Far too often all I read on here are posts knocking opposition players & other clubs' fans having a go at our lads, so I thought I'd redress the balance.

Each club has players rated highly by its own supporters but not by the other clubs & I'm not thinking of the Baileys & Grahams of this world but rather players like Carl Ablett.

For instance I always think that Richard Whiting comes into this category. Not a world beater but someone who rarely lets the club down.

From past eras I recall the roly poly prop from Wakefield, Jonny Thompson I think was his name, & Nigel Bell who always gave 100%.

John sharp! Awesome player for hull he was

I don't think Mckenna got the plaudits he deserved nor Darryl Powell.

Darren fleary

Mike foreshaw

Sam Panapa

Wow Sam Panapa - It may be my fading memory, but he always seemed to score against us. Another Wigan player who used to score numerous tries against us - Simon Houghton (although he was pretty gash the rest of the time)

Du Du Duneman!!

Roy Powell. People came to realise his value, but not for years.



Good shout on Nigel Bell. Could also add Brian Case and Ian Potter in the great Wigan side as great workers who never got any publicity and, later, Anthony Farrell at Leeds. At the moment I'd maybe say that Andy Lynch at Bradford is very underrated.

Has to be Peter Smith (the Fev 13 from the early 80's). Must have been cited as "most respected player" more than anyone else in those fabulous player profiles all the club programmes did back then. Plus he was in the team that beat Hull at Wembley (and I was there).

"Unsung hero" is that title of the thread, not "most easily mocked surname".

Whilst were on the subject of unsung heroes from Wigan's golden era, Ged Byrne. Or, from the Widnes side of a nearby era, Les Holliday.

Holliday is an excellent shout from that era (at Fax also). Harry Pinner was also a brilliant player who never really got his due, but he was class at Saints and then conducted that frightening Widnes pack and ran the behemoth Bradford pack for a couple of years. John Cogger at Oldham, and that player who only had one arm at, where, Swinton? Runcorn? A one-armed RL player has got to be an unsung hero somewhere down the line.

Peter Smith at Fev is a very good call - one of those players who looked good in virtually every match.

agree with dunneman & roy powell & add trevor paterson



john lydiat @ hull kr always seemed to score against us