Paul f'ing Ford better than Hodgson!!!!!!!!!!



I obviously missed the re-writing of history in which Paul Ford became anything more than a half decent back-up.

Reardon had great upper body strength but didn't seem to have any confidence or creativity going forward when he joined us. I remember Cardiss looking so elusive only a year or so before he joined us but seemed again to loses his confidence on attack. Both could have been really good with a little bit of luck.



In terms of a surprise package I think Brent Grose takes that one. Some of his displays and 'that' length of the field try will always live in my memory.

I seem to remember Cardiss starting pretty well for us, he came in a couple of months before the end of the 2003 season and helped give us some impetus in our charge for 6th spot. Then 2004 came round and he wasn't the same, I think he had long standing injury problems after that and was never properly fit.



Grose in his first season at fullback was right up there with Hodgson, the difference between him and Hodgson was Grose had one outstanding season and two rank average ones and Hodgson had two outstanding seasons and one good season. In fairness to Grose though he had had two very good seasons at centre before that.

I agree with you there Sally - that's 3 times this year.

Wierd !





The club cut Cardiss's contract short by a year - same with John Wilshire who played well for Salford.



Re Grose - I came across an Ausie wensite that were 'dissing' Grose as the worst player ever !

Unbeliveable and total cr@p

Back up centre who then played a few games at FB and played the first 20 minutes of the 1986 Premiership Final. after that he was virtually never heard of again. Certainly nowhere near the top 10 fullbacks I've seen at Wire.

Quite right. We've missed his defence and he has great hands too. Not as slick as Brett in attack though. Both great guys too.



Mathers arrival was probably the best regular fb we had had in 2 decades.



Id still have him now. We wouldn't have won the cc in 2009 without him.

I forgot Mathers. I would put him in between Lyon and Cardiss on my list.



Mathers was pretty good but he was error prone.

Forgot Rob Myler! Had all the potential in the world, took a bad knock to the head and was never the same again.

if i had to pick a top 3 it would be

1st hodgson

2nd johnno

3rd hesford

as for players like dave lyon paul ford they were good full backs and very reliable...any one go maine road on a freezing monday night against barrow..sure paul ford played in the halves..could be wrong ,memorys a bit vague

All the fullbacks mentioned have different attributes, so i suppose it depends what you're looking for. Personally, my priority in a fullback is to be a superb last line of defence. So it's johnson all day for me(to young to have seen whitehead or hesford play).

If I remember rightly it was a very late hit by an opposition forward, and you're right - he never was the same. A real shame, but I don't think he played all that many games for us at f/b.

I think he played more on the wing (could be wrong there).

Yes, most of his first team career was as a winger (Outside Jiffy for a spell in 93/94)... Was playing full back in the reserves, but was never seen as likely to oust Lee Penny, who was quite highly rated at that time.

Derek Finnegan was the best defensive full back I've seen at the Wire, steve hesford best under a high ball and Derek Whitehead a superb attacker with the best side step I've ever seen

Totally back up re. Derek Whitehead. He was brilliant at bringing the ball out after a kick. His side-step was magnificent. We signed him after he ran through the whole of our team playing for Oldham. Sometimes he wouldn't side-step ... and this seemed to work as well.

I once heard Colin Clarke say of Whitehead that you knew he was going to step you but still made you look a mug by sending you the wrong way

Absolutely brilliant attacking fullback, not so much by coming into the line, but by running the ball back after a kick. You just don't see his type of player anymore.

Billy Slater

I never get this thing about the fullbacks main job being the last line of defence. Fullbacks don't make that many tackles and when they are in a position of being last line of defence it means the line has been broken and more than likely there's a two on one so the fullback is not going to be able to do anything about that.



Last line of defence really only comes in when there's a breakaway where nobody has come in support of the attacker. When I was at school and uni that situation would happen quite often and a good fullback making a solid tackle would end an attack but in the pro game how often do you see that? Professional teams will usually have back up. Not saying its not a bonus if your fullback is a good tackler but I think its more important to be a solid tackler at centre.



In terms of defensive duties I think its more important for a fullback to be able to field a range of kicks, high, along the ground, bouncing, intersecting fullback and winger etc, and then return them well. The best way a fullback can help the team defensively is if he makes yards and takes the ball away from his line, especially if he can get out of his in goal or turn a kick fielded on the 5m mark to a tackle on the 25m mark.

I'd love a fullback in the Steve Hampson mould, that's about as dependable as you can get defensively, dealt with everything thrown at him.

Hampson was British men's trampolining champion I seem to remember which is why I think he always got so high jumping under the high ball.

Only remember him once dropping a high ball

I don't think I saw Whitehead play, can't remember when he stopped



Hesford, superb, but it's a TOTALLY different game, now. Pity for him, he had George Fairburn to contend with, internationally, or he'd have a bucketfull of GB caps



Johnson, again, superb. The most exciting FB I've seen in a Wire jersey



Lyon. Good. Reanable pace. Huge boot. Remember seeing him kick a goal v Stains from the half way line, and the ball was still rising when it went over the bar



Penny. Great, but had an allergy to passing the ball.



My memory seems to have erased Cardiss. Don't know why



Readon was a v good FB for us. Superb returner of a kick. Don't get the sniping he's received on here.



Grose. Good. For me, a little "over-loved" on these pages, like Nat Wood was/is.



Mathers. Bloody 'ell!!!! (Nah, that's harsh) he was good. But that's about it for me.To many love-ups for my liking



Hodgson. Superb.



Do I have a fav. No.



I'm STILL slightly jealous of Wigan (even after all these years). They had Steve Hampson. He WAS good. Seemed to have radar in his head, when it came to postitioning himself for downfield kicks. It seemed like he NEVER had to move more than 10 yards to receive a kick. Just a pity he had a body more fragile than Chris Bridge.

As an out-and-out full back, as opposed to a utility back like Davies or Harris, Johnson remains the best I've seen in a wires top; I don't deny some of my Wire memories are rose-tinted and hued with nostalgia but Johno was the real deal.



Nice to hear Penny get mentioned - he seems to have been tipp-exed out of some memories but he was a very, very good full back until a mars-bar diet caught up with him. I always thought Chris Rudd would have made a good FB, he may even have played a couple of times there for us, but alas he never quite hit the heights expected of him.



For other clubs the one who struck fear into me was Joe Lydon for Wigan, such an elusive runner. Not as telepathic defensively and astute in positional play as Hampson but much more dangerous going forward.



And don't get me started on that &£$^&^£% drop-goal in the Maine Road semi.

Please dont talk about joe lydon. He was a good centre poor fb and saying nothing else...I'll have a nightmare

He did have a huge boot but going for distance and missing touch cost us big time at Maine road. Everyone points to Lydons Drop goal, but Lyon missing touch gave Wigan possession, from which, If I remember Hanley made a break and put someone in for try in the corner which we were never coming back from.....

In general I agree with you, but I think a strong fb defensively can be the difference between being good and superb.



The likes of Radlinski and Wellens have throughout their careers pulled off some blinding try saving tackles, whereas Hodgson just isn't known for that. In fact he was often made to look rather silly as the last line of defence.