chissitt wrote:
Back in the day many Cas fans would argue that Derek Edwards was the best stand off at the club, but because he was equally as good at full back it suited the club to play them in those respective positions.
I worked with Frankie Fox who was the blind side prop at KR at the time and fwiw he said the club paid Cas £6,000 for him which was reported in the papers at the time.
The first part is incorrect chissit, the 6k part is about right. Derek Edwards was signed from junior football as a stand off half, but was quickly converted to full back where he became top class, an international and member of the last squad to win the Ashes. The great stand off you are talking about was Alan Hardisty who was already established as the no 1 at the club. At no time was DE ever a recognised stand off as such and he only ever played there when Hardisty and latterly Millward were injured. Both Hardisty and Millward were also both members of that last Ashes winning squad that went down under.
Roger was sold for about 6k which was a huge sum in those days, (many though still contend he was obtained on the cheap) just a month short of his nineteenth birthday. He was already a full international and regarded as one of the greatest prospects in the game. He duly became one of the greatest ever players in RL history and a supreme talent, and was equally as good in any of the half back positions. Even now almost 50 years after the event, I can assure you it is still a source of great annoyance from those fans in Castleford old enough to remember, such as myself, that they let this lad go, particularly as at the time it broke his heart as all he ever wanted to do was play for his own town club. The clubs excuse for it was because they already had two world class half backs in Hardisty and Keith Hepworth, but there were and has always been strong claims that one major director had shall we say ''his palms crossed'' for concluding the deal.
It still remains and will do forever our greatest ever loss. However he found a new home at HKR, where he quite rightly was an absolute hero and legend.
RIP supremely talented Roger, you will be sorely missed.
