Mine would be as follows.........


1. Stuart Spruce
2. Damian Blanch
3. Jason Demetriou
4. Mick Nanyn
5. Paul Devlin
6. Steve Carter
7. Barry Eaton
8. Robert Relf
9. Phil Cantillon
10. Troy Stone
11. Mick Cassidy
12. Steve McCurrie
13. Daniel Frame

14. Mark Smith
15. Jules Oneill
16. Terry Oconnor
17. Anthony Farrell

Is this class of player, or who performed the best for us?

I mean someone like Justin Murphy only had a few games for us but proved to be a real star at Catalans. I also liked Willie Peters in his short stay with us.

Shane Millard was good for us especially in 2003 and also went to bigger and better things after he left us. If I remember correctly he was a contender for man of Steel in 03.

Just your own 17 over the last 10 years, i have based mine on performance but some like you say may have opted for peters at scrum half but he was only here a very short period.

Adam Hughes for instance was devastating for us at times but absolutely awful at others so he doesnt get in, i can only think of points machine when thinking of Nanyn so he got the nod and generally played very well for us.

I`ll play...

1. Stuart Spruce
2. Damian Blanch
3. Jason Demetriou
4. Mick Nanyn
5. Damien Munro
6. Richard Agar
7. Barry Eaton
8. Robert Relf
9. Phil Cantillon
10. Terry O Connor
11. Troy Stone
12. Daniel Frame
13. Tommy Hodgkinson

14. Steve Carter
15. Jules Oneill
16. Shane Millard
17. Barrie McDermott

(But stuck wether to have Frame at Loose, Big Julian at back row and drop Tommy)

1.Spruce (better for us but Peachey was a better player)

2.Blanch (class)
3.Hughes (was at times superb in SL others done it in NL)
4.JD ( solid, I will put Moule ahead of him in 2 weeks though)
5.Munro (solid with a bit of pace)

6.Scarts (when he left was never replaced big reason of our downfall)
7.Eaton (only cos theres nobody better worst position for us)

8.Relf (good solid)
9.Millard (got us moving round the PTB)
10.O'Connor (top metres in a relagated side says it all)

11.McCurrie (for jibbing dire to come back to us then scoring that try against them)
12.Cass (workhorse)

13.Frame (solid)

subs:
14.Jules (was excellent for us at times)
15.Cants ( off the bench in SL he still looked good)
16.Stone (never really replaced him but only 1 season)
17.Julian (never let us down)

I'd probably go with that. Not a great deal of choice at scrum half is there. Looking back we haven't really been that strong in the centres either have we. We've had some decent players but Moule was always 'injured', Hughes went completely off the boil and then there players like Nanyn and TKL.

Anyone consider putting Gray Viane in?

We have been very poor in the centres like you say, you could also argue that Deon Bird should be in, he had a very good try scoring record with us and played well in his spell. Viane scored some like 14 in 16 games or something like that and at one stage i was hoping we could get him back (wonder what he's up to these days?)

Blake Cannova anyone?

Sure this has been done!




I don't think you can really justify someone like Peters or Peachey being in, despite their talent. I remember Chris Giles started his career like a house on fire, but dwindled to the lower divisions after an injury lay-off hampered his progress.
For me..

Spruce
JD
Nanyn
Hughes
Blanch

Jules O'Neill
Eaton

Relf
Millard
Stone

Cassidy
Finnigan


Frame

14 Cantillon
15 Super League Terry O'Connor
16 Julian F O'Neill
17 Beswick


Never really rated the contribution of O'Connor and McDermott in NL1.

I totally forgot about Bird and Finnegan.
I would probably move JD to the wing instead of Munro and put Bird in.
I only picked players who have done stuff in SL hence no Nanyn.

We could pick a team of our best NL players obviously some would be the same.

I know Blanch didn't play for us in SL but he played there before and since so he's proven quality.

Kieran Kerr or Brad Watts anyone? lol they came when we were poop but actually turned out to be decent players. I think one of them got knocked out in town after a heavy defeat and then that seemed to be the end of them. Happy Franks side was shambolic, i had high hopes before the season but looking back now having Gary Hulse at scrum half and Ste Rowlands at Full Back we never stood a chance.

Bird's heart was in it but to be honest he wasn't a very good player. Knew his way over the line but was shambolic in defence at times.

Some good players there. Didn't Cantillon score about 40 one year? I had to laugh when I seen Relfs name, I just remember Appo laughing at at him in the last minute at the Stobart. Finnegan and Carter were good ones as well. No room for Kevin penny?

spruce
devlin
hughes
moule
royle

scarts
lawford

Stone
millard
Relf
hay
farrel
Jules

smith
toc
o'neill
viane

What? A winger just about managing to beat a prop forward in a foot race. No offence but that says more about Appos mickey-poor attitude to a fellow professional than anything about Robert Relf, who, for your information, made an outstanding contribution to Widnes while he was here.

Cantillon scored 48 in 2001 - a record for tries in a season by a forward.

What was weird the other year when we played Rochdale and Cantillon was playing for them. Fairly certain he scored a try and they won. Despite that we'd just lost a game we were never expected to lose in a million years, there were few Widnes fans cheering and shouting ooo ahh Cantillon. Think it goes to show how highly he is still thought of around here.

A pretty good side when firing so I'd go with that.

As you say, scrum half has always been our issue and Eaton, though never spectacular always gave his best. I also think special mention should got to Martin Crompton who was great for us in our promotion campaign. He partnered Agar brilliantly - another who is unlucky to miss out.

He was a top player in his first two seasons as a Widnes player was Relf.

Think Cantillon scored 47 (?) in the old NFP in the promotion season. Either way it was a world record for a forward and it probably will stand for the rest of our lifetimes!

Finnigan went in my selection on raw ability. In the shambolic season of 05, he cared as little as the rest of Endacott's flops. Never really took to Carter myself.


What's everyone's thoughts on Andy Hay? He was made to be a massive scapegoat in his time at Widnes but he had the respect of his team-mates and coaches, being made captain at one stage.

Niceto see Beswick popping up.

I thought we were better with the ball when Weston played with Eaton - Cas away and Leeds home spring to mind from that season. I liked Carter, he had the right attitude and was hard as nails but the backs played better off Weston IMO.

My Team would look something like this.

1. Spruce
2. Blanch
3. Moule
4. TKL
5. Demetriou
6. Carter
7. Moran
8. Relf
9. Smith
10.O'Connor
11.Wilkes
12.Stone
13.Frame

14 Grix
15 Farrell
16 Tandy
17 McDermott

The Vicar

Cant beleive you're all missing Owen CRAIGIE

He was an awesome buy who was meant to cement a place in our history!!!!!!

I thought he did little to warrant the very good money he was on at this time at the club and was overall very disappointing.
Hay was also involved in the shambolic goings on that resulted in Neil Kelly's forced departure as accepting the captaincy after it was 'removed' from Jules caused a split within the dressing room. I don't blame him as much as I blame the Jules supporters that formed the other side but more could have been done as the club captain to harmonise the situation instead of allowing it to descend into the sorry state it did.
He came as a big name and didn't deliver for mine.. but at least he played unlike his mate Ryan.