Dream XIII: The standout list of players who have starred for both Hull FC and Hull KR

There have been more players to don both the Hull FC and Hull KR shirts than what you probably think.

The Hull derby is a game that every rugby league fan looks forward to, whether that be the traditional Good Friday derby or a regular game in the season.

In the Super League era, the neighbours have met 37 times. Hull FC have the bragging rights in history ever so slightly, having beaten their rivals on 19 occasions.

Hull KR have come out on time 18 times though, while there has never been a draw in a Hull derby in the summer era.

KR’s highest score against FC came in 2007 when they won 42-6 at the KCOM Stadium. The Airlie Birds’ biggest derby win came in 2019, thrashing the Robins 56-12 at home.

A dream XIII of players who have played for Hull FC and Hull KR:

1 Shaun Briscoe

The 36-year-old began his career at hometown club Wigan, where he made 28 appearances before making the switch to Hull FC.

Briscoe played for the Black and Whites for five years, scoring 58 tries in 103 appearances for the club. He was named in the Super League Dream Team in 2004 and played in Hull’s 26-4 defeat to St Helens in the 2006 Super League Grand Final.

The full-back made the move across Hull to Rovers in 2008, where he then spent four seasons. Briscoe scored 30 tries in 100 games for the club, before retiring at Widnes in 2013. Briscoe made 11 appearances for England between 2004-09, all while he was at the Hull clubs.

2 Clive Sullivan

Sullivan is regarded as one of the best players to ever play the game. He was offered a trial by Hull after after impressing while playing rugby union for the Army at the age of 17.

The Welshman became a legend at Hull FC. He scored 250 tries for the Airlie Birds in 352 career appearances, racking up 750 points. After 13 years with FC, Sullivan made the switch to Rovers.

Sullivan went on to have an impressive scoring ratio there, too, scoring 118 tries in 213 games for the club. Sullivan represented Great Britain 17 times and earned 15 caps for Wales.

Sullivan still holds two records for Hull FC which are: most tries in a career (250) and most tries in a match (seven) against Doncaster on April 15, 1968. He is one of fewer than 25 Welshmen to have scored more than 1,000 points in their rugby league career. Sullivan sadly died of cancer aged just 42 on October 8, 1985.

3 Ben Crooks

The 26-year-old – who is the son of Hull FC legend Lee Crooks – came through the ranks at the Black and Whites and made his Super League debut in 2012.

Crooks scored 31 tries and kicked 30 goals in 51 appearances for the club. He left Hull FC in 2014 and joined Australian side Parramatta Eels, but he failed to make an NRL appearance.

The centre has since enjoyed spells at Castleford and Leigh before joining Hull KR towards the back end of the 2018 season. He has scored seven tries in 23 games for the club so far.

4 Graeme Horne

Horne signed professional terms with Hull FC when he was just 17 and made his Super League debut in 2004. He scored 23 tries in 128 appearances for the club.

The centre or back-rower – who is the younger brother of ex-Great Britain international Richard Horne – enjoyed two seasons at Huddersfield prior to linking up with Hull KR, where he then scored 17 tries in 87 matches over the course of six years at the club.

Horne earned two caps for England in 2006 while playing for FC and has also represented Scotland through family heritage. He is currently plying his trade in the Championship for York.

5 Craig Hall

Hall is Mr Versatile, with him being comfortable on the wing, at centre, full-back or even at stand-off. He is the son of Hull KR legend Dave Hall.

The 31-year-old is a product of the Hull FC academy system and played 77 games for the Black and Whites, scoring 47 tries and kicking 31 goals.

Hall made the cross city move to Rovers in 2011, where he scored 42 tries and kicked 41 goals in 80 games for the Red and Whites. He is currently enjoying his second spell with the Robins, where he has since scored another 24 tries in 30 games.

He has also had stints at Widnes, Wakefield, Toronto and Leigh.

6 Albert Kelly

This half-back partnership would be brilliant to watch! First up is Kelly in the stand-off position. He joined Hull KR in 2015 after making 47 appearances in the NRL for Cronulla Sharks and Gold Coast Titans.

Kelly soon made a name for himself in Super League after scoring 23 tries in 43 games for the Robins, guiding them to the Challenge Cup final in 2015.

The Indigenous Australian joined Hull FC ahead of the 2017 season and he has scored 39 tries in 60 games for Lee Radford’s side to date. He won the Challenge Cup with FC in 2017 and was named in the Super League Dream Team later that year.

