‘I had a broken arm, but KR needed me so I got a Stanley knife and sliced the cast off’
HOGAN’S MEMORIES OF THE 1985 JOHN PLAYER FINAL WIN
Aspecial kind of effort was required to win Hull derbies in the late 1970s and early 1980s as the great rivals battled it out for silverware. As well as fighting for the title in the Championship, Hull KR and Hull FC were brought together in six finals in as many years and shared the spoils, claiming three trophies each.
Rovers were at the peak of their powers when the teams last met in a final 36 years ago.
By January 26, 1985, KR had made good progress in their pursuit of back-to-back league titles but were all set to arrive at Boothferry Park for the John Player Special Trophy final without a key man in Phil Hogan.
The back-rower had originally been ruled out but defied a serious injury to answer a late call from coach Roger Millward and help his team to a memorable 12-0 win in the snow.
“Well I wasn’t picked for that game as I had a broken arm which was a bit of a blow as that was the one medal for a full house for me but heigh-ho,” Hogan told the Mail.
“On the day of the game my wife answered the phone and it was Roger Millward. He asked how I was and if I was fit.
“My response was yes as I ran a health club.
“He said ‘(Andy) Kelly has injured his ankle so get here as quick as you can,’ to which I replied ‘I’ve got a broken arm, I can’t play.’
“He said to get there so they could assess me so I took a Stanley knife to the pot and slowly sliced it off to give it a good massage before phoning a taxi.
“When I got to the hotel they kitted me out and told me to try make some tackles. The physio applied some felt padding onto my arm and off I went.
“The first tackle was a bit jittery but I think the cold weather helped as it was bitterly cold so I didn’t have much feeling.
“When I got back into the changing room there were long conversations between Johnny Moore, Roger and Ged Dunn.
“My thoughts were that I’d be on the bench but suddenly they announced the team and I was second row. I thought, ‘How do I do
Phil Hogan in action during the final this? I haven’t played in 10 weeks.’
“Roger came over and sat with me for a bit saying give me a good 30 minutes and they will take a look at how I’m doing.
“Well the rest is history and we managed to outplay Hull FC.”
The Robins went into the Boothferry Park final in fine form having won their previous 11 games but knew they had to be at their best to beat an FC side boasting the likes of Gary Kemble, Peter Sterling and a young Lee Crooks.
Inspired by Hogan’s bravery and scrum-half Paul Harkin - who “played Sterling off the park”, in the words of team-mate Mike Smith KR scored three tries and kept FC scoreless in front of a crowd of 25,326. Hogan not only finished with a try and an assist but also scars that remind him of one of his best days on a rugby field.
“I managed to score one and I was able to put my great friend Garry Clarke in at the corner,” reflected Hogan.
“Fond memories. I didn’t have a copy of the game until Rugby
League Cares posted the game a few weeks back and gave me a chance to see the game from start to finish. Splendid.
“My main recollection of the game was we all played our socks off to a man to outplay Hull FC, especially in those conditions. I had ice cuts and scrapes that took weeks to heal.”