How Tony Pulis discovered Rory Delap's long throw after Sunderland failed to utilise

The Black Cats signed Delap in 2005 under Mick McCarthy. Sunderland suffered relegation to the Championship and the midfielder was loaned to Stoke City after Roy Keane took over at the Stadium of Light, eventually joining on a permanent deal under Tony Pulis.

Stoke City, Pulis and Delap became famous in the football world for their use of the Republic of Ireland international’s lethal long throw, which could be as good as a set-piece in some situations.

The discovery of Delap’s secret weapon came as a surprise to Sunderland fans, however, with no inkling of the player’s abilities shown during his short 13-game stint at the Stadium of Light.

Speaking to ex-Sunderland striker Chris Brown on the UndrTheCosh Podcast, Pulis revealed how the discovery of Delap’s mammoth throw-in technique came about at Stoke City.

“We had a competition going early pre-season to see who could throw it furthest,” Pulis remembered. “Kempy came over to me and said, ‘Have you seen Rory throw the ball? Have a look at this!’

“He was throwing it to the other side of the pitch. Not only throwing it but it was so flat. It was better than a corner. I pulled Rory and said, What are you doing? How long have you had that, mate?’ He said, ‘Oh, well… I was javelin champion when I was 14 years of age in Carlisle.’ He had never said a word!”

Pulis then detailed the circumstances behind Delap’s move from Sunderland to Stoke City.

“He was a good player for us,” Pulis continued. “We talk about the football club [Stoke City] and how good the owners are and that the fans should get behind them. I tell you how good the family is…

"We signed Rory from Sunderland on loan with an agreement to take him full-time at the end of the season. In his first game for us against Sunderland, he breaks his ankle, and it was a bad break.

"The next day I went and saw Peter and he told me to tell Rory that we would still sign him no matter what.”

You can listen to the full episode of the UndrTheCosh Podcast with Tony Pulis here.