9:00am Saturday 27th February 2010
By Peter Martini
NOT many fans will know this, but former Knight Paul Thorman returns to Huntington Stadium tomorrow having already done his old club a massive favour.
I’m not referring to the couple of wayward passes that were picked off for interception tries when Thorman’s London Skolars team were last at Huntington Stadium, with the Knights going on to win 64-0.
Rather the fact that he helped persuade his older brother, the former England captain Chris Thorman, to sign his two-year deal as player/assistant-coach with the Knights.
Paul, of course, was in Mick Cook’s revered class of 2005, who lifted the National League Two (Championship One). A half-back like his older brother, he also played in the following relegation year before moving south to the capital.
Their other brother, Neil, was also at York in 2005, though he was only young at the time and had only a bit-part role – before making great strides back at local club Gateshead Thunder, starring as they won the title in 2008. He now plays in France, although rumours remain he could return to York when the French season is over.
Chris, who led the Geordie clan into the world of rugby league, told The Press that a few chats with his younger siblings had played a part in his decision to step down from Super League and become a key man in the Knights’ latest crusade.
“I spoke to Paul more than Neil,” he said. “There’s been a fair bit of change since he was here but he had only good things to say about the club and his experience here.
“My brothers were well-liked by the people here as well and they probably did me a favour too, so thumbs up to them.”
Paul himself was probably an under-rated player during his time at Huntington Stadium, despite his helping the club to the title.
The trio of Paul, Chris Levy and Scott Rhodes were rotated at half-back, with the first two having to contend with the fact local boy Rhodes was the clear crowd favourite – and the fact they followed in the footsteps of Super League-bound Danny Brough.
Thorman did not possess the same pace or scoring ability of Rhodes nor the Australian experience of Levy, but his penchant for sticking to a game-plan and an ability to pick a pass and kick at the right times endeared him to the coaching staff.
This is reflected in his captaincy at New River Stadium, while his love for the game is shown in the development work he does to promote rugby league in the capital.
Of course, that ability to pick a pass wasn’t evident last August on a difficult day for Paul, but Chris knows his brother, and the skills he possesses, well.
“He’s doing a fantastic job at the Skolars,” he said. “They struggle at times but he’s really hard-working and dedicated, and I know he will love the challenge of playing against his older brother.”
Their chance to go head to head was of course frozen off last weekend, with the Northern Rail Cup group game between the sides postponed, but the Thorman brothers haven’t had long to finally meet up again, with tomorrow’s Co-operative Championship One opener now afoot.
It won’t be the first time they’ve faced each other, though.
“This will be the second time I’ve played against Paul,” said former Huddersfield Giants captain Chris.
“The other was when Huddersfield played Gateshead in the Challenge Cup, which was brilliant. I had both of them chasing after me, as Neil was playing as well.”
He added: “Playing against Paul is not really something I’ve thought about too much – it hasn’t happened very often – but it’s something I’m looking forward to.”
For the record, Paul, then 22, played 19 times for the Knights in their 2005 title-winning season, exactly the same as Levy and two more than Rhodes. He scored one try, 63 goals and one drop-goal – a vital late match-winning one-pointer against his former club Gateshead.
He then played 15 times in 2006, four less than Rhodes but two more than the much-heralded Phil Hasty, who had replaced Levy as a third half-back at the club. He scored one try and 33 goals in that relegation year.
Neil Thorman, then 20, a full-back cum half-back, played five times for the Knights in 2005, scoring one try, before being loaned back to Gateshead and making the move permanent at the end of the season.
BAR 13 at Huntington Stadium will be showing the World Club Challenge between Leeds and Melbourne (kick off 6.30pm) after tomorrow’s match against the Skolars. There might even be drinks offers as a bonus.
A FORMER cult hero at Huntington Stadium, Ryan MacDonald, is set to retire at the end of this season.
The fiery flame-haired prop, who played for York in 2007 before returning to Whitehaven in his native Cumbria, has recently been granted a three-month testimonial by the Rugby Football League for his services to the sport, having also had spells with Widnes, Dewsbury and Halifax.
There is no truth in the rumours that the no-nonsense front-rower, who turned 32 this week, is also to be granted a testimonial by the NHS for services to dentistry.
Another ex-York prop, Jamie Bovill, who was here in 2006, has re-signed for Championship One rivals Doncaster.
PROMOTED Keighley will begin the Championship season this weekend with a nine-point deduction for going into administration during the winter – meaning they are clear favourites to come straight back down.
It is further warning to the Rugby Football League that there isn’t much money in the game below Super League, but also that clubs should not spend above their means. Indeed, there is an argument the nine points should have been deducted from their tally last year so they didn’t get the benefits of overspending – in which case the Knights would have had a better chance in the play-offs.
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