'proper' kit !!!!!!!!!

Keep listening Brian, keep listening

I have fond memories of 86/87 for various reasons - that was the start of a glorious epoch (a couple of seasons earlier we'd simply been making up the numbers), plus it was the first year Micron did a full 'highlights of the season' video, so every try scored was captured on tape (albeit grainy, flickery tape). To blitz everyone the way we did was absolutely astonishing and completely unprecedented in my life, even though as a lad I'd watched Boston and Ashton.

Certain funny memories still stand out: Len Casey saying the only difference between Wigan and Hull was Ellery Hanley (Gregory, Bell, Lydon, Edwards, Gill, Case, Hampson etc, obviously didn't count). Ron Hill saying that Graham Lowe didn't know what he was doing moving Hanley to loose forward (incredibly, Hanley had played all over the back division before joining Wigan, including out on the wing). Less funny was the Oldham full back blatantly trying to trip Wigan players in the Lancashire Cup Final and going unpunished, and Des Drummond's new 'headbutt' style of tackling as exemplied in the Premiership Trophy final.

It was a heck of a seasonl, though interestingly Warrington were our main rivals that year as well. The four games we played against them were all epic encounters.

I'd have to disagree about Brian Case being the best prop but only just. Reckon Andy Platt, followed by Greg Dowling, just shaded him. Having said that, Case was the original unsung hero and hard as nails too.

Dowling was playing in the season I first started watching, and being honest I didn't see that much of him. Clearly highly rated though. You could be right about Andy Platt.

What I liked about Platt was that he was quite a running/passing second rower at Saints, and when he came to us, he piled the muscle on and became a proper biff and bang front rower, which benefited his game.

I agree with this, I think Wigan had it much harder in the early days to establish themselves, once already at the top it was easy to sign the best players (but in fairness there was a lot of quality coming out of Wigan's youth team as well so I am not saying you bought success!)

I also think the competition was tougher in the mid-late 80s. I think after the collapse of Widnes as a powerhouse in the early 90s, there was a vacuum at the top and that allowed Wigan to clean up.

What would have been interesting would have been if Saints had matured 10 years earlier, imagine if the Saints team of 96 had emerged in 86 with a young Cunningham and co, and then Saints period from 96-06 had been 86-96. There would have been some great tussles then. I still think Wigan would have won more of the trophies but they wouldn't have cleaned up, I think Saints would have taken a share.

This! Possibly the best back line up club rugby (or any rugby for that matter) has seen. And we had Radlinski also bursting onto the scene at the same time.

I've always said that ironically we peaked so soon before the wheels came off - It was a fast decline from the all conquering season of 1994/5 to where we went in the next 2-3 years, almost as quick and spectacular as the Whinoes current decline!