When Peter Fox brought Rovers out of the old second
division in 1988, he recognised we needed a few reinforcements to survive in
the top flight. Nowadays, this involves ramming your squad full of the maximum
quota of overseas imports. Back then, it was possible to cast a discerning eye
over the lower division and pick up some talented players capable of taking the
step up. Rovers had previously successfully done this with the likes of Karl
Harrison (Bramley) and Graham Steadman (York), two players signed from the
second division who went on to enjoy international careers.
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| Terry Manning |
Hoping to
emulate this transfer market success, Rovers went on a little shopping
expedition to Lawkholme Lane as it was then called and came back with Terry
Manning. Terry had started his rugby career at Elland, turning professional in
1987. He played 61 games for Keighley, scoring 29 tries and had the kind of
bustling style that Fox saw as the perfect foil to Paul Newlove in our centres.
He signed for Featherstone in October 1989 and cost £40,000. Difficult to
tackle, with good upper body strength, Terry’s style was not classical but very
effective. He formed an integral part of a three-quarter line of Butt-Manning-Newlove-Simpson
that was as good as any that the club has put together.
So happy were we with Manning that in a couple of
months we were back at Keighley and acquired second-rower Gary Rose. To be
honest, none of the typical cliché descriptions of rugby league forwards,
“rugged”, “pugnacious”, “tough”, would be quite enough to explain Gary Rose’s
impact on a rugby league field. He had been at Keighley for two years, signing
from Yew Tree ARLC, and had played 46 games for Keighley. He slotted straight
into the Rovers team, and just as quickly into the hearts of Rovers fans. Once
his eccentric ball-carrying style had been corrected, he turned into a strong
runner and very willing defender, making sure Rovers pack was never intimidated
out of any encounter.
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| Owen Simpson |
Within the year, Rovers snaffled up Owen Simpson, the
archetypal flying wingman who had been a professional at Keighley just over a
year, scoring 32 tries in 38 games. A try on his debut against Castleford gave
us an immediate taste of things to come. His lethal combination with Paul
Newlove down the left flank was so prolific that the try scoring records soon
tumbled.
These three players had cost a total of £110,000,
and what tremendous value for money they gave to Featherstone. Terry Manning’s
career spanned five highly consistent seasons, chalking up 159 appearances, and
managing 46 tries. After Rovers, he served both Doncaster and Hull. Gary Rose
was with Rovers four years, and with his swashbuckling style he played 106
games and notched 5 tries. Improbably enough he then signed for Leeds, his
uncompromising style never seemed cut out for the game’s snobbiest club.
However, he won his spurs at Headingley, and later played for Hull. Owen
Simpson graced the Featherstone wing over seven seasons though serious injury
curtailed the latter part of his career. In 158 games, he scored 98 tries,
finishing just short of that magical ton.
