15 years ago today, Hull FC started their incredible winning run during the 2006 Super League season – Club Historian Bill Dalton looks back on the Black & Whites’ remarkable run…
Today sees the 15th anniversary of the start of an incredible winning run for our team which carried them through to a second-placed finish in the 2006 Super League table and, through the play-offs, to our only Grand Final to date.
Like all promoted sides, Hull struggled in their early years in Super League, but actually attained third place in 2001 with Shaun McRae as head coach, and again in 2004, under John Kear.
The 2001 play-off series saw Hull unlucky to be eliminated by St Helens, whilst an injury-ravaged side lost to Wakefield Trinity in 2004.
After the sensational Challenge Cup success in 2005, Hull supporters had great expectations for 2006 but the early days of the season saw limited success as well as an early exit from the cup which was followed by John Kear leaving the club.
Things settled down, however and Hull went to Huddersfield on 14th April 2006 under caretaker coach, Richard Agar and registered a 26-14 success. Although that was not particularly noteworthy as Huddersfield were relegated from Super League at the end of that campaign, it was the springboard for what developed into that wonderful run of results that actually included the feat of beating every other Super League team.
Nathan Blacklock contributed two tries along with others from Sid Domic, Kirk Yeaman and Richard Horne, while Danny Brough added three goals.
Blacklock scored another brace in each of the next three games whilst Kirk Yeaman nailed hat-tricks against Wakefield and Catalan in Perpignan.
Indeed, Yeamo touched down for 12 tries in the first eight of those 14 victories before injury kept him out of the remainder. His final tally for the season was 23 touchdowns.
Everyone will have their own special memories of that run of games but possibly one result in particular stands out is a 44-28 success at Headingley over arch-rivals Leeds when Gareth Raynor romped over for his own hat-trick to add to efforts from Blacklock, Yeaman, Horne and Shane McMenemy – another hero of the cup success.
The run of success came to an end at The Stoop, Twickenham with a 16-18 defeat to Harlequins, but another four victories followed to secure second position in the Super League table.
In playing terms in that 2006 season, the team won 21 of its 32 fixtures and Richard Horne played in all 32, with re-signed Lee Radford and Paul Cooke both playing in 31.
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