Parry Gordon

You also have to consider Andy Gregory. Not with us long before ( like many others ) he was tempted by the Wigan shilling, but a very fine player.

Andy Gregory, Jackie Edwards, Alex Murphy, John Woods, Bobby Greenough, Parry Gordon.

Well I stand by my opinion.



Edwards played various positions including fullback and Sculthorpe, Farrell and Sinfield are loose forwards.



Long had the benefit of playing in a dominant team, Briers only got that late in his career.



For mine, I have never seen anyone play the halfback role with so much ability. In his generation.

And how many Challenge Cups did Kelly, Gordon, Gregory, Murphy and co win at Warrington?



Briers can put his three medals on the table and say raise me that fellas.



Of course Briers did have the advantage of having an all star team around him with great strike players like Atkins, Riley and Myler that made us a threat from anywhere on the field.

That Ricky Bibey must have been some player.

John Woods was the best half-back I've seen in a Wires jersey, and since my inaugural season of 1977 I've see a few - he only played for us for two seasons and we won nowt with him in the team but that doesn't change the fact the guy was complete, unsullied, unassuming class.



But Briers is probably in the top four I've seen, probably alongside Andy Greg (boo, hiss), Keith Holden and Ken Kelly. Briers has made some very average Wires players look good, and some very good opposition players look like idiots.



What all of these had in common, and reinforcing the Briers/coaching debate, is you can bet they didn't spend hours on the training ground perfecting their technique. They didn't have to - God had already done it for them.

You remember the player that everyone reckoned was the best bet for GB halfback and David Waite / Brian Noble were mad to leave him out? That was the Briers pre-Smith.

Nope. The Stockton Heath Briers.

Kelly Shelford was one of the best stand off's ever but he was just missing about 3 yards of pace. He was able to think quicker than anyone, just his body wouldnt cope.

He would play with a hangover.

I don't think he allowed his body to cope!