The five best Hull KR players of the Super League era

For the first eleven seasons of Super League, Hull KR were languishing in the lower tiers before promotion at the end of 2006 finally saw them reach the promised land.

Since then, Rovers have flirted between the play-offs and relegation, succumbing to the latter in the infamous Million Pound Game in 2016. It was a one-year hiatus from the top-flight, however, as the Robins bounced back in 2017. 13 years in Super League has seen a lot of stars come and go at Craven Park, with five of the best included in this list.

Michael Dobson

Perhaps the first on everyone’s list, Michael Dobson became a cult hero at Hull KR during his six-season stay. After impressing for Catalans and Wigan in Super League and then Canberra in the NRL, Dobson moved to KR in 2008. In 2009, the halfback helped the Robins hit fourth in the league in just their third season in the top-flight, being rewarded with a place in that year’s Dream Team. 153 appearances and almost 1,300 points later, the halfback left Craven Park at the end of 2013 after a stellar spell. Arguably KR’s greatest ever Super League player.

Clint Newton 

Joining Hull KR ahead of the 2008 season, Clint Newton announced himself instantly on the Super League stage. The rampaging forward made 100 appearances for the Robins, registering 40 tries, but it was his overall play and passion on the field that impressed the fans on the terraces. An ever-present in his three seasons on Humberside, Newton was named in the 2009 Super League Dream Team, excelling in both the front and back row.

Ben Galea

After seven seasons in the NRL with Wests Tigers and one Grand Final winning medal, Ben Galea hit the coast of Humberside ahead of the 2008 season. The back-rower spent five seasons at Craven Park, registering 36 tries in 126 appearances and earning a Super League Dream Team place in 2009. A brilliant enforcer on the field, Galea operated like a man on a mission and he is still held in very high regard at the club.

Albert Kelly 

Despite spending just two seasons at Hull KR before making the move across the pond to fierce rivals FC, Albert Kelly was one of the most creative players to take the field for the Robins since Super League began. With an eye for a gap like few possess, Kelly crossed the line 23 times in 43 appearances and, despite off-field issues springing up, the halfback lit up the Super League in his spell at Rovers.

Josh Hodgson

Despite starting his career on the west side of Hull, it was in the east where Josh Hodgson firmly left his mark. Having been given a chance by Justin Morgan in 2010, the number nine went from strength-to-strength, racking up 134 appearances in five seasons. Hodgson impressed so much that he earned a deal with NRL side Canberra Raiders where he has been since departing KR at the end of 2014.