A trip down Hull FC memory lane ahead of Super League’s 30th birthday.
Hull FC players celebrate beating Bradford Bulls
Hull FC will host Catalans Dragons on Super League’s big 30th birthday bash on Sunday afternoon, with the Black and Whites in action against the French side at the MKM Stadium.
Playing over 750 games in their time in the top flight, Hull haven’t looked back since their 1998 debut away at Sheffield Eagles, but which wins stand out the most?
Growing up in the late 90s and early 00s at the Boulevard before making the move to the shiny, then-known KC Stadium, our Hull FC reporter Dan Tomlinson has been on the ride throughout that journey. Here he picks out his top 30 Hull FC Super League wins:
30. 1998, Sheffield 22 Hull 34 – The Black and Whites’ Super League debut. Two tries from Steve Prescott were enough to get the job done at the Don Valley. You’ve got to start somewhere, and this was a fine introduction to life back in the big time.
29. 1999, Hull 33 Sheffield 16 – Again not one for the glamour, but for sheer importance, it’s right up there. It was just the fifth win for Hull in 1999, the last game of the Sharks era, and it kept them in Super League, ensuring the glory could follow in the coming years.
28. 2004, Hull 82 Salford 6 – A club-record Super League victory; it’s hard to believe it was only 10-6 after around half an hour. But from that point on, the floodgates opened. Hull scored six consecutive tries as they posted 15 in total to win by a crazy margin.
27. 2016, Salford 20 Hull 28 – Hull secured top spot at the season’s split in 2016, with tries coming for Steve Michaels, Frank Pritchard, Chris Green, Marc Sneyd, and Mahe Fonua. It was the only time they’ve toppled the pile at such a seismic stage.
26. 2018, Rovers 22 Hull 30 – Down to 12 men after Bureta Faraimo’s red card, Hull still saw the game out after returning to Craven Park as back-to-back Wembley winners. Who else can still picture Albert Kelly’s booming pass to an unmarked Jake Connor in the rigth corner? He strolled in and he sure let the East Stand know about it.
25. 2002, Wigan 18 Hull 20 – With a local nucleus of Richard Horne and Paul Cooke, not to mention the sublime Jason Smith, Hull were rising fast in the early 2000s with Horne’s late winner capping off a huge night in Wigan. What a player he was.
24. 2017, Hull 26 Castleford 24 – Hull raced into an early lead before seeing Liam Watts sent off for a high shot. They then had to grind Castleford out in a heroic display of last-ditch defending against a team that walked the regular season.
23. 2007, Hull 24 St Helens 12 – The Saints were the treble winners and had beaten Hull at Old Trafford several months prior. This was a sweet taste of revenge and got the Black and Whites’ ’07 season up and running.
22. 2016, Hull 36 Rovers 12 – It was derby dominance for Hull in 2016. This one kept them top of the table, with Steve Michaels and Mark Minichello scoring try braces.
21. 2019, Catalans 10 Hull 50 – Big scores like this don’t come often in the South of France, especially when it’s over 30 degrees, but when the likes of Jake Connor, Albert Kelly, and Josh Griffin are all on fire, then maybe they’re not a surprise.
20. 2016, Warrington 12 Hull 19 – A massive game between the two sides that led the way in 2016, with Wigan winning the Grand Final. Standard. This one felt huge at the time, mind. Peak Mark Minichiello.
19. 2025, Wigan 12 Hull 32 – Results like this at Wigan are unheard of, especially when you’re understrength but Hull, minus John Asiata and with Aidan Sezer pulling the strings, were on fire. A fine victory.
18. 2010, Hull 20 Rovers 16 – Tom Briscoe’s tackle rounded off a classic derby affair in one of only a handful of seasons when both Hull clubs have been in the play-off picture at the same time.
17. 2020, Leeds 4 Hull 30 – Start as you mean to go on. Hull were pretty much perfect at Leeds from the moment Carlos Tuimavave got the ball rolling. A fine opening-day win.
