Dream Team: Lee Mossop
4 Feb 2020
Lee Mossop, Salford Red Devils prop and captain, gives superleague.co.uk his Dream Team of players he has played with and against.
Sam Tomkins
He could just turn a game on its head when he needed to, and his standard performance level was always an 8 out of 10. There have been points in his career when he has been untouchable. I think back to 2012, when he won the Man of Steel, and he just played class throughout the season.
Pat Richards
Another player from the Wigan 2013 Grand Final winning team. He had a bit of everything to his game. He was fast and strong and every time he carried, he did so with dynamism. He also had an excellent kicking game, whether it be from the tee or in-play.
George Carmont
No hesitation with this pick. He had a deceptive strength and brilliant feet. Everyone around him improved because of what he could do, players like Pat Richards really benefited from playing with him.
Darrell Goulding
A player with a knack of making something happen. He could glide through tackles and had a decent flick pass as well. I think he was the instigator of our win in the 2013 Grand Final. He scored just before half-time, which started our fightback against Warrington.
Jarryd Hayne
I only played with him two or three times when I was at Parramatta. He was unplayable when he wanted to be. As big as a prop but had all the skills you needed to play at full-back or on the wing.
Trent Barrett
I was lucky enough to play a few games with him when I first came through. On the field, he was such a leader and he guided the team on the pitch. He came with an aura and when he signed for Wigan, everyone was desperate to play for him.
Brett Finch
You get a lot of half-backs who take for granted what the middles do for them, but he was unlike that. He would appreciate the forwards and set us up for tries with inside passes, rewarding us for our work. It makes you feel as if your hard work is worth it.
Sam Burgess
I played with Sam during the 2013 World Cup and I have never seen a player dominate a game as he did in the semi-final against New Zealand. We lost but he almost single-handedly won us the match. He was inspirational in everything he did.
Michael McIlorum
He’s a guy that I would always want on the field – as you could rely on him. His defensive work stands out more than anything but that shouldn’t take anything away from he did in attack. For a hooker, he probably wasn’t the biggest or heaviest, but he would put his body on the line.
Jamie Peacock
You knew what you were up against when playing Jamie. I played against him in the 2015 Grand Final, the year that Leeds won the treble, and I just remember how much he was speaking to his team and inspiring his players, even in scrums. When things got tough, he would make the hard carries.
Liam Farrell
The ultimate professional. When we were at our best at Wigan, we were all striving to mirror Liam’s consistency. He’s been so durable, very few injuries and constantly outstanding performances. Always striving to get better as well and he doesn’t have a bad strike rate either. At Salford now, we are trying to mirror the mentality of everyone contributing and Liam was the epitome of that at Wigan.
Iosia Soliola
I played against him when he was at St Helens. You knew when you ran at him that he would whack you with everything. If he had the ball, he would never handbrake or alter his stride. He was tough and putting your body on the line was essential if you were going to stop him.
Sean O’Loughlin
I think you could put him in any single position and he wouldn’t look out of place. He had a great balance on and off the field. He would be first in the bar having a beer but also the first at training. The culture that Wigan set has been carried on by him and he makes sure everyone knows what is expected of them. That is one of the reasons why Wigan are always competing at the top. He is the model pro.
