NOWADAYS it is ‘Super Bennie Westwood’, back in the 1970s it was ‘Rock on Tommy’.

Like the love and affection shown by the Warrington Wolves faithful for current back-row star Westwood, Tommy Martyn was equally cherished on the terraces whether wearing primrose and blue or national colours as a ball-handling genius.

Such adulation for Martyn, who judging by the ‘thumbs up’ responses seemingly liked the crowd’s ‘Rock on Tommy’ shouts coined by comic act Cannon and Ball, has poured out in droves following the Leigh man’s death, aged 69, in Christie’s Hospital, Manchester, on Sunday when surrounded by his family.

Among the tributes paid this week, Warringtonian former Salford back rower Colin Meachin said on Facebook: “Tommy was my idol during his time at Warrington. He inspired me to play, I named my eldest son after him.”

And supporter John Morrison added: “When I started watching Wires at Wilderspool as a boy, the team had some truly great players, John Bevan, Parry Gordon, Alex Murphy, Dave Chisnall, Mike Nicholas, Derek Whitehead to name a few but my hero by a long way was Tommy Martyn.

“Some players have natural ability in certain aspects of the game. Tommy had ability in all.”

Martyn, who gained honours with Lancashire, England and Great Britain during seven seasons at Wilderspool, scored 51 tries in 220 appearances for The Wire.

As well as having an unrivalled ability to offload the ball out of the tackle, he was a devastating wide runner on the end of precise passes from the likes of Parry Gordon and Ken Kelly.

He was tough, too, and had a penchant for the Cumberland Throw tackling technique, grabbing the runner’s arm, putting his legs in their path and mercilessly hurling his opponent to the turf.

For his services to the club, he was inducted into the Warrington Players’ Association Hall of Fame.

Rugby league success ran in the family too.

Martyn’s older brother Mick was a shining light for Leigh, while his son, also Tommy, won Challenge Cup and Super League honours during 11 years with St Helens.

Martyn started out with Leigh Miners, turned professional with Batley and had a short stint with his hometown club Leigh before being signed by Alex Murphy for Warrington in January, 1975.

It was a transfer that ignited his career.

He was a member of the Warrington side defeated by Widnes in the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley four months later.

A tour Down Under followed with England that summer.

The following season Martyn was the club’s Player of the Year and was shortlisted for the first of two occasions for the First Division Player of the Year award.

In the summer of 1979 he toured Down Under again, this time with Great Britain, but was forced into heading home with a dislocated shoulder after making five appearances.

He helped Warrington win the Lancashire Cup against Wigan at Knowsley Road, St Helens, in 1980 with a sensational try, storming 60 metres from a kick-off.

And then he was man of the match when The Wire defeated Barrow in the John Player Trophy Final at Central Park, Wigan, in his final campaign with the club.

In the summer of 1981 Murphy took him back to Leigh, where they won the Championship together as well as the Lancashire Cup.

Kevin Ashcroft, a former hooker and teammate at Warrington and Leigh, said: “Shy, unobtrusive, unassuming but a genius on the Rugby League field. For all he achieved in the game that Championship season at Leigh was his proudest moment, without a doubt. Another legend of the game has gone, and I don’t use the word legend lightly.”