Worst ever Wigan 13

[jasonnlouise]

Kerry Helmsley was flown back for the 84 cup final waste of time and money

He scored Wigan's first Wembley try since Trevor Lake in 1965!

but we still lost and he had no impact on the Widnes pack where as a year later John Ferguson was flown back and scored 2 tries justifying the money spent

[Kittwazzer]

Kerry Helmsley was flown back for the 84 cup final waste of time and money

He scored Wigan's first Wembley try since Trevor Lake in 1965!

but we still lost and he had no impact on the Widnes pack where as a year later John Ferguson was flown back and scored 2 tries justifying the money spent

TBH, I thought it was Mark Cannon and his family who we flew back from Oz for the final!

[morley pie eater]

Ian Sherratt, Jeff Clare?

[cpwigan]

I daresay we had some awful players in the mid to late 70s

Jimmy Hornby coached Standish RL Team for a few years.

[Lee481]

Andy Powell...garbage!

[cpwigan]

Ian Sherratt, Jeff Clare?

Jeff Clare's RL playing career peaked as a junior. As a teenager he had a monumental size advantage. He was also a superb junior athlete, discus IIRC. He later became an outstanding PE teacher particularly coaching/teaching RL.

[Wigan Watcher]

Worst full back....Paul (drop a ball) Atcheson

[morley pie eater]

Ian Sherratt, Jeff Clare?

Jeff Clare's RL playing career peaked as a junior. As a teenager he had a monumental size advantage. He was also a superb junior athlete, discus IIRC. He later became an outstanding PE teacher particularly coaching/teaching RL.

Thanks for the info, cpw. I think the reason Jeff Clare's name came to mind was because I saw him come into the first team and predicted great things for him 'only to be disappointed later'. (A quote from Spike Milligan about his girlfriends when he took to wearing a stuffed sock down his trousers to prevent hernia due to trumpet playing!) He probably doesn't deserve to be in a worst ever list, but was one of the biggest let-downs imo.

[Owd Codger]

Jeff Clare was a good player, but he also was well into Athletic's.

Perhaps a reason why he did not progress in our game at the rate expected of him.

[cpwigan]

Ian Sherratt, Jeff Clare?

Jeff Clare's RL playing career peaked as a junior. As a teenager he had a monumental size advantage. He was also a superb junior athlete, discus IIRC. He later became an outstanding PE teacher particularly coaching/teaching RL.

Thanks for the info, cpw. I think the reason Jeff Clare's name came to mind was because I saw him come into the first team and predicted great things for him 'only to be disappointed later'. (A quote from Spike Milligan about his girlfriends when he took to wearing a stuffed sock down his trousers to prevent hernia due to trumpet playing!) He probably doesn't deserve to be in a worst ever list, but was one of the biggest let-downs imo.

Not a problem MPE. If you ever see a picture of his as a junior for Wigan schoolboys particularly the younger ages you will realise why so much expectation was placed on him. It looked literally like an adult had sneaked onto the team photographs in full kit. His size advantage at those ages was startling. He never grew much thereafter and height wise and build today he resembles an Andy Platt.

Ian Lucas was another who had to deal with being much bigger and powerful as a junior. Even at Colts (academy) he was nicknamed Mal Meninga. He used to run the length of the fiield for tries from kick offs etc.

Warrington signed a Wigan junior called Phil Sumner (IIRC) and he was incredibly powerful as a junior) but stopped growing at 16 and finished up as a very small prop in the pro ranks.