Having made his 150th Hull FC appearance earlier in the month, the feeling of pride will be tenfold for Scott Taylor when he makes his 300th career appearance on Friday.
Despite being a boyhood Hull FC supporter, who often recalls coming to watch the Airlie Birds from the terraces in the South Stand in his younger years, playing for the Black & Whites has been the last stop on his career journey.
Taylor made his first-grade debut for Hull KR in 2009, and at that time he could only have dreamed of having such a successful career.
A move to Wigan Warriors followed three years after his maiden senior campaign, and he would eventually arrive at Hull FC in 2016, with a Grand Final Winners’ Ring and a Challenge Cup title to his name already.
Taylor had an instant impact with the Black & Whites, though, with his first two seasons at the club arguably being two of the club’s most successful campaigns since the turn of the millennium.
Now, ahead of his 300th career appearance, the 31-year-old reflects on the opportunity to accomplish such a career feat.
“To have made my 150th Hull FC appearance recently was absolutely massive for me, something that I was incredibly proud of, so now to be making my 300th career appearance feels about ten times as good,” he said.
“Not a lot of players manage to get up to 300 career appearances, so it will be great to be a part of the 300 club after tonight’s game and for that I owe a lot to all of my coaches throughout my career, even those who helped me out at the junior level.
“I feel really privileged to have accomplished so much in my career. Earning caps for England and being able to stand up on the international stage and sign the national anthem is right up there as one of the proudest moments in my life.
“Winning the Challenge Cup and the Grand Final were also huge moments in my career – I think I enjoyed winning it with Hull FC, my boyhood club, in 2016 the most because I knew just how much that win meant to everybody associated with the club.
“I think it was the least I could do after I helped Wigan win the Cup against Hull at Wembley in ‘13. As a Hull fan, I knew how much losing at Wembley hurt the supporters that day and it was a strange feeling for me. But it probably made me more motivated to help Hull win the Challenge Cup at Wembley once I arrived at the club.
“To get that Wembley hoodoo off our backs and see the emotions on everybody’s faces at the end of that game in 2016 was something I will never forget. Of all 299 games so far, that’s probably my number one favourite game so far.”
You can read the full, extended interview with Scott Taylor when you pick up a copy of the matchday programme, The 18th Man, which will be on sale around the ground on Friday evening.
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