Gordon Reid
Appearances – 114
Tries – 7
Debut – Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium, 5/3/11
Last game – Edinburgh at Scotstoun, 6/5/17
Gordon has come a long way from the early days at Firhill. He oscillated back and forth between Ayr and Glasgow for a couple of seasons before gradually, through sheer hard work and perseverance, becoming an integral part of the 23 and ultimately making himself the Warriors’ first choice loosehead from 2015/16 onwards.
On the field he was the grafter, tasked with the unglamorous roles of hitting rucks and holding up the Glasgow scrum – an aspect at which he has become better and better, to the point that London Irish will likely have his peak years in the setpiece. He added the occasional Scotstoun Express to get the attention and acclaim he deserved and of course the big man was the originator of the Shoulder Shuffle as a try celebration….
Gordy’s contributions even when not playing will be missed just as much though. Always popular with the younger members of the Warrior Nation (possibly because he’s just a big kid himself!) he memorably broke off half-time warm-ups with the other subs to check on a wee lad who had taken a head knock during one of the mini games. He always made time for a chat and a selfie with the fans and there will be a gap to be filled at those post match signing sessions!
Moved to – London Irish
Ryan Grant
Appearances – 109
Tries – 8
Debut – Leinster at Firhill, 3/9/10
Last game – Edinburgh at Murrayfield, 26/12/16
Ryan Grant followed the trail blazed by Al Kellock and Dougie Hall in moving from Edinburgh to Glasgow. Unlike his predecessors, Ryan hadn’t been able to really make his mark on the capital club’s first team with just 2 starts. Warriors’ fans might have been forgiven for thinking they were maybe getting a squad player at best. 8 years later with 109 games for Glasgow, 25 caps for Scotland and a Lions’ tour under his belt the former soldier left with his name firmly among the club’s all-time greats at loosehead prop.
The real peak for Ryan came between 2011 and 2013 when he played 55 games across two seasons for Glasgow and Scotland and came as close as the bench to a Test cap for the British and Irish Lions. Injuries had a pretty significant impact on his remaining 3½ seasons with the club but he still added another 41 appearances and joined the ranks of the Warrior Centurions against Treviso towards the end of 2015.
Moved to – Worcester Warriors in January (released at the end of the season and currently a free agent)
Josh Strauss
Appearances – 104
Tries – 10
Debut – Zebre at Scotstoun, 28/9/12
Last game – Leicester at Welford Road, 21/1/17
Josh Strauss must surely be the most successful of the signings from Gregor Townsend’s first season. 1 of 14 (so far) who went on to represent Scotland after debuting during the Toony revolution at Glasgow, The Beard to be Feared was almost ever present across 3 seasons that took the club from playoff semi-finalists to finalists to Pro 12 champions. Captaining the side on that famous day in Belfast, Josh represented the club in an exemplary manner – as he did every time he ran out in black and blue.
He was deservedly called up to Scotland’s RWC squad and although international recognition reduced the volume of games he was able to contribute to the Warriors’ cause he remained a central figure in the club’s biggest games. He celebrated joining the Warrior Centurions in fine style with an early try in his 100th match against Racing 92, settting the tone for a dominant win at Scotstoun in December 2016.
Moved to – Sale Sharks
Video source for gif: caza1471 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ungsi6OV6ns
On Top Of The Moon 