The 36-year-old will hang his boots up after Friday’s game. And what a career he’s had.
Hull FC’s retiring star Tom Briscoe.(Image: SW PIX)
The goal of every rugby league player is to be the one that your teammates want to play with, to go to battle with, and retiring Hull FC star Tom Briscoe was exactly that.
A true professional, Briscoe’s conduct on and off the field was impeccable and was always centred on giving his all for the three pro clubs he played for – Hull, Leeds Rhinos, and Leigh Leopards.
In every game he played, Briscoe, who also featured for England on the international stage, did that and more. A champion player that won it all – two Super League titles and four Challenge Cups, to be precise – he has no regrets after a career that has spanned 472 games with 233 tries to boot.
It’s been some journey, one that started at Hull in 2008 and now ends in fairy-tale fashion at Headingley against the Rhinos this Friday night.
Reflecting on that journey, Briscoe, still held in high regard from Hull to Leeds, told Hull Live: “I feel privileged to have achieved so much and to have conducted myself in a way and still be playing in that way that, I suppose, demands that kind of talk. It makes me feel proud that people talk about me in that way. It’s special.
“I think it comes just from growing up and just wanting to give my all in everything that I do. If you’re going to do something, do it right, and put everything into it, and I feel like I have done that.
“Whenever I have got the opportunity to play, I’ve given everything, which is why I leave knowing that I’ve got no regrets. I’ve got no hang-ups; I’ve achieved everything that I wanted to and I’m happy with that.”
Making the call to retire, Briscoe admitted he had similar thoughts last year, but after playing a key role in his second spell at Hull, having rejoined the club in 2024, he decided to give it one final crack.
“It’s been a decision I’ve been toying with for a while now,” Briscoe, who earned doctor status after completing his PhD last month, continued. “I had thoughts at the back end of last year, but there’s always one more year to play.
“There were a few things that I wasn’t quite ready with, like the education side. I hadn’t finished my PhD, and I didn’t quite feel ready to make that decision, but then this year, it’s taken its toll. I didn’t expect to play as many games as I have played, and I got a few bumps and knocks along the way.
“There was one particular game a couple of weeks ago where I really struggled and obviously I had to miss the next game and I think that kind of cemented it in my mind that maybe it’s time. I’ve put my body through enough that I knew I was ready.
“I’m not getting any younger and the game’s getting harder. I never wanted to be a player where I kind of fizzled out and I couldn’t give my all or went out with injury. I wanted to go out on my terms.”
Briscoe will now line up against the Rhinos one final time – with the two clubs where the player played all but 18 months of his career lining up against each other.
“It’s a strange one and I’ll be a bit emotional,” Briscoe said. “I got a great send-off after our last home game and coming up to this last one now, it’s a bit surreal after playing so many games and being involved with so many teams and achieving so much.
“It’s a difficult one to take in, really. I don’t think it’ll fully hit me until after the game when the emotion of the game and everything finishes and knowing that that’s it.”
As for Briscoe’s career highlights, many spring to mind. For Hull, it’s the derby heroics against Hull KR, the try with one boot on at St Helens, and the try against Leeds, where he beat several players on the way to the line. Elsewhere, it’s glory. Wembley wins. Old Trafford triumphs. Treble wins. He did it all.
“It’s hard to look past that 2015 year,” Briscoe recalled. “Getting the treble, winning at Wembley, scoring the five tries, the Lance Todd – that was a special year. But then, looking at different moments, I feel incredibly proud to have represented England for so many occasions and to get that privilege to pull on the England shirt.
“And then Leigh was special and in the first year to win a Challenge Cup there for the first time in 50 years for that club; that’s a real special moment as well.
“Also playing here (at Hull FC) and coming back to this stadium (the MKM Stadium), some of the memories I’ve got here are playing in my first year, scoring the full-length try against Hull KR, the tackle on Peter Fox, and the long-range one against Leeds.
“I suppose the little tries and moments in games where you look back and when you speak to fans, they still mention it, so they must have been special. I feel privileged to have been able to achieve all that and it’s amazing to think where I started, coming off the bench at Warrington, getting picked up from college on the way to the ground.
“It’s been a long journey, nearly 19 years, but there have been some incredible memories and some incredible experiences. The players and people that I’ve met along the way – it’s those kinds of experiences that will stick with me forever and the people I’ve met that have made it so special.”
And as for his final game, Briscoe wants to bow out as he started: with his head held high. He added: “This club is special and the fans are amazing. It’s where I started my career and it’s where I will finish it.
“Going back to the last home game, when I scored the try and the whole stadium were singing my name, that’s what I’ll remember forever. That was a special moment, and one of the players came up to me afterwards and said his hairs were standing up.
“This club holds a special place in my heart, and I’ll forever remember the support, the staff, and the people that I’ve met and what this club has given me. I just want to play well now and obviously go out playing well under my own terms. I’m looking forward to that and whatever else comes on the night, I will take and accept for what it is.”