DICK Huddart, a Hall of Fame legend who won honours on both sides of the rugby league globe, has passed away in Australia at the age of 85.
Heart-felt messages sending condolences have poured in on social media since the news broke, understandable given Huddart's status as one of the true great Saints to have graced the Knowsley Road playing field.
A Lance Todd winner and champion in both hemispheres, Huddart was a giant in more than physical stature.
The tall Cumbrian second row forward headed south from Whitehaven in 1958 and would go on to play 209 times for Saints.
He was a club-record signing, having already been a Great Britain tourist, with Saints beating Wigan to powerful packman’s signature – but they got a fine return for that £7,250.
Size and speed, with a powerful hand off, Huddart was a devastating runner who could smash his way through the toughest of defensive lines.
He would win every honour in the game in his five-and-a-half-year spell at Knowsley Road, capping his first season with a try in the famous Championship Final win over Hunslet at a packed Odsal.
Arguably his career highlight for Saints would be in his only Wembley appearance – the 1961 triumph over Wigan. His charge set up a try for Alex Murphy, and he proved a constant threat all game to earn the Lance Todd Trophy.
He caught the eye Down Under, too, playing a key role in the 1962 Great Britain side that retained the Ashes.
After leaving St Helens in 1964, Huddart joined rugby league’s other Saints, winning the Grand Final with Sydney’s St George club.
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