Teammate Jimmy Measures' tribute: 'Dick Huddart was born to be great'

Huddart, a legend on both sides of the rugby league world, was 85.

Measures, a colleague in Huddart's Saints days, was glowing in his praise of his mentor.

He said: "He was an inspiration to me as a second rower. I wanted to play like him, for sure.

"I remember when I was training with the A team. The first team and A team trained separately in those days [they got the first use of the bath!] and he came over to me one night and asked how I was doing. To a younger lad like me…18/19 years old, this gave me such a lift.

"In the end I considered him to be a bit of a mentor to me at an early stage in my rugby league career.

"He was a nice bloke, affable and helpful. He could be absolutely unstoppable on his day, at club or international level, a big lad 15 stones plus…terrifically strong and with a deadly handoff. He had pace and a sort of stooped running style.

"Funnily enough, every time I see young Jack Welsby, he has the same style and reminds me of Dick in some ways when he runs!

"Thing is…he wasn’t selfish. Dick wasn’t just a ball runner. When he broke through and he saw a supporting player in space he would give them the ball.

"I have never come across a more complete player in the back row. Lots of people thought the same…like Vinty Karalius.

"You had to play alongside him just to realise just how good he was. He was inspiring.

"I think I played against him just the once…for Lancashire when I was a Widnes player.

"Cumberland won 13-8 and I think he scored the winning try that day. Anyway…he gave me this absolutely brilliant hand-off and left me flat on my back. To my great delight I managed to do the same to him afterwards and he just laughed.

"He was a proper Cumbrian lad who lived life to the full. I’ve never heard anyone in the game who had a bad word for him.

"I suppose you could say he was born to be great!"