History - The Team of All Talents

Article from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner - December 11 2000.

If the newly-established Huddersfield Rugby League Club expected instant success following the formation of the Northern Union they were to be disappointed. As a Rugby Union club they were a powerful force in the county and in 1890 were the winners of the Yorkshire Cup (th'owd tin pot).

But competition proved much fiercer in the Northern Union and in fact in 1904 were relegated to the Second Division. However, by the end of the decade their fortunes changed and Huddersfield's recruitment policy began to reap its reward. In 1906, Huddersfield official Joe Clifford, who had represented the club at the historic George Hotel meeting, persuaded a young player from Underbank Rangers to sign for Fartown. Although only 15 years old, Harold Wagstaff showed tremendous potential, despite being rejected by Halifax. The career of the legendary Wagstaff, who was to be christened the "Prince of Centres" and earn a place in Rugby League's Hall of Fame, had begun.

During the 19 years he was at Huddersfield, Wagstaff made around 500 appearances and scored 200 tries and was captain of the Great Britain side that won the historic Rorke's Drift Test in 1914. Wagstaff, however, was just the first of Clifford's shrewd acquisitions.

In 1908, the Australian tourists arrived on British shores for the first time and they were soon impressing their hosts. One of the players to make an immediate impact was stand-off Albert Rosenfeld, scoring five tries in 15 appearances. A year later Clifford had snapped up Cumberland half-back Douglas Clark, who many felt would not be strong enough to compete in the demanding Northern Union.

These three players were the backbone of the Huddersfield side that collected their first piece of silverware as a Rugby League club on November 27, 1909. The venue was Headingley, the opposition was Batley and the competition was the Yorkshire Cup. Huddersfield's stunning 21-0 Yorkshire Cup final victory over Batley announced the arrival on the Northern Union stage of one of the most featured sides in the history of the game.

Besides the likes of Douglas Clark, Albert Rosenfeld and Harold Wagstaff, Huddersfield boasted such top-class players as Welsh international Ben Gronow, New Zealander Edgar Wrigley, Australian star Tommy Gleeson and local lad Stanley Moorhouse. It was not long before they were part of a side christened the "Team of All Talents".

In 1907-08 Hunslet had won all four major trophies, a feat no-one at the time could imagine happening again. But just seven years later, Huddersfield not only equalled that incredible record, but were hailed as a far greater side.

Following the 1909 Yorkshire Cup success, the "Team of All Talents" went on to dominate the game. In 1911-12 they won the League Championship, Yorkshire Cup and Yorkshire League, but were beaten by Oldham in the third round of the Challenge Cup.

A year later they collected the League Championship and County League and clinched the Challenge Cup with a 9-5 victory over Warrington at Headingley - Moorhouse grabbing the winning try and becoming the second player to score a hat trick in a Challenge Cup final.

The following season the Yorkshire Cup and Yorkshire League trophy were once again at Huddersfield and they were only denied the League Championship with a narrow 5-3 defeat at the hands of Salford. And to cap that campaign, Rosenfeld finished with an amazing 80 tries for the season, a record that will surely never be equalled.