Do you have a hero? And if so, who?

[THE_Liam]

Got me thinking recently. I'm a big rugby league fan, and one of my favourite players is leaving the sport at the end of the season to play rugby union. I was talking about it with a mate in the pub and he said that the guy was his hero, the one person he looked up to more than anyone else, and the person he wanted to grow up to be as a kid. I've never really consciously had heroes, more people I admired, but we got talking about it and I named one...

So, do you have one? Doesn't have to be sporting, it can be anyone?

For me? Ellery Hanley, the former rugby league player. Played for Bradford, Wigan, Balmain, Wests, and then Leeds, which is where I remember him from, still remember my dad reading an article in the Yorkshire Evening Post to me and explaining that we'd signed in his opinion the best player ever to play the game, an opinion I now share. Watched him play for Leeds for 4 years until he went out to Oz to finish his career, the guy had super powers. And he's a Leeds born lad as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellery_Hanley

I remember being at this game, he was long past his prime by this point but still just about the best player in the league...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgAIst7zj9k

Now you go.

[Matt-Rallye]

In all honesty i can probably only name Jean Ragnotti. Just watch the video and you'll see why.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdhGmL5uD_k

[Mattcheese31]

You are my hero Liam x

[THE_Liam]

In all honesty i can probably only name Jean Ragnotti. Just watch the video and you'll see why.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdhGmL5uD_k

Yes! An absolute legend, I was between Ellery Hanley and Colin McRae to be honest.

You are my hero Liam [emoji14] x

Aww thanks babeh [emoji8] x

[chylledapps]

Got me thinking recently. I'm a big rugby league fan, and one of my favourite players is leaving the sport at the end of the season to play rugby union. I was talking about it with a mate in the pub and he said that the guy was his hero, the one person he looked up to more than anyone else, and the person he wanted to grow up to be as a kid. I've never really consciously had heroes, more people I admired, but we got talking about it and I named one...

So, do you have one? Doesn't have to be sporting, it can be anyone?

For me? Ellery Hanley, the former rugby league player. Played for Bradford, Wigan, Balmain, Wests, and then Leeds, which is where I remember him from, still remember my dad reading an article in the Yorkshire Evening Post to me and explaining that we'd signed in his opinion the best player ever to play the game, an opinion I now share. Watched him play for Leeds for 4 years until he went out to Oz to finish his career, the guy had super powers. And he's a Leeds born lad as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellery_Hanley

I remember being at this game, he was long past his prime by this point but still just about the best player in the league...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgAIst7zj9k

Now you go.

Now there's a name that takes me back, but around the same was my hero of the time in Mal Meninga closely followed by Andy Platt who both played for Saints.

However for an all time hero it has to be Steve Bull the saviour of Wolves

[1616six]

David Jason.

I'll cry the day he passes.

[THE_Liam]

Got me thinking recently. I'm a big rugby league fan, and one of my favourite players is leaving the sport at the end of the season to play rugby union. I was talking about it with a mate in the pub and he said that the guy was his hero, the one person he looked up to more than anyone else, and the person he wanted to grow up to be as a kid. I've never really consciously had heroes, more people I admired, but we got talking about it and I named one...

So, do you have one? Doesn't have to be sporting, it can be anyone?

For me? Ellery Hanley, the former rugby league player. Played for Bradford, Wigan, Balmain, Wests, and then Leeds, which is where I remember him from, still remember my dad reading an article in the Yorkshire Evening Post to me and explaining that we'd signed in his opinion the best player ever to play the game, an opinion I now share. Watched him play for Leeds for 4 years until he went out to Oz to finish his career, the guy had super powers. And he's a Leeds born lad as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellery_Hanley

I remember being at this game, he was long past his prime by this point but still just about the best player in the league...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgAIst7zj9k

Now you go.

Now there's a name that takes me back, but around the same was my hero of the time in Mal Meninga closely followed by Andy Platt who both played for Saints.

However for an all time hero it has to be Steve Bull the saviour of Wolves

Did Andy Platt play for Saints as well? I remember him at Wigan, big scary bastard. Him, Kelvin Skerrett and Terry O'Connor, and Barrie McDermott before we bought him. Scary lads!

[chylledapps]

He did, number 11 if I remember correctly from my shirt when I was 10

[Atterz]

This man is indeed mine :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Mayne

[THE_Liam]

This man is indeed mine :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Mayne

I love "snuck off from a formal dinner to go antelope hunting" [emoji38]

[toseland]

Senna.... nuff said.

