Nigel Bell, what a great he was for Wakey

Yep, a player who somehow never capture the publics imagination like Fox, Toppo, Solomona, Ellis or even JD. Yet IMO no other player has ever given a club so much for so long.

On a fair few occasions out of the 12 years Bell played for us he wasn't just our best player he was our only player who you could genuinely describe as a top player. That sounds harsh on the other players but sadly it's probably true. He won us or stopped us being crushed more times than any player I can recall.

Yes he was Mr Trinity iMHO

You could put him alongside Billy Conway and Johnny T as well for me, you wouldn't ordinarily put them as leaders, bit they will all of been first names on the team sheet I'm sure.
If that makes you a leader I dont know, but they certainly lead!

Not sure about Billy, great little player though.

JT, what can u say - a total enigma. Everything about JT was wrong, to small, to wide, not fast enough etc etc. Even then JT was too small for a prop, yet I bet not many liked playing against him. For me JT's secret weapon was undying enthusiasm and love of the game, it overcame everything. I think that's what made him a good 'A' team coach. He understood that not everyone was a Wally Lewis but treated right they still had a lot to offer. So yes I agree a real leader and inspiration,

I had the pleasure of being in the same Team as Nigel at amateur level. He was a man of few words but his actions spoke volumes. Some players like to use their voice to guide their team others just get on with it and lead by example i think Nigel was the later.

All very accurate but his biggest asset IMO? he was a fantastic team mate, the connective tissue between muscle & bone both on and off the pitch.

His character was omnipresent and he didn't even know it, which is what made him different to many others.

Think we need to clarify what we mean when we talk about leaders.

Morrison is a good example of a leader by words as well as action.

The likes of Gareth Ellis and Nigel Bell were great leaders, but very much the guy to follow cos he's doing the hard work rather than telling everyone what to do and making big decisions.

Ray Price was by far the best at both inspirational speaches and leading by action.
Wally Lewis was simply a gifted player who directed the play and you had to follow because of his skills and class.

The years leading up to Super League.....anyone connected with the club at the time would recognise Garen Casey's leadership as a player and a team builder. He changed the team and it's a shame he was picked up and wasted at Salford.

Since then only JD has shown that kind of leadership. Others have been good playmakers or occassionally inspirational but you could consitently see the inspiration JD gave other players when someone was needed to break the game with sheer determination.