Hemmings Way: My Ultimate XIII

It is always the most difficult of tasks to select an all-time favourite team because the memory often plays tricks on you and your selection is always open to question… other people’s favourites inevitably are never the same as yours.

In 2020 my fervent hope is that we actually see enough games for people to judge their Dream Team this year. These are really difficult times we are living through and I really hope you are all coping with all the restrictions just now – please God we all come through this moment of unwanted history safe and sound.

I was asked to select my Ultimate Super League Dream team for this week’s column – so here goes! Let me say at the outset that I found it an incredibly difficult task. In the 24 years of Super League’s existence we have seen some magnificent players. So it goes without saying that many of the names listed could easily be replaced by others equally worthy of selection – but I believe that the following 13 men would be a really  difficult team  to beat and would win a lot more games than they’d lose.

Full Back: 

Kris Radlinski. The late great Steve Prescott was an obvious alternative – but Kris just shaded it.

Wings: 

Tevita Vaikona – 40 tries in 32 games for Hull Sharks (as they were known back then) speaks for itself… and Martin Offiah (enough said!).

Centres:

A really tough choice here – Daryl Powell and Keith Senior came readily to mind but I’ve plumped for Richie Blackmore (scorer of the first ever Try in a Grand Final) and Paul Newlove – no wonder St Helens paid the money they did for him at the start of the Super League era.

Stand Off: 

Can be no one else other than Lee Briers – when I left Sky last year I named Lee as my favourite player of all time… pound for pound the best No 6 of his generation and I’m so sad my “Briers for Britain?? campaign fell on deaf ears! Other worthy candidates of course – Shaun Edwards and Garry Schofield.

Half Back: 

I’ve gone for Sean Long here - a real match winner on his day – Bobbie Goulding was outstanding in the inaugural Super League of 1996 and latterly I’ll never forget Luke Gale’s Drop Goal that took Castleford to Old Trafford in 2017. But it’s Longy for me and what Drop Goal options would my team have with Sean and Lee alongside each other? Stevo would love it!!

Props:

Apollo Perelini – I’ll never forget his Video Ref try for St Helens v London in 1996 and Adrian Morley – people thought he was a spent force when he returned to Super League from Australia – how wrong could they be?

Hooker:

Terry Newton – taken from us far too early – Terry O’Connor and Barrie McDermott both agree he was the best of the best – so apologies to the likes of Keiron Cunningham, James Lowes and that modern-day great Daryl Clark – Tez Newton gets the nod.

Second Row:

Paul Sculthorpe and Andy Farrell – do I really need to justify those two?

And finally, Loose Forward: 

Kevin Sinfield – King Kev of Headingley the leader, goal kicker and the brains behind my side – plus I would make him my Captain despite the claims of several others.

Eddie's Ultimate XIII in full:

Fullback: Kris Radlinski

Wingers: Tevita Vaikona & Martin Offiah

Centres: Richie Blackmore & Paul Newlove

Stand Off: Lee Briers

Half Back: Sean Long

Props: Apollo Perelini & Adrian Morley

Hooker: Terry Newton

Second Row: Paul Sculthorpe & Andy Farrell

Loose Forward: Kevin Sinfield

So there you have it – my Ultimate Dream Team… think you can beat them? Fill your boots!!!

Starting this weekend, we will be giving fans chance to select their own Ultimate Super League XIII which you can share with the world on social media - keep an eye out for updates