Herman Ese’ese on the ‘crazy’ Hull derby, Hull FC’s chances, not falling into Hull KR’s trap, his own confidence, and form.
Hull KR’s Rhyse Martin and Hull FC’s Herman Ese’ese ahead of their Magic Weekend fixture.(Image: SW PIX)
The Hull derby is unique in itself in British rugby league. It’s not separated by a hill or an airport; it’s two teams from the same city, two teams that certainly don’t like each other, and two teams that come derby day are as passionate and proud as anyone.
That impression was felt by Hull FC prop Herman Ese’ese straight away. His first game just happened to be a derby. And he’s played in six since. He knows what it’s all about.
For Ese’ese, it’s Grand Final vibes, and the rivalry and atmosphere don’t come close: not even to State of Origin, the pinnacle of the Australian game.
Come Saturday, Hull and Rovers take that rivalry to Merseyside, to Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium for the Magic Weekend – and the big fella, back from a nine month Achilles injury last month and starting games again, is ready to go.
“It’s just crazy – I’ve never experienced anything like it,” Ese’ese, speaking to Hull Live, said about the derby. “It’s probably more intense than a State of Origin, and that’s what I love about it.
“Both clubs are really passionate, and both teams are passionate about this derby, and it goes back a long time. I’m just really excited and grateful to be a part of this occasion.”
Recalling his debut back in February 2024, Ese’ese continued: “It’s an atmosphere I’ve never experienced throughout my career. I remember it was a night game, a cold night, and then running through the tunnel of the MKM out onto the pitch, and it was just loud. That’s all I remember – just loud and black and white everywhere.
“There were no empty seats, and yeah, it was just full on. The atmosphere was crazy. I’ve never experienced anything like it. I was talking to a few of the Aussie boys at the time; they were there. They were saying that now it feels like a grand final; it’s only round one, but it felt like a grand final.
“It was a big occasion for the city, a big occasion for both clubs and no doubt we’ll get another good turnout at Magic Weekend, and hopefully this time we can get the job done.”
The elephant in the room isn’t lost on Hull FC, who haven’t beaten Rovers in almost three years. They’ve lost seven on the bounce and are due a derby win.
“We had our team meeting this morning and Lasty being Hull-born and bred, a Black and White, you can just see the passion that he has for the derby and what it means to him,” Ese’ese said. “But not just him, the other Hull boys that are born and bred here, and you see what it means to them, and you just don’t want to let them down.
“It’s a big occasion for the boys that are from here and for the families. It’s kind of like a grand final for them. They always mark it off on the calendar: the derby weekend. I heard stories about how it splits families for the week, and they don’t talk, like Davy and Jez (Litten). Davy says that they don’t speak for the week, and they’re cousins. It’s awesome to see that and how passionate they are about the derby. I just can’t wait.”
Hull come into the clash on the back of an encouraging performance against Wigan last week – albeit in defeat – while Rovers were heavily beaten at Leeds. There have been suggestions that a win could come this week – but Ese’ese isn’t falling into any traps.
“I think their confidence may be a bit shot after that loss against Leeds, and now they’ve got a few boys missing,” he said. “Everyone’s saying that maybe we have a good chance, but we can’t let that get to our heads.
“I know they’ll still come out firing, but the boys have been on it this week and they’ve been training really well. We’ve just been focusing on ourselves and what we can do better, and come Saturday, we’ll be ready.
“We’ve just got to focus on the task ahead and be in the moment. We want to make sure we start strong with that same intent, be physical, be disciplined, and have a high completion, and then we should be all right. Our effort is there, and it really gives us a lot of confidence heading into the game.”
And for Ese’ese personally, the confidence is brimming after getting his first start after three appearances from the bench. The prop is finding his groove again and ran for an impressive 154 metres off 22 carries last week.
“I knew it was going to take me a few games just to get some match fitness, but I felt really comfortable starting on the weekend against a really good team like Wigan, and I really wanted to test myself against their forward pack,” Ese’ese added. “I felt really good. It feels good to start again, and I feel really comfortable starting, and hopefully I can build on it.
“Coming back from a major injury, it can really shoot your confidence and you can really struggle at times, but I felt like the first few games I’ve gained a lot of confidence from them.
“I think that was the main thing. It was just building on each game. And that was my main focus: taking it one game at a time, and eventually when I got that start, I felt really good and played some big minutes and felt really comfortable.
“I was just really excited to play. You want to come up against the best and test yourself against the best. I’ve got a lot of confidence from last week’s performance and it’s another tough challenge this week. They’ve got a good forward pack so it’s a battle there I’m really looking forward to. I can’t wait to get out there.”