I was watching a few old clips on YouTube over the weekend, and he stood out as someone really very special. Despite appearing to have it all though his career never really reached the 'great' status. I was only really starting to watch League back then. For those more in the know, what was the deal with him?

For a (short) while looked like he could be one of the best second rows in the game, strong and quick and very hard to stop. His career just seemed to stall - from memory I think it was a case of him not really loving the game and drifting out quite young, I think he went to either Oldham or Rochdale for a while but then stopped playing while still young.

Shame in many ways because when he first got into the Wigan team he looked like a player who could have gone on to achieve great things.

He was a top junior and from what I remember holds the record for the number of tries scored in his age group. I think we tried to mould him into another Andy Goodway but it was never going to happen, he was a big mobile unit but didn't have the X factor. I think he went to rugby union at some point, possibly Orrell.

Fireman in Aus

Wrong Thread, Thanks Matty

Wrong thread?

Kris Radlinski put it best in his autobiography. Haughton happened to have talent in something he did not love doing.

He had a decent career,seem to remember him scoring a good try against the ozzies?Just never hit the heights people thought he would. He dominated in the youth team and broke try scoring records but that was helped by a big size advantage he had.
Like others have said he had no love for the game and ended up playing union for orrell.

I thought he had everything but the will to do it.

You didn't score individual tries like that against Canterbury and Australia without being a major talent. But increasingly, in very tough matches, he went missing.

In light of that, seeking an easier life in RU was perhaps inevitable, and by then he wasn't even missed.

He definitely had that X Factor, his heart just wasn't in it.

Nail on the head there, big fast lad who bullied his way through juniors but no bottle playing against men, never forget daryll Powell standing over him saying get up to soft after rolling around on the floor football style after Barrie Mac close lined him, think his own team mates thought the same as well.

I think in the modern game he'd be an absolute wrecking ball, great edge runner with the ability to bring others into play.

That wasn't the same Simon Haughton who barged through half the Aussie team to score one of the best individual British tries I've ever seen in a Test match.

Lucky for Powell and Barrie Mac they didn't encounter him that day.

The lad blew hot and cold, and his heart wasn't in it long-term, but on his day he could be a world-beater.