My Ultimate Team: Sean Long’s incredible best 17 including St Helens and Wigan Warriors legends

Great Britain legend Sean Long, widely regarded as one of the best scrum-halves ever to play the sport, is our latest guest on My Ultimate Team, exclusive to Love Rugby League. 

Long is currently head coach of Championship side Oldham, after a glittering playing career for St Helens, Hull FC and Great Britain.

He started off at hometown club Wigan before moving to Widnes, but it was at Saints where he found a home in 1997, winning four Grand Finals, five Challenge Cups and a record three Lance Todd trophies as man of the match in a Challenge Cup final.

Long was named Man of Steel in 2000, and as a coach he has had spells with Featherstone, Leeds Rhinos, Salford, Samoa and France along the way to taking over at the Roughyeds whom he guided to the League 1 title this year in his first season in charge.

Here Long selects this 17 of the best players he has lined up alongside during his playing career. And it might take some beating!

1. Paul Wellens (St Helens)

One of the greatest ever full-backs, we always felt safer throwing the ball around at Saints when we knew Wello was there.

2. Jason Robinson (Wigan Warriors)

Jason was flying at Wigan when I was trying to get into that team. Another true great of the sport.

3. Matt Gidley (St Helens)

He had a brilliant four seasons at Saints when Jamie Lyon left. We were blessed with some brilliant centres.

4. Jamie Lyon (St Helens)

One of the best outside backs I have seen with ball in hand, his offload was so tough to read it created tries for us every game.

5. Martin Offiah (Wigan Warriors)

What a pleasure to have the chance to play with Offiah just as he was finishing at Wigan and I was starting. A winger who always went looking for work, and he was pretty quick too …

6. Tommy Martyn (St Helens)

Tommy could play most positions in this team but I’ve put him here as he was so good on the ball and always seemed to have so much time.

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7. Shaun Edwards (Wigan Warriors)

So much you could say about Shaun but you forget what a great finisher he was too. A master poacher.

8. Jamie Peacock (Great Britain)

Any Great Britain or England team that had JP in the pack left you feeling you could beat anybody in any game. A true competitor.

9. Keiron Cunningham (St Helens)

Tough, fast, strong and an absolute beast in defence.

10. Adrian Morley (Great Britain)

Like JP, Moz was a forward you were very, very glad to have on your side. One of the best.

11. Chris Joynt (St Helens)

A brilliant player, strong runner, great eye for a line and off the field just a proper good bloke too.

12. Craig Fitzgibbon (Hull FC)

I played with Fitz at Hull FC and he was an incredible player to have in the back row. His playing CV in Australia is so impressive.

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13. Paul Sculthorpe (St Helens)

Another true great of the game and like a lot of this team, an absolutely top class bloke.

Substitutes

14. James Roby (St Helens)

Any of this bench would have got in the team and I don’t really need to tell you about the career Roby has had.

15. Leon Pryce (St Helens)

Great to be around and a box of tricks on the pitch too. It was always a pleasure lining up alongside Leon.

16. James Graham (St Helens)

What a competitor, one of best British exports to the NRL and a guy who sweated blood for every team he played for.

17. Lee Gilmour (St Helens)

One of Saints’ unsung heroes, Gilly was a big reason for all the success that we had.

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