[Iceman299]

Kai Greene

[Kezzieboy]

I don't think I really have a hero, I don't really understand how people can be so passionate about sport as to call a sportsman a hero, really. They just kick/throw/hit a ball, what's so heroic about that?

Also in two minds about military heroes, I consider myself a pacifist, but also see the Second World Was as a uniquely righteous war, so those who fought in the second world war could be considered heroic, although generally they wouldn't identify as heroes themselves.

I guess if I were to have heroes they would be social or political figures, your Ghandis and Mandelas and MLKs, but I'm not sure I would truly consider any my hero.

[Niall]

I don't think I really have a hero, I don't really understand how people can be so passionate about sport as to call a sportsman a hero, really. They just kick/throw/hit a ball, what's so heroic about that?

I think it stems from childhood. You find a sport you're interested in and you will always find one player who stands out at you. As a child you do the whole "i want to be like him when i grow up" thing and you end up quite passionate about that person and that sport.

[Pete]

Batman.


No seriously no one springs to mind TBH

[Dave]

To me a hero is someone who rescues you for a burning building in my eyes, I've never been a big sports fan.

The person I admire for the same reasons you all talk about is probably Kevin Spacey, David Beckham I find quite honourable, not because of his skill, but because of his ability to stay on the straight and narrow, you can tell he's a good person, same with Leonardo DiCaprio. I guess I'm just giving them credit for not ending up like Makaulay Culkin.

[Toms306]

I've never had one, people are just people tbh.

[toseland]

because being a hero is more about what you do for others... hence mt reinforcement for Ayrton Senna..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOGiguIUyZ4

[Matt-Rallye]

This man is indeed mine :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Mayne

Just read that entire bio! holy feck he must of been feared and respected in nearly equal measure!

[Atterz]

7

With regards to being a pacifist, that would be great and no conflict would be the best outcome, but as long as there is people in the world there will be hate and wars.
Plus it pays the bills.

And yes Matt, a hero to me is someone who i look to and hope that i can be half the person that they are. Respect and Fear is too things very hard to obtain.

Another reason is he was quite accustomed to punching Officers, and i will be honest we all want to do that from time to time.

[Kezzieboy]

My issue isn't with it paying the bills for people like you or my brother, it's that it pays the bills of entire nations. War is good business, and as such is actively encouraged when we should be doing everything in our power to prevent war, not selling guns to any warmongering bastard who wants them.

[Atterz]

That is fair enough mate and i agree.

[THE_Liam]

I don't think I really have a hero, I don't really understand how people can be so passionate about sport as to call a sportsman a hero, really. They just kick/throw/hit a ball, what's so heroic about that?

There's a few points to make here. First of all, being a sports fan is the same as being a petrol head, you either get it, or you don't. You grow up playing a sport and you watch the local club play and you develop an attachment to them. It becomes a part of pride in where you live, because rugby league unlike most sports is still representative of its local area, in the sense that of our starting 13, 7 were born in Leeds and 9 were born in Yorkshire, as opposed to top football teams where there's rarely even 3 lads from Britain. Everyone round here knows someone who knows a Leeds player, I went to school with Danny McGuire's brother, and was coached by Jamie Peacock (MBE) and Jamie Jones-Buchanan. They're our own.

Round this end of Leeds you don't even hear about Leeds United. Every other car has a Rhinos sticker in it, and 4 gardens on my street have a Leeds Rhinos flag in them, including mine. There's a buzz in the air whenever Leeds are at home, everyone talks about it and plans their Friday around it, and as for when they win something, after winning the Challenge Cup at Wembley last year people were pissed for days!

It helps that half the teams in the league are local, so everyone works with a Wakefield fan, a Castleford fan, a Bradford fan, a Huddersfield fan, and banters about it at work.

Then one guy comes along who's a bit special. Leeds have had loads, not just Hanley but Schofield, Holmes, Jones, Shoebottom, and now Sinfield. They stand out in every game, set a great example for the kids, work their arses off and lead the club to trophies, for normal money. Not 150k a week, 60k a year like normal people, albeit well paid normal people.

They hold the hopes of a community on their shoulders, and make us proud of them and ourselves.

I hope that explains a small part of it, its hard to explain and probably doesn't make sense.

If TL : DR - LEEDS LEEDS LEEDS!!!

[Hdi and proud of it]

I will have to go for Ayrton Senna too, always had a great respect for this guy.

Watch him drift his kart in slow mo in his early days. so cool..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hM1EvHQapQ