The Sterling/Kenny final. Two legends at the top of their game. I was obviously disappointed that we lost but proud we contributed to the greatest final of all time. The Featherstone final in '83 was a different matter! Still haven't got over that!

I think Wakefield were going well at the time. Was that when they had Korkidas at prop

Kearny was here one season. 05. He was well past his best. But in the semi-final and final was an immense presence for us. Then got sent of in the play off hammering to an unstoppable Bradford team.

Was that the Bradford team we'd stopped in the cup run?

Was our 05 cup run Wakey, Bradford, Leigh, Saints Leeds?

We definitely beat Bradford at home in the cup. They played in that Green away kit.

Yeah but after that they went on a roll. All their players were leaving or retiring and they brought in Morley. They went from mid table to win it.

It was the end of the great Bradford era. They did somehow win the World club challenge at the start of the next season but it was a one off game.

I did watch a good documentary about that Bradford 05 season somewhere, can't remember where, maybe youtube

Exactly that, all super league. Just like 16 and 17.
..

The 05 semi-final performance against a very good Saints team at the time has to be one of our best?

Shane McMennemy got man of the match in that vintage performance. He was an unsung hero for us in those two years. A guy who wore our shirt with pride.

They had some great players, korkidas, Jeffries, Rooney, a young Gareth Ellis, tadulala, Domic, Solomona, Demetriu

Yeah, good team. Did a job on us that night.

That was a great day and a great team performance, apart from my ticket had fallen out of my jeans back pocket before departing our coach. Cost me for another ticket to get in.
We had a great pre-game in Gas Club, Bradley Mills and Rickys, all sadly gone now as I mentioned a few weeks ago.

I’d fancy our 16/17 team. We oozed confidence and had players at the top of their games. Great times.

One of my favourite performances was away at St Helens when we got beat in the 06 play off's before we played them again in the final.

I think they finished top and we finished second and we played them for a place in the final. It was one of our best defensive performances I've seen. It finished something like 10-8 or 12-8. That was probally Saints best ever team in the Super League era. I think Francis Meli scored a late one to win it.

We then had to beat Bradford at home to get to the final. Which we did with Washbrook starring in that game.

But that game at Saints was top class defensive rugby.

Wembley '83 is a nightmare without end for me. I have never come to terms with the defeat even 41 years on! To this day I still cannot work out how such a fantastic team could freeze so badly when it mattered the most.

As a measure to how deep the scars still remain from that day; when I was sat at Wembley in 2015 watching Leeds hammer a very sorry rovers side, all I could think about was how we should have done exactly the same to Featherstone all those years ago!

Even the victories in 16/17 haven't fully eased the pain and shock of '83. Time, for me, has not been a great healer where this match is concerned. The 82/83 side is unquestionably the best Fc team I have watched, but sadly they fell at the very final hurdle. But all things considered that team tops both the 2004-06 and 2016/17 sides.

I'll try to put the two best thirteens lined up against each other from those days. Yeaman could make both teams but I'll put him in just one side.


05/06

Briscoe

Blacklock
Whiting
Yeaman
Raynor

Cooke
Horne

Dowes
Swain
Carvell

Mcmenemy
Kearny
Radford

Vs

Shaul

Fonoa
Tuimivave
Griffin
Talanoa

Kelly
Sneyd

Taylor
Houghton
Watts

Manu
Minichello
Ellis