This.

Cooke was great, but needed someone to create the time for him to play his game.

YEah, smith was majestic at cardiff in 2005 and in taking us to the GF in 2006

swain

Jason Smith was class but Cooke did not need him in the team to perform to a match winning standard (see Cardiff 2005) As I've said, we miss this in our team and we've been a long way off since.

Our success in 05/06 was built on team play, no one player 'took the game by the scruff off the neck' to quote the OP.

Swain was a great player and inspired his teamates to great things by his effort.

I disagree that he could change a game on his own though. Not sure I remember him breaking the line and going 60 metres.

Smith had it all, and created his own space. Won a game at London after supposedly forgetting the score thinking a try was needed to draw level.

cooke was our only playmaker for the best 2 season's we've had since SL started

I agree, players like Chester and McMenemy underated but contributed greatly. Cooke was missed after he left, but through cumulative injuries we haven't had the same Richard Horne.

we miss our cookie, never been the same without him whatever we think about him,

Jason Smith, Richard Swain, Danny Brough.

You've had a few. I think its 2 decent attacking centres that you need. Not to mention with a few forwards missing, giving the halves a platform was always going to be difficult against a pretty fired up Leeds defense.

not when he was with us. Bit part player

Agree about the centres though

Rich Horne was a great player when Cooke was in the team as was the rest, however, I can see a common denominator here! When we had Cooke in the team we could play rugby and attack a line with creative and outrageous play with a team being organised by a play maker. Final point re outrageous play, Banana kick Cooke.

Charlie Stone

Quoting myself here (CBA to multi quote everyone else).

I agree that Cooke was a great player. When the team was on top form was one of the best players in the league. The 'Team' argument goes to prove why his Rovers spell was not as succesful IMO. They were (maybe not now LOL) a worse team than us.

Great try in Cardiff (maybe his only sidestep!) and created many tries out wide for the 3/4's, but he needed a pack to work behind to play at his best and willing runners either side.

Cooke was the player we built our attack around for many years and his vision has never been replaced.

In a word, cooke. Still hasn't been replaced as Seymor is not up to standards

Blacklock

What about Adam Dykes? On the few occasions he wasn't injured he was great.