Was also lucky to to be able to follow the ‘great man’s rugby career as being taken to watch Trinity by my Dad in the 50s more or less coincided with Neil’s debut..
Was simply an awe inspiring hero to me and my mates.
The dip of the shoulder to bump off the would be tackler, the classic ‘dummy’, swerve and side step and deceptive pace. Always remarkable to me that his kicking foot went above shoulder height after contact.
A true Rugby League legend and gentleman.
Happy birthday great man from one Sharlstoner to another.
Oh and yes an absolute disgrace he was not included in the Wembley statue.
50733_1530270912.jpg[color=#000000:ogl9gbum]"Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him."[/color:ogl9gbum]:d7dc4b20b2c2dd7b76ac6eac29d5604e_50733.jpg
Quote: PopTart "One story that should be mentioned is that he kicked more goals than recorded.
He told me he went for an off season to play in New Zealand as I think an option to go to Oz didn't come through but because the NZ league wasn't recognised in the international list at that stage his points aren't recorded in the record. So it's even more unassailable.'"
My dad always says Neil could have scored a lot more points but he would often pass it to the winger, when he could have easily scored himself, or he'd hand the kicking duties to someone else if Trinity were comfortably in front.
Quote: King Street Cat "My dad always says Neil could have scored a lot more points but he would often pass it to the winger, when he could have easily scored himself, or he'd hand the kicking duties to someone else if Trinity were comfortably in front.'"
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He must have been great to play alongside as winger because he did create many tries for whoever was alongside him. I loved it when Jan Prinsloo was his winger, what a combination that was. I remember one year Prinsloo had scored 24 tries by October, (season kicked off in August then, of course!) many attributable to NF, sadly he then got injured and struggled to make it 30 by the end of the season!
Again, I'm too young (just) to have seen him play but finally got to meet him at the "40th Anniversary since Wembley '79" bash, this time last year (also Neil's 80th Birthday). He kindly posed for a picture with me and my bro which I still use as the background wallpaper on my laptop one year later
Happy Birthday Neil. Started watching Wakefield in 1963. His points record will never be beaten and like others have said it's a travesty that he was omitted from the Wembley statue. Hopefully whe the new East Stand is built a statue of the great man should be outside the ground. I'd be willing to chip in to fundraising to make this happen.
Happy birthday Neil I also just missed out on the great years in the sixties, was born in 1960 but too much of a handful for my granny, who was the big Trinity fan in the household. But one vision of Neil which I will always remember was a junior arl trip to a cup game up Cumbria way, his grandson Josh, played in the same team as Jordan, we stopped at a McDonald’s on the way up and Neil got himself a kiddies meal, what a picture it was watching this big man open his box meal and seeing what toy he’d got a true gent and a great player.
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I also just missed out on the great years in the sixties, was born in 1960 but too much of a handful for my granny, who was the big Trinity fan in the household. But one vision of Neil which I will always remember was a junior arl trip to a cup game up Cumbria way, his grandson Josh, played in the same team as Jordan, we stopped at a McDonald’s on the way up and Neil got himself a kiddies meal, what a picture it was watching this big man open his box meal and seeing what toy he’d got 
a true gent and a great player. 
