Former Hull FC prop Mark O’Meley believes he thrived so much in England because he came to play in Super League at a prime stage in his career.
Hullfc.com caught up with the ex-player last week to discuss all things Tex Hoy and Jake Clifford, both of whom O’Meley is well connected with through his coaching role at Newcastle Knights.
In the feature-length interview, O’Meley reflected on his four-season spell in East Yorkshire, during which time he established himself as one of the meanest front-rowers that FC fans have watched in the modern era.
“I toured over in England twice but I always wanted to go back at the end of my career. I was lucky enough to have some lemon left to squeeze in my footy career when I went over,” he explained.
“I didn’t want to go over burned out – I wanted to go with a couple of good years in me. I went over at 28, I knew I could do that and I was only ever going to do the two years but I ended up staying for four.
“That’s how much I loved it. I only really came back because my family had made so much sacrifice for me my whole career.
“We hadn’t lived where we grew up for 17 years. I needed Nick, my eldest son, to have a connection in the community where we were going to live. That was the main decision why I left Hull or I would have stayed for a fifth year.
“To me, it was one of my great experiences, my mum and dad, they came over once or twice and they loved it. It’s a great place to be and a great part of the world.”
‘The Ogre’ made a start to life in East Yorkshire when he made his debut in a 32-12 home win against St Helens in February 2010.
He enjoyed a number of memorable matches, including the 2010 home win over Harlequins, against whom O’Meley secured a collector’s item – a brace of tries.
His final hurrah in a Black & White shirt was the Challenge Cup Final, against Wigan, in 2013. But it was not the fairytale ending that the Australian had hoped for, as the Warriors ran out 16-0 victors on a sodden afternoon at Wembley.
“I would have loved to win a Challenge Cup final – we got beat by Wigan the year that I played in the final,” he said.
“I didn’t win any silverware but I made the finals all four years and learned a lot about the English game and about the town.
“I didn’t understand the Challenge Cup until we played Leeds. They put 40 on us, they bashed us, and I remember walking off the field and thinking how massive it was and how next year this wasn’t going to happen to us. That was a massive learning curve for myself.
“I think the young players going over, the young Australians, New Zealanders etc, probably need to understand the importance and how big the Challenge Cup is.”
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