In a new feature series, Club Historian Bill Dalton looks back at some of Hull FC’s greatest rugby league icons – this week, we look back at the career of of Paul Cooke.
If ever there was a some joy to be had on a particularly bad day for Rugby League in the City of Hull, it was on Good Friday, 17th April 1981. That day saw disgraceful scenes on The Boulevard as bricks and rubble were hurled at and by both sets of supporters at the Easter Derby. However, Paul Cooke was born that day!
There can rarely have been a Hull player who commanded such a level of admiration and vilification in such a short space of time as Paul Cooke did when he dropped an almighty bombshell on the club in 2007.
Paul had joined the club from East Hull and rose through the Academy, making his first team debut in a home game against St Helens on 25th April 1999. Cooke came off the bench some three minutes into the second period, and was instrumental in creating a late consolation try from Rob Nolan.
He made 18 appearances in that debut season and another 11 the following season when a massive transformation in personnel manifested itself with the arrival of the Gateshead players after the merger. After that, he was a near ever-present for the remainder of his time at Hull taking over the goal-kicking role and commanding the left edge from half-back.
His long cut-out pass to his left edge partners – Gareth Raynor and Kirk Yeaman in particular – created a lot of tries. In the 2004 season he notched up 274 points which remains the highest Hull FC seasonal points total in the Super League era.
Hull’s Challenge Cup winning run in 2005 has lasted long in the memory and Paul played a blinder in the semi-final – and so did the rest of the team! Many feel it was Hull’s most perfect performance in memory. Coming back from a single match suspension, he created Shane McMenemy’s first try with a clever delayed pass and then scored himself after a run-around move with the same colleague.
And, of course, playing loose-forward he was there in the supporting left edge to score the winning try at Cardiff in the final when he caught a tired Danny Ward on the wrong foot to score by the posts, for Danny Brough to slot over the conversion for the winning point.
An unsuccessful Grand Final appearance followed in 2006, when he played in 31 of the 32 fixtures. But controversy loomed as the 2007 season approached when the rumour mill began to suggest the star half-back may be heading for pastures new.
He was out with injury at the start of the season and only played in four of the opening 12 games, including the inaugural Super League Hull Derby, before heading across the River Hull to join the Robins in the most talked-about transfers in the city’s history.
But, as explained in his autobiography several years later, there are two sides to every story with FC supporters in later years sympathising more with Cooke’s decision to join the old enemy .Hull supporters did though lose out on the rest of the career of a very good player.
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