Goal-kicking legends inducted to Warrington Past Players’ Hall of Fame

Pictures Eddie Whitham

WARRINGTON Wolves’ goal-kicking legends Steve Hesford and Lee Briers have been inducted into the Past Players’ Hall of Fame.

The inductions were made at the Past Players’ annual dinner at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, when guest speaker was former club captain Paul Sculthorpe.

Hesford, who played full-back and centre for Warrington from 1975-85, still holds the club record for most goals scored (1,112).

He was also the club record point scorer before he was passed by Lee Briers in 2011.

Briers, who is now an assistant coach at the club, joined Warrington Wolves in April 1997 for a fee of £65,000 from St Helens.

In the 2011 season his 14th at the club, Lee broke a number of records including top all-time points scorer, having overtaken club greats Brian Bevan, and Steve Hesford. He broke the record during a Challenge Cup home 112–0 demolition of Swinton.

This match also saw Briers break his own club record for points in a match (set 11 years earlier against York), with 44 points, from 16 goals and three tries.

In 2013, during the second match of the season against Wigan Warriors, Lee suffered a neck injury which saw him miss 13 games. He returned for a Tetley’s Challenge Cup fifth round tie against Salford City Reds in which he made not only a try scoring return but also kicked his 1,000th career goal.

In November 2013, although he had a year remaining on his contract, he announced his retirement due to a neck injury.

He played 425 games for Warrington, scoring a club record 2,586 points.

The inductions were presented by a fellow prolific goal kicking legend, Derek Whitehead, already a member of the Hall of Fame.

Whitehead joined Warrington from Oldham in 1969–79, making 274 appearances, scoring 18 tires, kicking 713 conversions and 21 drops goals for a points tally of 1519.

Playing fullback, he scored seven conversions, and was man of the match winning the Lance Todd Trophy in Warrington’s 24-9 victory over Featherstone Rovers in the 1974 Challenge Cup Final.