Herman Ese’ese has been in sensational form for Hull FC this season. The front-rower ran strong last season and was the club’s best player, but he has taken his game to another level this year.
And among the big carries, tackle busts, offloads, and efficient defence, comes his try scoring, with the prop scoring eight tries from 14 appearances in all competitions this year.
Six of those have come in Super League – the other two coming in the Challenge Cup – with Ese’ese, who signed a new three-year contract at the club earlier this season, setting the standard in the opening 12 rounds.
He has arguably been the best prop in the competition this season, with the 30-year-old on course to break a Super League record if his purple patch of try scoring continues.
With six league efforts to his name already, Ese’ese needs six more from the remaining 15 rounds to beat Alex Walmley’s Super League record. The St Helens front rower managed 11 in the 2017 season – the most for a prop forward.
It should be noted that another Saints man, Tony Puletua, scored 14 in the 2009 season. However, he also played in the back row and at loose forward as well as prop. Should Ese’ese manage 12 tries this year, it will be a Super League try record for a player playing as an out-and-out prop.
Interestingly, the next most recent player to score double figures in one season was James Graham, who scored 10 tries in 2008. Ese’ese would join some elite company should he reach double figures – with six needed to get the record outright.
For good measure, his overall stats from the first 12 rounds stand very strong. He has carried the ball 187 times for a total of 1,314 metres – an average gain of 7.03 per carry. He has made seven clean breaks and busted through 61 tackle attempts, making 25 offloads.
In defence, he has made 328 tackles, missing just 20 for a tackle efficiency of 94%. He has made just six errors and given away NO penalties.
In an interview with Hull Live earlier this season, the player stated he wants to become a ‘club legend’ at Hull FC. “I want to leave my mark and become a club legend,” he said back in April. “That’s my goal now, and that’s a big reason why I wanted to stay. I want to follow in the footsteps of my uncle Ali (Lauiti’iti). He’s been a legend in Super League at Leeds Rhinos, and I want to do the same thing here at Hull FC.”
Ese’ese could play at the Airlie Birds until the end of the 2030 season at least, and if he continues the standard set so far, he will be well on his way to becoming exactly that.