Which player is the greatest signing your club has ever made?

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Which player do you think is the greatest signing your club has ever made in its entire history?

[Wolford6]

In my period of watching, Johnny Wolford.

30+ slow loose forward became a genius stand off before our very eyes.

[OMEGA]

Technically not a ‘signing’ but Neil Fox!

An actual signing would probably be Derek ‘Rocky’ Turner

Modern day but pre Superleague signing has to be Wally Lewis run close by Henry Paul

Super League signing David Solomona

[sam4731]

In the relatively short period of time that I've been following Saints, I'd have to say Lachlan Coote. He came in with the unenviable job of replacing Ben Barba. He took it completely in his stride and Saints fans were glad to see the back of Barba.

[johnh1]

Got to be David Watkins.

[M j M]

Older Leeds fans say Lewis Jones so I'd say him from the first 60 years of the sport's history and Jamie Peacock from the second 60. 

[doc]

Martin Offiah, Jonathan Davies for Widnes. 

[Cake Tiger]

For Cas, managing to get three Kiwi internationals in the squad at the same time was amazing. Tawera Nikau, Ritchie Blackmore and Tony Kemp in the same team - so exciting to watch. 

[Father Ted]

At Wigan, lately Bevan French. Historically Billy Boston, Jim Sullivan, Lance Todd, Charlie Seeling.

Could go on with Andy Farrell, Shaun Edwards and so on. 

[SUPERSTUD]

At Wakefield Wally Lewis.

[Futtocks]

19 minutes ago, Cake Tiger said:

For Cas, managing to get three Kiwi internationals in the squad at the same time was amazing. Tawera Nikau, Ritchie Blackmore and Tony Kemp in the same team - so exciting to watch. 

In a slightly more recent era, Adrian Vowles has to be a contender for Cas.

Edited June 3, 2025 by Futtocks

[The 4 of Us]

Jim Sullivan and by the club who bagged Billy 

Edited June 3, 2025 by The 4 of Us

[Wollo Wollo Wayoo]

Difficult to name the "greatest ever signing" but during my period as a fan I would have to choose Derek Turner.  More influential to the team than Neil Fox imho.

Some real youngsters giving their opinion on here. 

Edited June 3, 2025 by Wollo Wollo Wayoo

[Phil]

Chris Anderson at Halifax, transformed us from a club split between an Aussie and an English faction into a team who won a championship and a challenge cup and were challenge cup runners up in successive seasons 

[corvusxiii]

1 hour ago, Cake Tiger said:

For Cas, managing to get three Kiwi internationals in the squad at the same time was amazing. Tawera Nikau, Ritchie Blackmore and Tony Kemp in the same team - so exciting to watch. 

Yes but I had such a lot of time for Lee Crooks.

Some fun there!

[Jonty58]

Brett Kenny

[ELBOWSEYE]

At Warrington it has to be the great Brian Bevan, but in my time are some legends, Andrew John's for impact ( very short term) Les Boyd and Adrian Morley, local Lee Briers.

[Ainley Top]

It's got to be Chris Anderson, although technically he came as player coach. Player only, maybe Colin Dixon who became coach for a short period before he was replaced by the aforesaid Anderson. 

[fieldofclothofgold]

10 hours ago, M j M said:

Older Leeds fans say Lewis Jones so I'd say him from the first 60 years of the sport's history and Jamie Peacock from the second 

I kind of agree with that assessment.  I think the title of this thread should be signings from different periods of club history .I.E pre war Wigan Jim Sullivan , 50s Billy Boston ? 

[M j M]

38 minutes ago, fieldofclothofgold said:

I kind of agree with that assessment.  I think the title of this thread should be signings from different periods of club history .I.E pre war Wigan Jim Sullivan , 50s Billy Boston ? 

I'm also interpreting this as signings from other clubs. Otherwise for Leeds you could say that day Doug Laughton popped round to Mr and Mrs Sinfield's house in Oldham in the early '90s is the winner.

[phiggins]

With signings like Alex Murphy being before my time, I would have to say that for Leigh, Adrian Lam has been the best signing we've made. First coach we've had that was able to separate the playing squad culture from the chaos of the owner.

If I had to pick a player, I'd say Asiata.

[The Phantom Horseman]

From a Fev point of view, the vast majority of players in the club's hall of fame were home-grown lads who started their career with us, including the entire pack that was the dominant aspect of the 1977 Championship-winning team (Thompson, Bridges, Farrar, Stone, Smith, Bell).

However, the two external signings that spring to mind during my lifetime supporting the club are Brendon Tuuta and Steve Quinn. Tuuta is still, and always will be, a cult hero at Featherstone, and Quinn was the only none-local player in the 1983 Challenge Cup final team.

[Harry Stottle]

3 hours ago, ELBOWSEYE said:

At Warrington it has to be the great Brian Bevan, but in my time are some legends, Andrew John's for impact ( very short term) Les Boyd and Adrian Morley, local Lee Briers.

No Woody or Desi? just that Wire fans I have spoken to of a certain age really rate them as two of the best that have graced Wildespool.

[JonM]

11 hours ago, doc said:

Martin Offiah, Jonathan Davies for Widnes. 

I could make the argument that it was bringing Doug Laughton back home to Widnes in the first place that was the great signing?

In his first five years as a player, we won the league for the first time ever, many appearances at Wembley plus multiple wins in the John Player Trophy, Lancashire Cup, Premiership, BBC2 Floodlit trophy, last club team to beat the Kangaroos etc. and he continued that sort of record as player-coach and then coach. He won the Man of Steel and was GB captain on the 1979 tour Down Under while also being Widnes Player-Coach. 

Perhaps that then led to his later long spells as Widnes coach and signing Offiah etc. and the back to back league titles, premiership finals, winning the World Club Challenge etc?

[Harry Stottle]

What a difficult question to answer, different players have been favourites at different times - even era's - in the many years that I have been attending at my club, just to many to mention without searching the memory banks over the time scales.