rrTr   the unofficial hull kingston rovers webzine           

 

F E T

Can't Cooke won't Cooke  

Let me start by saying I'm a huge fan of Paul Cooke and I'm pretty sure without his crucial displays in games in 2007 against Hull FC (twice), Wigan and Salford we might well be languishing in the second tier of English Rugby League, this is not meant to underplay the efforts of the rest of the 2007 squad but his arrival proved to be critical and, at 'squeaky bum time' his experience was vital.Following his early season RFL imposed suspension and subsequent misdemeanours prior to the 2008 KC 'derby' it seemed that all parties had taken a sharp intake of breath and moved on, after a period on the sidelines there followed a cameo display at the HJ which resulted in 'The Great Escape' and another outstanding 'derby' display as Rovers sent Hull back to the KC still chasing two of their elusive '8 easy points' Last season saw increasing displays of quality and consistency alongside Michael Dobson, although it seemed that if ever a player didn't have the full confidence of his coach then Cookie was that player. Following the heartbreak of the cup defeat against Warrington, 6 feet 5 and 14 and a half stone Cooke was 'rested' against Huddersfield as Justin feared his team would be out-muscled by the men from the West Riding. In my opinion Paul Cooke is technically the most gifted player at the club and some of his performances have been outstanding (in numerical terms certainly the equal of many other colleagues) however, like Marmite it appears that there is no grey area with Paul.By and large when player and coach / manager don't see eye to eye there is only one winner and this is a case that I think it's safe to say will not be any different.Ultimately, both parties might have regrets sometime in the future and sadly it seems likely that a player we could (and perhaps should) have built a team 'round will move on at the end of this season. Whilst I'd love to see Cookie as the fulcrum of a Justin Morgan coached team challenging for honours it just aint gonna happen I fear, maybe now is an opportunity for the less gifted (but in some eyes, more reliable) Chas I'Anson to make his own mark as a SL player and for Morgan to devise a style of play that suits the personnel he wants in his 17.Now of course all this supposition might be rendered incorrect and I'll be proved wrong (that is the peril of writing for a webzine and hindsight is a wonderful thing) but if am proved wrong I couldn't be happier (and I genuinely hope I am) 

Watch this space and more importantly…

 

…rally 'round !

 

 

A look back at this weeks opponents 

Season 1974/75 was a record breaking year for the Robins, albeit in the Second Division as both Ged Dunn and Neil Fox became record scorers as the club achieved promotion under the stewardship of Arthur Bunting.

Dunn's 42 try haul was a club record that lasted for ten seasons until broken by the legendary Gary Prohm (45 tries 1984/85) and Fox notched 146 goals and 333 points, totals subsequently beaten by George Fairbairn (166 goals 1981/82) and Steve Hubbard (366 points in 1979/80) as well as being topped by Mike Fletcher's feats in 1989/90

However, despite their record breaking feats Rovers were only runners-up to Huddersfield in the league campaign.

On Sunday, November 3rd 1974 Rovers travelled to 'Fartown' hoping to make up ground on the table-toppers after a shock defeat earlier in the season at Huyton.

Despite going behind early Rovers soon hit back with an unconverted Max Rooms try followed by another from Mike Stephenson (not the balding oaf!) which was goaled by Fox to lead 8-5. Further tries by Dunn and Roger Millward both converted by Fox saw Rovers comfortably in front 18-5 with the half-time break almost upon them. However, as the hooter approached good handling from Cliff Wallis, Stephenson, Phil Coupland and RU convert George Fitzpatrick saw Aussie full-back Bob Smithies touchdown for another try supplemented by a Fox goal to give the Robins a healthy 23-5 interval lead.

Shortly after the break more attractive approach play saw Kirkpatrick increase the lead.

With ten minutes remaining the home side managed a consolation score but Rovers were not to be denied victory as Dunn scored his second of the game to leave the final score 29-8 to the visitors in front of 2,190 spectators.

Whilst Rovers were only runners-up in the Second Division they were victorious in the Yorkshire Cup that same season with a 16-13 win over Neil Fox's old team Wakefield Trinity, as well as reaching both semi-finals of the John Player Trophy and (bizarrely) the Premiership Trophy….

