A QUICK glance at rugby league’s Hall of Fame includes the names of greatest number 13s ever to play the game  – every one worthy of that too oft used description legends.

The list included classic loose forwards like Vince Karalius, Johnny Whiteley, Rocky Turner and Mal Reilly and then latterly a different model in Ellery Hanley were all men who combined physical toughness, competitiveness with guile and a bagful of skill.

(Image: John Clifton/SWpix.com)

That formidable list of iconic British 13s was added to recently with the induction of former Saints skipper Paul Sculthorpe – a player who achieved big things both domestically and in the international arena.

Of so many career highlights, playing in three Grand Final winning sides and the same number of Challenge Cup wins, it is the two wins over NRL premiers Brisbane Broncos that will stick out from his 261 appearances in the red vee between 1998 and 2008.

(Image: Ben Duffy/SWPIX)

Not given a hope in 2001, following the 44-6 hiding at the hands of Australian champions Melbourne the year before, Saints stunned the Broncos at a hail-lashed Bolton stadium with Sculthorpe grabbing a try and drop goal in the 20-18 victory to be crowned World champions for the first time.

However, it was Sculthorpe’s part in the second meeting in 2007 that was even more memorable – coming off the bench after a series of injuries to grab a crucial try and three goals in the 18-14 triumph.

It was a Roy of the Rovers type script – and a game Sculthorpe recalls fondly.

(Image: BEN DUFFY/SWpix)

He said: “The two World Club Challenge games at the Reebok Stadium stood out, obviously, for different reasons and we beat two top Brisbane sides as well which was a big shot in the arm for Super League.

 “The second one in 2007 was special with me coming back from injury and a tough period at the time.”

(Image: SWpix.com)

There was something special about playing against the Australians that brought the best out of Sculthorpe – and he was on the victorious side against the Green and Golds in test matches and Tri Nations games he, alas, joined that long list of players since 1970 never to win an Ashes series.

He was, however, pleased that discussions are now well on for the Ashes to come back on the agenda after a break of 21 years – an even he calls “the pinnacle of the game”.

Sculthorpe played 26 times for Great Britain and four times for England, having forced his way into the international reckoning as a teenager with Warrington, touring Oceania in 1996.

He scored twice in the opening test victory against the Roos at Huddersfield in 2001, but then the series went away from them.

(Image: Bernard Platt) And in 2003, Great Britain had their strongest chance for an age – but then lost all three tests by a margins of three, four and six points with the first test hindered by the red card handed to Adrian Morley after 11 seconds.

“I've been on winning side against the Aussies on numerous times but never won a series,” he said.

“The 2003 Ashes still grates on me. That is a series that we should have won convincingly – and we didn’t.

“It was disappointing never to get an Ashes series, but unfortunately there is a long line of players who have done that since 1970.”

Sculthorpe joined from Warrington for a record £375,000 fee in January 1998 and went to play 261 times for Saints scoring 113 tries and 1,246 points.

However, his last three seasons were plagued by injuries – meaning he eventually prematurely called time on his career with his last game at Wembley in 2008 where he dislocated his shoulder two minutes into the game.

“I couldn't have worked any harder,” he said.

“Whether your body is designed for so many games or whatever because I never ever felt as fit as I did at the back of my career.

“I was training, possibly overtraining, and possibly trying too hard to get to get right. Daniel Anderson used to say all the time, ‘Calm it down a bit - you're training too hard. You're too fit’.

“But then again I broke into the Warrington team at 16/17 – had pretty much 10 years injury free, played back-to-back internationals pretty much every single year from 1996 so it was going to take its toll.

“Even though I was still on the 31/ 32 unfortunately, it was just it was just one of those things.

“I've absolutely no regrets. I got out healthy and had other stuff to do. I've been busier than ever since and still got a hand in the game at different levels, so it was a perfect exit for me.”