Sporting bygones: Tony Kemp on halcyon days at Castleford Tigers and his horror run with Leeds Rhinos

As one of their three Kiwi internationals, alongside brilliant loose-forward Tawera Nikau and powerful centre Richie Blackmore, he formed part of a supremely talented Castleford side which is still remembered fondly to this day.

Indeed, next week marks the latest anniversary of their famous 1994 Regal Trophy final win when John Joyner’s side swept aside a star-studded Wigan, featuring the likes of Jason Robinson, Martin Offiah, Shaun Edwards and Phil Clarke, 33-2 at Headingley.

Speaking from his home in New Zealand, the enthusiasm for his days at the West Yorkshire club seeps through the 53-year-old’s every word.

“It was a highlight of my football career, going to Castleford,” he told The Yorkshire Post.

“I got to play in the position that I loved, which was five-eighth (stand-off), and it came about after a Test series when Newcastle Knights wanted me to move into the forwards.

“I wanted to be five-eighth and Castleford were looking for one.

“JJ (Joyner) got Tawera to see if I was interested.

“When I went there, I had an affinity to Cas as, when I played at Doncaster in ’87 and ’89, I used to go with John Sheridan to watch them down at Wheldon Road.

“I always remembered how full the grandstands used to be. Coming from Doncaster, where we’d have 500 people, to Castleford who would fill the stadium, it was just a really cool atmosphere.

“So, I knew it was a really cool spot to play but I think I went there at the right time.

“That team we had that put 33 points past a great Wigan team just showed the calibre of players we had. In hindsight, I wish I’d never left.”

With Great Britain full-back Graham Steadman and fellow Lion Mike Ford at scrum-half plus prop Lee Crooks – who had commanded a world record transfer fee when leaving Hull for Leeds – and hard-grafting local forwards like Martin Ketteridge and Ian Smales, it was an impressive array of talent.

Kemp continued: “We had internationals right across the board and in key positions.

“We had ‘Jack’ Russell at hooker, Fordy at half-back, myself at five-eighth, Richie in the centres, T at the back of the scrum and Steady at full-back.

“Our spine was really, really solid and in those key positions of lock and centre we had strike players in T and Richie as well as Grant Anderson.

“Because it’s a working town like it is , I don’t think, in my time, Cas got the recognition for what a team it was.

“When you look back through their history, I reckon that was one of the great teams of Castleford’s time. And it was just a good bunch of blokes.”

Kemp’s switch to Headingley occurred in 1995, just as the new era of Super League was about to begin.

Looking back, he realises now it was a mistake even though Dougie Laughton’s Leeds were one of the biggest clubs around.

“I didn’t really understand the rivalry with Leeds,” he recalled.

“When I signed for Leeds, people said whatever you do don’t go to Leeds as they’ll hate you from Castleford. But I was at the back end of my contract and looking after my livelihood.

“In hindsight, I didn’t really have a good time at Leeds.

“I had a horror run of injuries. I just wish I had someone there who could negotiate a lot better when I was negotiating contracts as I probably would have stayed at Cas if they’d matched the Leeds money and it wasn’t a hell of a lot. They were about £20,000 short. It wasn’t hell of a lot but back then it would have been.

“But the way Dougie Laughton had promoted it – my best mate was there in Kev Iro and Leeds were looking to win competitions – meant I weighed it all up and went.”

Kemp soon realised, though, what he had left behind by moving just a few miles down the road.

“I was 26, 27 and in hindsight – and I still kick myself – I know I played my best football of my career at Cas and should have stayed,” he added.

“I played the position I always wanted to play in and I never really took that into account as I should have probably stayed there. And the people were beautiful. Crooksy was the best front-row I’d played with in the world and I’d played with some real good ones.

“You had ‘Casper’ Tony Smith, the little half who was tough as nails. And it reminded me a lot of my home town.

“I came from a little coastal town in New Zealand called Waitara and it reminded me a hell of a lot of Castleford.

“Tawera came from Huntly which was a lot like Castleford and Richie’s home town’s similar, too. It was sort of a home away from home for us.

“You got the big clubs chasing you. I remember Dougie Laughton saying he had the contract of someone from Castleford locked up in a safe and everyone thought it was Tawera’s so that took a lot of heat off me!

“But it didn’t pan out as I hoped. I had big aspirations for Leeds but I snapped my arm pretty badly in a game against Halifax.

“I spent about two years on the sidelines after that.”

Kemp played just 47 games in four seasons for Leeds but almost did not join at all after Laughton was sacked before his arrival.

Kemp was back in Australia playing for South Queensland Crushers and incoming Leeds coach Dean Bell – a Kiwi team-mate – needed to persuade him not to renege on the deal.

When he did arrive, Leeds were embroiled in a relegation fight before he suffered that bad injury.

Kemp recalled: “Wigan and Warrington asked whether I wanted to go over there.

“But I loved Yorkshire. My daughter was born in Ponty and my son in Leeds.

“All my friends were over there and I couldn’t see myself moving.

“I’d signed a five-year deal with Leeds and then Gary Hetherington and Paul Caddick came in which led to us reaching the Grand Final in 1998.

“But I had a fall-out with (coach) Graham Murray and I knew I’d end up on the outside after that.

“Gary ended up paying up the last two years of my contract and I ended up going to Wakefield.”

Kemp spent two years at Trinity before taking over from Andy Kelly as coach but he finished playing and headed home in 2000.

It is Castleford, though, where he remembers those halcyon days. Fans will agree, too.