Rovers team that November day at Huddersfield was: Smithies, Rooms, Dunn, Coupland, Kirkpatrick, Millward, Stephenson, Dawson, Heslop, Millington, Wallis, Fox and Brown Subs: Hartley and

Moore

 

 

 

 ROVERS v WIGAN 1985

In March 1985 the bitter dispute that had caused grief to many parts of the country came to an end as the last of the NUM returned to work after 12 months…

Whilst "Maggie" and "King Arthur" were going 'head to head' across the North of England (and elsewhere) in Rugby League terms it was Rovers and Wigan who were having their own tussle for supremacy…

At the start of the month a 12 man Rovers side (can you believe Chris Burton was sent off?!?!?!?!) lost 20-16 in injury time at Central Park in front of over 14 and a half thousand spectators. Wigan's new signing, Phil Ford scoring twice (all Rovers supporters of a certain age will know the match-winner was yards offside!!!!) along with Steve Donlan and two goals apiece for David Stephenson and Henderson Gill. Rovers try scorers that day were George Fairbairn and David Laws, Fairbairn also weighed in with 4 goals - this was Rovers first defeat in 18 games, a run which had seen them maintain their position at the top of the "Slalom Lager Championship", beat their nearest rivals St Helens (Mal Meninga et al) in the Challenge Cup and claim the "John Player Special Trophy" with a 12-0 win over Hull FC at a snow covered Boothferry Park.

Following a win over Hunslet the following week Rovers reached the Semi-Final of the cup along with Hull, Cas and Wigan….the balls came out of the bag and The Robins drew The Riversiders, another all Hull final was still on the cards!

So less than three weeks after the heartbreak of that last ditch defeat Rovers lined up at Elland Road with the Wembley prize only 80 minutes away…

On a rain-soaked day, a Gavin Miller inspired Rovers slugged it out with Wigan and were trailing 11-12 when international winger Garry Clark set off for a certain try which would have given Rovers a late lead - Wigan sub, Mick Scott made a desperate lunge for the flying wingman and managed to clutch the elastic on the top of his shorts to stop Clark inches short! The chance was lost and so was the game as almost immediately Man Of The Match Graeme West fed Gill to increase Wigan's lead to 16-11, the resultant conversion making the final score 18-11 and it was Wigan who would have their second opportunity to beat Hull FC at Wembley - a feat they duly completed in May 1985.

In the space of three short weeks two great teams produced two great games and by the end of the season they had collected the two major prizes in the game, whist Wigan took the cup Rovers were crowned Champions after notching up 9 wins in their final 10 league matches in just 26 days!!

 

SEASON PREVIEW 

  

So where do we go from here….?

After finishes of 11th, 7th and 4th in our brief Super League history can Rovers continue their progress? Bizarrely the answer is "yes" but it might not be apparent in a final league position.

The "expert" opinion is that our squad is significantly weaker than last year, although the departure of Messrs. Gene, Aizue, Fitzhenry and Fozzard has been set-off by recruits of Cook, Ratu, Hodgson and the expected arrival of Joel Clinton.

The first two of those might well expect to find their regular opportunities in years ahead of 2010 once players such as Jake Webster and Ben Galea come to the end of their current contracts, however, they will still supply a little strength in depth in positions where Galea, Clint Newton and Kris Welham were virtual "ever-present2 in 2009.

The opportunites taken by Daniel Fitzhenry and the appearance of Scotty Murrell in the No9 jersey would suggest that there are likely to be significant changes at hooker, with this in mind Josh Hodgson will certainly be looking at adding to his SL appearances this season.

Supporters will hope the arrival of Clinton is on the cards pretty soon as he will offer up size and experience which will be vital in bringing on younger players such as Liam Watts and to a lesser extent Rhys Lovegrove.

It is fair to say that many other teams who finished below us have strengthened significantly and with a fair amount of quality, although teams like Bratfud, Hull and Wire will be wise to look back at Rovers in 2008, when we released a raft of players and brought in much more quality in Newton, Walker, Briscoe, Fox, Galea, Webster etc. while we improved considerably from 11th to 7th there was still the balancing act of making wholesale changes and getting consistency to be overcome…

My own hopes for 2010 would be that Justin Morgan finds and maintains a style which allows Messrs. Cooke and Dobson to produce displays which were seen at places like Quins, Cas, Wigan and the KC last year. I certainly make no bones about my admiration for Paul Cooke as a player and feel he is sometimes marginalised to the detriment of the team.

Whilst progress has certainly been made on the field it would be open to debate if off field progress has been so obvious, particularly since the departure of Paul Lakin in summer 2008.

There is no doubt that Neil Hudgell and Rob Crossland have both worked wonders in dragging the club up from the National League to becoming an established SL club, this coming year there will be further extensions to the East Stand to go alongside pitch improvements, floodlights and previous work already carried out on the East Stand in the last three or four years.

However, the need for a recognized CEO working at the club on a day today basis is vital when it comes to matters off field - there seems to be an ever increasing "Marketing Team" at Rovers but from my own experience little direction, hopefully this off-field blip can be addressed and the appointment of a new, enthusiastic director in Paul Luen can hopefully only help this.

So, in conclusion I think it's hard to predict any league spot between 2-11 but I'd hope to see another season in the play-offs, improved relationships with the HDM, a home draw in the CC quarters (again!) with a different outcome (please!).

Feel free to drop us a line with your hopes and fears for 2010….

"Rally 'round……"