The Drake Twins (1950s)
Jim Neale (1960s)
Mick Harrison (1970s)
Trevor Skerrett and Paul Rose (1980s)
Tim Street (1990s)
No one in that league in the 2000s but overall it has to be Paul Woods.

Love the story that after a couple of ex Union forwards playing for Oldham roughed Knocker up in a cup match, Woodsy allegedly rang Knocker to offer to sort them out as Woodsy's team were playing Oldham the following week.

Over the years we've had plenty of good 'uns but Don Robson punched his weight from the second row

In my era, knuckles Greenhill and Kearney.

Paul Rose is up there but I always though Lee Crooks could always look after himself . And of course good old Timmy Street !

Radders is hard. Disposed of Vella and Cross easy enough in that pub fight.

A true hardman, I once saw him and Jim Leatham batter a 16/17 year old on marina for bumping into him.

Not to mention the other 'incident'.

Excellent selections there.
Mick Harrison was probably the hardest/toughest going from reputation alone that I heard from old uns who watched the game during the 40s/50s/60s & 70s ( I only started going in '78 as a 9 yr old so don't really remember too much from my first couple of seasons)
I wouldn't say Paul Woods was an out an out hardman, he was just a violent head case.
Rose always had that air of a man not to be messed with, Skerret was just tough but to me never was the type to dish it out I thought.
Crusher Cleal I would have put down just on the fact he looked intimidating

Woodsy's major problem was he was too short to play prop. He hated playing at fullback because he wanted to be right in the middle of things.

Vinnie Farrar was one of the hardest to pull on the B&W. Steve Dennison tells a story about a game against Bradford Northern: as the pack went down, it suddenly erupted and Jeff Grayshon swung a haymaker at Vince. Vinnie rode it and his fist only moved 6" to connect with Grayshon's jaw. Dennison reckoned it's the only time he'd seen a grown man cry on the field. Result was: Grayshon gets led off the field and we got the penalty and the resultant two points.

As a group, then I'd say the pack of the 1982 side who played the Aussies. Five of the six forwards were Hull-born and for the first 20 minutes of that game we kicked them off the park, even Les Boyd was looking for somewhere to hide.

Karl Harrison.

Trevor never needed to dish it out, he caused plenty of damage with perfectly fair tackles. I recall a cup semi against Cas in the 80s (can't remember which one, there were that many) and James Leuluai had just been clattered by a Cas forward (could've been Beefy). A couple of plays later and Skerret lined him up, when he hit him you could physically hear all the air come rushing out of his lungs. He never bothered having a go again that day.

I think there are a few who are confusing hard and violent in this thread. To have Brad Hepi mentioned in the same thread as the likes of Woods, Skerritt, Harrison etc is an insult the genuinlet tough nuts.

Steve Folkes, aussie loose forward during Brian Smiths tenure. Small in stature but ran through brick walls and didn't get intimidated by anyone.

Barry Mac once made a comment at an after dinner that the hardest man presently on the circuit was Lee Radford.

Remember that tackle...we all stood there and winced....nearly cut the poor bugger in half.

Hepi wasnt hard...he was a thug and cheap shot merchant.

Agreed. Woodsy would take on anyone anysize anytime anywhere. No cheap shots, just a genuine hard man.

RIP Woodsy, your like will never be seen again.