16. 2006, Hull 23 Leeds 16 – Cementing their highest-ever finish in the Super League era, Hull beat Leeds 23-16 to tie up second spot. It was another superb display in a season that kept on delivering, with Richard Whiting kicking the win off with two tries. Hull didn’t look back.
15. 2006, Hull 54 Wigan 12 – Wigan flirted with relegation 20 years ago but take nothing away from a dominant Hull display. To hammer the Cherry and Whites in that manner is always a fair effort.
14. 2002, Hull 38 Leeds 6 – Stuffing the Rhinos in their final meeting at the famous Boulevard ground, this was Jason Smith at his brilliant best in front of the lights.
13. 2019, Wigan 22 Hull 23 – Ending a 13-game losing streak across the back and the start of the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Hull’s win at Wigan was sheer delirium. It was also history-making, with Marc Sneyd’s golden point drop-goal being the first of its kind and sending a strong away end barmy.
12. 2019, Catalans 30 Hull 31 – Four moments of Marc Sneyd madness. This one was sheer utter carnage and completely dramatic. The restart. The penalty goal. The second restart. The golden point drop-goal. When you need a big moment, or in this case, four, Marc Sneyd delivered.
11. 2019, Hull 56 Rovers 12 – Ten tries, including a hat-trick for Jack Logan, and two Marc Sneyd derby records put Hull on their way to the biggest-ever derby win and winning margin. Rovers were absolutely annihilated.
10. 2006, Leeds 28 Hull 44 – A result that looks closer than it was. Hull, at their peak in 2006, were in the middle of a 13-match winning streak. They raced into a 36-6 lead at Headingley with Paul Cooke, then in vintage form, practically untouchable.
9. 2004, Bradford 18 Hull 26 – Four tries for Shaun Briscoe and a Man of the Match award for Richard Swain against the then all-conquering Bradford Bulls. This was a Hull classic at Osdal.
8. 2010, St Helens 12 Hull 32 – The one in the Knowsley Road fog where Sean Long starred, Tom Briscoe scored with one boot on and Hull impressed in another superb opening-day win. At least that’s what we think happened.
7. 2010, Hull 27 St Helens 26 – After Tom Briscoe opened the scoring, Hull found themselves 6-26 down. However, with Saints legend Sean Long pulling the strings again, they rallied for a superb comeback victory, with Danny Tickle landing the all-decisive drop-goal. Massive.
6. 2016, Wigan 16 Hull 30 – Hull were on the rise in 2016 and after smashing St Helens out of the cup, they headed to Wigan and hit the same heights five days later. Jamie Shaul’s try to regain a crucial lead was nothing short of sensational.
5. 2005, Hull 44 St Helens 6 – A vintage attacking performance from Hull, who would go on to hammer the Jamie Lyon-inspired Saints side again in the Challenge Cup semi-final at Huddersfield just two months later.
4. 2016, Rovers 20 Hull 22 – The hour mark was approaching and Hull were 20-0 down. Then Jamie Shaul popped up and Steve Michaels had a party. It’s fair to say what followed later that year started here. The scenes.
3. 2006, St Helens 26 Hull 27 – A Thursday night affair, St Helens had Jamie Lyon, Leon Pryce and Sean Long, but it was Hull’s Paul Cooke who had the final say. That winning drop-goal. 40 or so metres. Incredible. An unbelievable win.
2. 2005, Warrington 6 Hull 40 – A night Hull FC will never forget. All the talk was on Andrew Johns and Warrington’s surge to the Grand Final, but the Airlie Birds became the party poopers with a Nathan Blacklock hat-trick, setting them up for one of their finest wins of the summer era.
1. 2006, Hull 19 Bradford 12 – A crowd of 16,087 saw the Black and Whites beat the Bradford Bulls 19-12 to set up a first-ever trip to the Grand Final at Old Trafford. The emotions at full-time told their own story. What a win, and what a team this was.