With Counties Manukau Rugby celebrating 70 years in 2025, I thought I’d assemble my all-time Steelers line-up.
I’ve used a combination of first-hand viewing, some commonsense and some out and out stabs in the dark with this team. There is naturally some recency bias – I was born in 1981, and my memory realistically takes me back to the late 1980s as far as judgement is concerned.
It was impossible to go past the all-All Blacks front row of the late 1970s and early 1980s of John Spiers, Andy Dalton and Rod Ketels. They paved the way for the Steelers only NPC title so far and were a hallmark of the strong Steelers teams of that era. Never before have we had a more dominant front row than that era and it made it an easy call to select all three in my all-time line-up.
Jim Coe was a legendary figure of the Steelers from the mid-1980s until late 1990s and an easy call to put in my side. He typified what it was to be a Steelers player – a hardworking and uncompromising player that loved his community and bled for his colours.
I’ve gone with Mark Cooksley as the other lock. This was a tougher call – there were plenty of candidates that played before my time that were hard to gauge, and I don’t see any absolutely stand-outs in the time since. Cooksley burst onto the scene and became an All Black at a young age, but you could argue his best years came after he wore the hoops and moved south to Waikato.
The all-time caps leader is an obvious choice with Alan Dawson commanding a spot in any all-time Steelers side. Dawson was part of the 1979 Championship-winning side and was a great servant throughout his time in the hoops. A real character off the field, Dawson is one of the easiest selections to make in this team.
Openside flanker was a difficult call to make with a number of potential options. Glen Marsh was a favourite of mine; Fritz Lee helped the Steelers secure their only Ranfurly Shield tenure while more recently Dalton Papali’i has been an elite player despite not playing a lot of games for the Steelers. I have opted to go with Junior Paramore, who was a star of the late 80s and early 90s. He combined terrific athleticism with a big work-rate and was a player that would have thrived in the professional era if he came along a few years later.
Errol Brain was a no-brainer choice for me at number eight. EB possesses one of the best rugby brains going around, was a natural born leader and was a long-serving player during a successful era of Counties Manukau Rugby. He captains my side.
Halfback was a really tough choice – we have had some good ones over the years. I was a little young to appreciate Mark Moore’s talents during the 1980s and the likes of Danny Lee and uber-competitive Michael Scott were hard to leave out. In the end I selected Augustine Pulu as my starting halfback – a nod to his longer service – with current All Blacks star Cam Roigard coming off the bench with his high-energy game.
Stephen Donald gets my nod at first-five, just pipping Blair Feeney. Donald had the more successful career overall but spent a lot of time away from Counties Manukau, though he clearly remained a Steelers boy at heart. He started and finished his career in the hoops and typifies the Steeler mentality.
I’ve gone with Tony Marsh and Bruce Robertson in the midfield. Robertson was an automatic selection – he is probably the greatest centre to ever play the game. Marsh was an unsung hero in a strong Steelers side of the 1990s. He went on to star internationally for France after leaving Counties Manukau but don’t under-estimate the impact he had during his time in the hoops.
The wingers were an easy choice for a kid who grew up in the Lomu-Vidiri era. They brought the crowds to Navigation Homes Stadium with their try-scoring deeds, their pace, power and finesse. The best highlights throughout the 70-year history of the Union start and finish with these two.
I’ve gone with our original All Black Pat Walsh at fullback. He was the cream of the early Steelers days and a massively influential figure in the birth of our Union.
On the bench, I selected long-serving modern hooker Grant Henson along with legendary All Blacks prop Kevin Skinner, who had a short time with Counties Manukau.
Current player Jimmy Tupou’s versatility and service sees his selection on the bench along with long-time All Blacks number eight Kieran Read, who fits into the Donald mode of having had most of his success elsewhere.
In the backs, I’ve gone with Roigard for impact, Tim Nanai-Williams’ versatility and ability to break a game open and Bob Lendrum, who was a legendary figure during the 60s and 70s.
The head coach would be Mac McCallion with Shield-winning coach Tana Umaga and current Steelers boss Reon Graham as his assistants.
Budgie’s all-time Steelers team
- John Spiers
- Andy Dalton
- Rod Ketels
- Jim Coe
- Mark Cooksley
- Alan Dawson
- Junior Paramore
- Errol Brain (captain)
- Augustine Pulu
- Stephen Donald
- Jonah Lomu
- Tony Marsh
- Bruce Robertson
- Joeli Vidiri
- Pat Walsh
- Grant Henson
- Kevin Skinner
- Jimmy Tupou
- Kieran Read
- Cam Roigard
- Tim Nanai-Williams
- Bob Lendrum
