The winger’s effect at Hull FC will continue to be felt next year.
Hull FC’s Harvey Barron & Lewis Martin.(Image: SW PIX)
Tom Briscoe is hoping the effects of the last two and a half years pay off for Hull FC long into the future.
Of course, the now retired winger came back to the Black and Whites back in April 2024 for a different role to the one he had 11 years prior.
The first signing of the Richie Myler era, Briscoe added much-needed experience to a young Hull side, and in particular to young first-team wingers Harvey Barron and Lewis Martin.
A mentor to both talents, the 36-year-old, who hung his boots up after victory against Leeds Rhinos at Headingley earlier this month, is anticipating the FC pair to really kick on now in the seasons to come and maximise their potential.
Both Barron and Martin finished the season strong after difficult periods with Briscoe explaining: “I came back for a different role, speaking with Richie before I signed, he wanted some experienced players to come and guide that young group at the time.
“And if I look back now, the likes of Lewis Martin, Harvey Baron, two wingers that were kind of coming through and to see to see where they’ve got to now, that’s nice.
“Then you look at Davy (Litten) and Logan (Moy), two other young guys that have played all year and really cemented their spots in the team this season. It’s nice to see that little part that I played, maybe some experience and guidance along the way, maybe has helped them.”
Announcing his retirement at the end of last month, Briscoe bowed out a winner at Headingley but is now set for the unknown. He has options after completing a PhD degree this summer but without the regimental nature of being in a rugby league team – qualities Hull’s young backs are finding – there will still be some adjusting to do.
“To be so regimented and strict for so long, it’s tough,” Briscoe said. “You miss out on a lot of things, but the things you give up gets given back in different ways and what I’ve done in my career, I feel privileged and proud to have achieved that.
“But yeah, I think having spoke to a number of players that have retired, they say that’s the one of the hardest things to try and navigate: getting back to a reality where not everything is dictated to and you can kind of do what you want when you want.
“I would like to think that, over the last few years, I’ve prepared myself and done what I can off the field in order to make it a smooth transition. But yeah, we’ll see.”
“But it’s a different type of environment (being in a rugby league team). You come in and you’re having fun with your mates every day. Even travelling into work, we’ve got a Leeds bus that comes over, and yeah, that’s fun.
“Obviously that’ll all stop overnight. So I think, yeah, it’s the people around the place, and the day-to-day interactions with so many people, like-minded people, driven people, that’s all I’ve experienced. I think that’s the biggest thing I’ll miss and the hardest thing to accept.”