7 Stanley Gene

Everyone loves Gene. Born and raised in Papua New Guinea, Gene played for Goroka Lahinas and Lae Bombers in his homeland prior to making the move to Hull KR in 1996.

The 45-year-old had an impressive try scoring record in his first spell with the Robins, crossing the whitewash 94 times in 111 matches.

Gene signed for Hull FC in 2000, where he spent two seasons, scoring six tries in 28 games. The utility-back then enjoyed spells at Huddersfield and Bradford before returning to Hull KR.

The 16-time Papua New Guinea international made 55 appearances in his second stint with the Robins and he hung up his boots with Halifax in 2010.

8 Liam Watts

Watts is one of the best forwards in Super League right now and was a great servant to both Hull clubs. A former Featherstone Lions junior, Watts signed professional terms with Hull KR in 2008 and he went on to spend five years at the club, making 64 appearances.

The 28-year-old made the move across Humberside to Hull FC in 2012 and went on to become a fan favourite at the KCOM Stadium, playing 152 games for the club.

Watts pulled the curtains shut on his Hull career in 2018 when he joined West Yorkshire outfit Castleford, where he has made almost 50 appearances already.

9 Josh Hodgson

The 29-year-old made his Hull FC debut in 2009 against Warrington. He made two first-team appearances that season before linking up with neighbours Hull KR the following campaign.

Hodgson spent five seasons at the Robins, scoring seven tries in 134 games for the club. While at Hull KR, he earned his first call-up to the England national squad where he has stayed ever since.

The Hull-born hooker was picked up by Australian side Canberra Raiders in 2015, and he has since played more than 70 games in the NRL while earning 18 caps for his country.

10 Scott Taylor

The England international came through the academy at Hull KR and made his Super League debut in 2009. He scored nine tries in 52 games for Rovers.

He made the move over the Pennines to Lancashire in 2013 as he joined Wigan after the Warriors paid a “substantial settlement fee” for the front-rower. He won the double with Wigan that year.

Taylor moved back home to Hull in 2016, but this time with FC. While at the Black and Whites, Taylor has won three caps for England as well as being named in the 2016 Super League Dream Team. He’s won back-to-back Challenge Cup titles with the Airlie Birds in 2016 and 2017.

11 Danny Tickle

Tickle started his career at Halifax, before spending six years at hometown club Wigan between 2002-06. The former Golborne Parkside junior scored 34 tries in 141 games for the Warriors.

The 36-year-old moved to Hull FC in 2007 and went on to make 177 appearances for the club, scoring 47 tries and kicking 572 goals.

Tickle then moved back to Lancashire in 2014 and spent two years at Widnes prior to enjoying time at Castleford and Leigh.

The back-rower spent the 2018 season with Hull KR, making 26 appearances for the Humber outfit. He is currently at League 1 side Workington. Tickle earned a solitary cap for England in 2009.

12 Chris Chester

Like Tickle, the now Scotland and Wakefield coach began his playing career at Halifax in 1996 and scored 16 tries. Chester then spent three seasons at Wigan before making the move to Hull FC in 2002.

In his five years at the Airlie Birds, he scored 14 tries in 102 games. He played in FC’s Challenge Cup final victory over Leeds at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

The 40-year-old joined Hull KR for the final two years of his career, where he played 36 games. Chester then spent two years coaching KR between 2014-16.

13 Paul Cooke

The 38-year-old is bonafide Hull legend. He came through the academy at FC and went on to play 204 games, scoring 32 trees and kicking 332 goals. Cooke won the 2005 Challenge Cup with FC and also was named in the Super League Dream Team that year.

Cooke also won three caps for England in 2006.

However, Cooke made a big decision to join city rivals Hull KR in 2007 on a three-and-a-half-year deal. In November 2007, the RFL found Cooke guilty of misconduct for approaching KR while still under contract to FC. His punishment was a ban that ruled him out of the first six games of the 2008 season.

The loose forward went on to play 65 gamed for Hull KR. He also enjoyed time at Wakefield, Doncaster and Featherstone before retiring in 2015.

Other players who have played for both Hull FC and Hull KR: Mickey Paea, Jordan Abdull, Jamie Ellis, Tommy Lee, Shannon McDonnell, Nick Scruton, James Webster and Ben Galea.

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