“His influence was crucial in our 15 trophy wins” – our YEP Jury reveal their favourite Leeds Rhinos loose-forward

GRAHAM POULTER

So this week sees the final position in the team of loose-forward and what a difficult choice it was to select the person to fulfil the role.

Two absolutely outstanding individuals come to mind straight away, both from different eras but both capable of doing a magnificent job.

My first thought was Ellery Hanley who was absolutely world class. He was a leader and an inspiration to the rest of his team-mates.

He only played in 100 games for Leeds, so a relatively short period. Can you imagine if he’d been playing when the golden generation were playing? We would have won even more trophies with him in the team. He’s a top bloke as well.

Taking all of that into consideration, I’ve had to hand the jersey to our former captain Sir Kevin Sinfield. He won absolutely everything that the game had to offer, domestically anyhow and of course not forgetting the magnificent achievement of becoming world champions.

He led the team for so long and he was extremely durable, for example considering the time when he was on the end of a big hit in a Grand Final against Warrington.

He played in over 500 games and scored an incredible 3,967 points, an absolutely phenomenal achievement.

I’d love to see him become our head coach one day. The experience he has, I’m convinced he’d be a hugely successful coach as well.

CHRISTINE KIDD

Many people will automatically think of Kevin Sinfield when choosing Leeds Rhinos’ best loose-forward.

Even though he wore the number 13 shirt throughout most of his career he didn’t always play in that position. He did however play loose-forward in the three consecutive Grand Final wins of 2007, 2008 and 2009. That together with his brilliant captaincy and on field organisation makes him my choice as best loose-forward.

Other names that come to mind are Adam Cuthbertson, Brad Singleton Chris Clarkson, Stevie Ward and Trent Merrin. In recent years the player at loose-forward has been interchangeable with other forwards which means that lots of players have played in that position.

That seems to be changing at Leeds this season with the emergence of the talented Cameron Smith. He is playing as an old fashioned loose-forward. Playing full games in that position and working with the other pivots in the team at hooker, half-back and full-back. It would seem that he is going to take on that mantle for the future generation.

ADAM ANDERSON

This week we choose our favourite Leeds Rhinos loose-forwards of all time and there is no alternative to Kevin Sinfield MBE.

Known to us Leeds fans as Sir Kev for everything he has done for the club, captaining the club to every trophy possible and now being back at the club and trying to turn round our fortunes again.

From the moment he walked on to the Wembley field as a schoolboy you could see how much he was a leader.

Individually, he won everything but a Man of Steel award, surprisingly.

As much as he wasn’t liked by others in Super League, every fan got together to vote for him in the BBC Sports Personality of Year, where he finished as runner up.

He left the club at the top of the tree with a treble and being the top point scorer in the club’s history.

We can only live in hope that he can turn our fortunes around in his new job at the helm.

DIANNE HALL

No surprise for my favourite number 13 and many fans of the Rhinos, Kevin Sinfield.

Making his debut in 1997, emerging fully in 2001, Daryl Powell gave him the captaincy around 2002, an inspired decision.

‘Sir Kev’ played his entire rugby league career at the Rhinos and his influence was crucial in our 15 trophy wins.

Playing loose-forward for the first half of his career he evolved into a stand-off and although lacking the lightning pace of a traditional stand-off, he more than made up for it in his game management, always extracting the best from his troops. His prolific goal kicking, often under pressure, frequently won us games when all seemed lost. Leading from the front, repeatedly getting battered by the opposition, but often coming out on top.

My other favourite loose-forward was Gareth Ellis, who signed from Wakefield in 2004. He played four seasons before going on to star for West Tigers in the NRL and became a cult player for them. A tough uncompromising player who could tackle and score crucial tries when it mattered.

IAN SHARP

Well, I never thought we would get to loose-forward doing this, but it has been great fun and with the NRL coming back on May 28 I have hope that Super League too will soon be back up and running.

For me this position comes down to, two players, both are Leeds legends, they are Sir Kevin Sinfield and the mercurial, Cuthwyn Ellery Hanley MBE.

I was lucky enough at the time Ellery signed in 1991 to be working at Headingley in the kitchen and saw him turn up at the stadium; a few weeks later he was announced as a Leeds player, and immediately as captain.

I am sure his influence at the time planted the seeds, for what was to come in the next chapter at Leeds.

I’m not sure what can be added to the things that have already been said about Sir Kev but from a personal note, he has brought me so much pleasure in watching him play and so many emotions on match days, from last minute 40-20s, to kicking the goal to win the 2015 Grand Final.

I for one will be forever in his debt.

MATT FOWLER

Quite possibly the hardest decision to make if I have to choose only one favourite loose-forward I have seen play for Leeds.

Ellery Hanley was, and probably still is, the finest rugby player I have ever seen play. He scored 106 tries in 114 appearances for Leeds and was just phenomenal. He had an aura about him.

He was in the twilight of his career at Leeds but he produced some outstanding performances in a Leeds shirt, most notably the cup semi-final against St Helens in 1994.

Possibly the greatest player to play the game.

My other favourite is, of course, Kevin Sinfield. He has won everything for the club twice over and more. A leader in the purest sense and is now guiding us through our “transition”.

Kevin was a wonderful player and Mr Reliable.

Like Danny McGuire, he rose to the big occasions and produced time and time again. A role model for any youngsters and a true great.

If you had to force me to choose only one of them then Sinfield wins it, but only just.

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