Leeds Rhinos top-10 greats - No 5 Garry Schofield

We are reaching the business end of our top-10 Leeds Rhinos players.

So far the list includes No 10 Eric Harris, No 9 Joe Thomspon, No 8 John Atkinson, No 7 Mick Shoebottom, No 6 Jamie Peacock and today’s addition at number five, Garry Schofield.

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Number five: Garry Schofield.

Garry Schofield. Picture by Steve Riding.

If he had been born a generation earlier or later, Garry Schofield would be even higher on our list. Schofield played his rugby for Leeds in the 1980s and 90s, between two of the club’s greatest eras.

At a time when the sport was dominated by Wigan, Schofield collected only one winner’s medal with Leeds, scoring a brace of tries in the 1988 Yorkshire Cup final triumph over Castleford at Elland Road.

A player of his rare talent deserved more. At the start of his career, Schofield - who was born in Leeds and played for Hunslet Parkside but turned professional with Hull - was a try poacher out of the top drawer, a centre with vision, pace and the ability to read a game.

He scored 107 tries in 122 games for Hull, including 38 in one season as an 18-year-old. Schofield also impressed during stints, in the English off-season, for Aussie club Balmain before Leeds signed him for a world record £155,000 fee ahead of the 1987 campaign.

He remained at Headingley until moving to Huddersfield Giants just before the start of Super League in 1996, scoring 147 tries, 64 goals and 30 drop goals during 251 appearances in blue and amber.

During his Leeds career Schofield switched from centre to stand-off, where he was also world class - as he proved on a couple of occasions in Test wins over Australia.

Capped a record-equalling 47 times, Schofield took part in four Great Britain tours and captained the Lions to an epic victory against the Kangaroos at Melbourne in 1992.

Adding to his reputation as one of the sport’s best support players, he developed an all-round game which included outstanding passing ability and short kicking skills. Schofield is a member of both the Rugby Football League and Leeds Rhinos’ hall of fame.