Flashback to when Australian wing legends Eric Grothe and Wendell Sailor gave Leeds Rhinos a happy new year

The first day of 1984 saw arguably the most eagerly-awaited debut in the club’s history, when Kangaroos superstar Eric Grothe pulled on a blue and amber jersey for the first time. On the same day in 1999 it was the turn of Wendell Sailor, one of the next generation of Aussie Test wingers, to send Leeds fans home happy after a sensational try-scoring cameo.

Grothe was recognised as the world’s best wingman when he agreed to join Leeds on a short-term contract during the Australian off-season. Known as ‘Guru’ or ‘Rolling Thunder’, Grothe won eight Test caps for Australia, despite being plagued by knee ligament injuries and was a star of the Kangaroos’ 1982 Ashes tour, when he scored 21 tries in 14 games against international and club sides.

He arrived at Leeds just after Christmas in 1984 and was hastily drafted into the team to take on visitors Leigh on New Year’s Day. A crowd of 7,820 - around 500 above the season’s average - turned up to see the great man in action and they weren’t disappointed.

Despite his winger’s jumper being clearly too small - he was kitted out in a repurposed front-rower’s shirt for the rest of his spell - Grothe stormed over for a hat-trick of tries as Leigh were routed 38-4. Neil Hunt and Mark Conway both bagged a brace of touchdowns and Wally Fullerton-Smith also crossed. David Creasser kicked two goals and Conway added one.

That was the first of 16 appearances in blue and amber by Grothe, who finished his stint at Leeds with 14 tries to his name, despite adverse conditions and only limited opportunities. As agreed, Grothe returned to Australia before the end of the campaign, to rejoin his club Parramatta at the start of their season, but he had a much longer Leeds career than Sailor a few years later.

Capped 22 times in rugby league, Sailor later played 37 Tests for Australia in the 15-a-side code, having learned the game during a stint in the English second tier with Headingley-based Leeds Tykes. But before making his Tykes debut, in January, 1999, Sailor guested for Rhinos in their Boxing Day and New Year’s Day pre-season fixtures. Wearing number 31, he didn’t score in a 12-6 Christmas win over Halifax Blue Sox, but grabbed a superb solo try when Castleford Tigers were beaten 26-21 six days later.

Despite attempts to sign him on a long-term basis, those were the only games Sailor played for Rhinos. It proved worthwhile, though, with 14,000 fans turning out on December 26 and 10,903 for the New Year’s Day derby.

Leeds hit back from 21-4 down in the second half against Tigers, with Iestyn Harris grabbing two tries and Kevin Sinfield, Adam Hughes and Ryan Sheridan also touching down. Harris landed Rhinos’ only conversion.

Leeds’ side that afternoon was: Harris, Sailor, Hughes, Godden, Cummins, Pratt, Sheridan, Field, Jackson, McDermott, Carvell, Glanville, Sinfield. Subs Lawford, Golden, Chapman, Wainwright, Jones-Buchanan, Ward.