In the absence of any news coming out of the BPA these past few days, I thought it would be interesting to continue on from yesterday’s post, only this time looking at Coventry’s all time scorers in a range of different categories. Once again, there will be a few surprises along the way and a few names of players, previously confined to some dark recesses of the memory, might suddenly spring to the fore.

Please do share any of your own recollections – sometimes the past remains forgotten even though it still has the capacity to generate discussions and provide enjoyment in the present.

I hope this post will add a small measure of both to those who care to read it…

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Let’s begin with all time points scorers

So, which player has scored more points for the club since 2010, when Coventry first began playing In National 1?

It can only be Cliffie Hodgson.

With a massive 1012 points in total (again, according to Statbunker), he so far out in the lead in this category that it’s unlikely he’ll  be caught any time soon.

As this is his 4th season with Coventry, I hope before another 4 have elapsed, we will have been promoted before anyone else has the chance to even approach his tally, let alone overtake it. 1500 points could well be a possibility provided he stays fit.

It looks very much  like Cliffie will be returning to Coventry next season given he is one of the players in ‘final discussions’ with the club. If so, provided he’s fit, then his scoring record almost demands that he plays – how can you leave a player out of the team with this level of consistency?

And without wishing to be controversial,  it might well be that he isn’t actually the most skilful or talented player available for selection at either full back or fly half in terms of the complete package of skills  required for each position. Take this season, for example. – Matt Jones and Gaston Mieres are both players who have represented their countries (in Matt’s case a cameo appearance against Canada, but nevertheless a Welsh international), both, arguably, more naturally gifted than Cliffie, but neither having quite the potential to influence a game in the same way Cliffie can. Cliffie has played at Championship level for Rotherham and with some success, but this is still a standard well below that which Matt and Gaston have played, yet for me he remains the no 1 choice. That wasn’t the case at the start of the season, but having seen the team struggle when he’s not there, I’ve since changed my opinion.

I don’t think Cliffie is anywhere near as effective out on the wing or at centre, so to play him would mean sacrificing one of your other experienced and influential players (certainly at National 1).

To me, it’s a no brainer…Cliffie has to play (but only if completely fit). He’ll win you more games in a season than any other player.

It might be that RW decides to bring in players who might not have quite the experience of Jones and Mieres and that Hodgson would be no 1 choice anyway. If he does return, which I hope he does and if he fully recovers from his shoulder problems, then he plays although that may not be quite the way everyone sees it.

I am surprised that once you get below Matt Jones, there isn’t anyone above 140 points, given we’ve been in this league for six seasons now. I suppose part of the problems is that players move  on with increasing frequency these days and only Matt has been with us for the full distance. Players like Ollie Brennand of Fylde, a persistent thorn in our side whenever we play them, has been with the North West side for 12 years and has amassed 113 tries in total, scoring 565 points in the process. A loyal servant to his club…

Tommy Harris was always a great player to watch and reminded me a little of Stuart Hall, both wingers short in stature but huge in heart. Had Tommy not succumbed to injury, I’m sure he would have added a fair few tries to his tally. Of course, before National 1 we had our own Ollie Brennand in the guise of Kurt Johnson, but in some respects these days Cov is a stepping stone for good young players looking to move up the tiers, or experienced and seasoned ones looking for one last hurrah. It’s all a bit too transitory for my liking…

Hopefully,  even by the end of the Darlington game we could see Rob Knox make third place his own….

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So if Cliffie tops the all-time list of points scorers, who tops the list of try scorers?

And here is a surprise for me….it’s Cliffie Hodgson. AGAIN.

Okay, it’s 29 tries over 4 seasons as opposed to Dan Rundle’s 16 over one, but it’s still a pretty good return given he’s missed the best part of a season with injuries over the last 14 months or so. The fact that he is the leading try scorer, and there are some very decent names below him, only adds weight to the argument that he should be playing when fit. He’s a good finisher and whilst not the quickest, he’s quick enough at fly half.

His spell at the top of the tree is going to be fairly short-lived though, with Rob Knox already snapping at his heels just one score behind. Had Rob remained free from injury this season, I honestly believe two things would be different.

First, even with everything else that has gone on, I don’t think we would be in 10th position – perhaps not in the top 3, but higher than we are now. Defensively we wouldn’t have given away tries at crucial times and there would have been close games where we might have benefitted from Rob’s pace and vision to create a try that would have made all the difference.

Secondly, I don’t think Rob would be with us next season. He’d have created a great deal of interest in the Championship (at least) and the temptation to follow Will Hurrell’s footsteps might just have been too great, especially in view of how successful Will has been. I know he loves the club but I am mindful of Scott Morgan’s effusive comments back in August at the Members’ Forum when he said that Rob Knox  has ‘got it at any level’.  Whilst disappointed that Rob has had such a mare this season injury wise, as a supporter I delighted he’s back with us again.

Matt Price is up to 8th place in Cov’s all-time National 1 list, with every likelihood of moving into 3rd by the end of next season. Great stuff.

And that man Brett Daynes is there again…

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A couple of categories here that might be of interest – the oldest and youngest points scorers for Cov over the last 6 seasons.

Top of the golden oldies list is, unsurprisingly, Scott Morgan at 36, closely followed by Scott Hamilton. Hamilton can’t leapfrog his namesake, but if he scores in the next 4 games he will at least be 36, too.

I’d expected to see more players on the list in the 32+ age range, but perhaps that’s indicative of the fact that Cov tend to have younger squads than many teams in are league, which is why there are so many players under 20 who have scored, with many of the names being DRs or loan players from Premiership clubs, although Stevens and Ferre, of course, are a case apart.

Of the DRs/loans on the list, if Cov could sign just one for next season who would you choose.

Me, I’d go for Ethan Waller…as mobile a prop as I can recall and a great scrummager, too.