Leeds Rhinos nostalgia: Why Darren Fleary proved to be an unlikely hero

Fleary, who will turn 49 on Thursday, was an unlikely Headingley hero, having played exclusively in the lower divisions before joining Rhinos almost a quarter of a century ago.

Daryl Powell was the star attraction when Rhinos signed nine players from Keighley Cougars, for a combined £25,000 fee, in July, 1997, with Fleary – who had also had a spell with Dewsbury Rams – being relatively unknown.

Some of the recruits were immediately loaned back to Cougars, who were in administration with debts of £1.5m, but Powell, Fleary and Phil Cantillon all played for Rhinos in Super League that year.

When Graham Murray arrived as Leeds’ new coach at the start of the 1998 pre-season, he immediately recognised Fleary as a player he could get the best out of.

Murray wanted forwards who could intimidate the opposition and wouldn’t take a backwards step and Fleary – known as Daz – was an ideal fit.

Within two years of joining Rhinos, he had been picked for Great Britain, played in a Super League Grand Final and won the Challenge Cup in a record-breaking team performance at Wembley.

A natural powerhouse, Fleary hit the ball up strongly and smashed opponents in defence.

Alongside Terry Newton, Barrie McDermott, Anthony ‘Faz’ Farrell, Adrian Morley and Marc Glanville he was a key figure in a fearsome Rhinos pack who took no prisoners.

They made their intentions clear by battering champions Bradford Bulls in a famous Odsal victory at Easter, 1998 and Leeds finished as runners-up to Wigan Warriors in the league and play-offs that season.

Fleary made his debut for Great Britain against New Zealand in 1998 and played three times in England’s 2000 World Cup campaign, including against Australia at Twickenham.

The tournament was a flop and England crashed out after a heavy semi-final loss to the Kiwis, but Fleary was one of the few success stories.

Having played 108 Super League games for Rhinos from 1997-2002, Fleary had a two-season spell in the top division with his hometown club Huddersfield Giants and was a regular for Leigh Centurions in 2005.

After hanging up his boots, Fleary went into the prison service, as did Farrell, who was also born in Huddersfield and made a big impact in Leeds’ pack under Murray.

Rhinos signed Farrell from Sheffield Eagles ahead of the 1997 season, the prop/second-rower following chief executive Gary Hetherington to Headingley.

Another powerful presence in Rhinos’ forward line, Farrell also played in the 1999 Wembley demolition of London Broncos, after being part of Leeds’ side for the inaugural Grand Final the previous year.

He left Rhinos at the end of 2001, finished his Super League career with two years at Widnes Vikings and went on to coach Halifax in the second tier.

His sons Izaac and Joel Farrell both play for Sheffield in the Championship and starred for Jamaica in their draw with Scotland at Featherstone last month.