Why Halton wasted no time in signing deal to join KR
YOUNG STAR DETERMINED TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION IN SUPER LEAGUE
When Frankie Halton starts training with Hull KR next week, his new team-mates will quickly discover he is one of those players who is a nightmare to tackle.
Anybody who has played the game has come across that person who is all arms and legs, somebody you just can’t seem to get to grips with.
Halton has earned exactly that reputation during his time with Swinton Lions and Featherstone.
A back-rower by trade who is capable of playing in the middle, Halton has outlined what KR fans can expect from him next season.
“Other people have said that I’m an awkward person to tackle,” he told the Mail. “I can break the line and get a win for the next play the ball. I do like running a good line so hopefully I can bring a bit of impact on the edge.”
Halton was a strike weapon for Featherstone in his debut season with the club in 2021, quickly catching the eye of Tony Smith.
The KR head coach set the ball rolling by arranging a meeting in June and before he knew it Halton was signing a two-year deal.
“I went and met him and Danny Mcguire,” said Halton.
“We had a chat talking about rugby and the philosophy on where the club is going.
“That face-to-face meeting with them both sold the move to me. They both turned up and asked a lot of questions. They gave me an insight into what they’re doing and what their plans were.
“It just seemed like a really good fit. I obviously used to watch Mcguire and Tony has been very successful so to go and have a coffee with them was a bit surreal. The meeting went well. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
There was interest from elsewhere but there was only one club for Halton after the meeting with Smith and Mcguire.
“It was Salford but I never got an offer from them,” he added.
“I had a meeting with Richard Marshall and he said he was keeping tabs on me. Then I went to meet KR and got an offer that night.
“When I left I was thinking ‘Right, I’m signing there now.’ It was a pretty quick done deal.”
Halton kept a close eye on the Robins in the final few months of the season and what he saw left him excited about next year.
“They play exciting rugby and aren’t afraid to chance their arm and throw the ball about,” he said.
“They’ve clearly got good team morale as well. You can see that on the pitch and in some of their results as well when they’ve had key players out and the next man fills in and does his job.
“I’d put that down to Tony and his culture and philosophy, and all the players buying into it. It’s obviously a club on the up and hopefully we can go one better next year.”
Halton has already moved over to Hull after finding a place close to the marina.
Like Tom Garratt who went from Siddal to Super League in the space of two and a half years, Halton has enjoyed a remarkable rise since leaving the amateur game in 2018.
The 25-year-old spent time in the Warrington Wolves scholarship system and the reserves set-up at Leigh Centurions as a teenager before rediscovering his love for the game with local club Leigh Miners.
“Leigh abandoned the squad when me and a few other players were still contracted,” he explained.
“They sent me on loan to North Wales Crusaders but I got there and the set-up wasn’t very good at the time and I wasn’t enjoying it.
“I sort of fell out of love with rugby a bit so I just went back to Leigh Miners before the season had even started. I loved playing for the Miners - it was class.”
Although he had dropped back into the amateur game, Halton never left the radar of then-swinton coach Stuart Littler.
But it was a twist of fate that eventually brought the pair together in a professional capacity.
“I’ve known Stuart for a while through my brother and I saw him at a friend’s wedding,” said Halton.
“He’d asked me to go play for them before but I used to work away a lot so I couldn’t do it. I’d recently changed jobs so I went over to him and asked him whether I could have another crack at it.
“It just went from there. I went down that first year and had a good year playing every game and got an Ireland call-up at the end of it.
“It was a bit of a chance encounter but worked out pretty well. I owe a lot to Stu giving me that chance.”
Halton went through several jobs as he juggled full-time work with his part-time rugby commitments, the latest seeing him serve an engineering apprenticeship during his time with Featherstone.
After joining Hull KR, he can focus all his energy on carving out a career in Super League.
“It’s hard work going to work all day and then training at night and putting a good two, two and a half hours in there,” said Halton.
“Working full-time and training part-time is hard but this is my fulltime job now and my one commitment.
“To have my sole focus on training, recovery and eating right in full-time training is going to be good. Hopefully I can see a lot of benefits from it.
“The journey I’ve had will make me appreciate it a lot more. I’m not a young lad anymore - I’m 25. That puts this chance into perspective.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity and hopefully I can repay the faith.”
Halton will link up with some familiar faces when he starts training with his new club on Monday.
The forward has spent time with George King and Ethan Ryan in the Ireland set-up, and got to know Mikey Lewis over a coffee this week.
It will be a change of pace for Halton but he has no intention of standing back and admiring the star names in the Rovers squad.
“I want to get in, have a really good pre-season and get my foot in the door,” he said.
“Hopefully I can get a few games in early in the season, try give Tony Smith a headache and get in his 17 week in, week out. That’s my goal.”
Hull FC have delivered on the promise Adam Pearson made in his final programme notes of the 2021 season. After collapsing at the half-way point of the season, Pearson made his intentions clear ahead of the Black and Whites’ loss to Wigan Warriors and promised changes.
Those have come in key areas to give Brett Hodgson’s line-up a fresher look as they continue with their preparations for the 2022 Super League campaign.
Of course, conclusive judgement will be reserved until next season, but right now the FC hierarchy will be feeling confident that those alterations made are improvements.
In Darnell Mcintosh, who admittedly was confirmed back in August, Luke Gale, Kane Evans and Joe Lovodua, Hull have added size, speed, international quality and leadership.
More changes could yet come with Hodgson failing to rule out that possibility, but if they don’t the head coach will be happy with what he has at his disposal.
In order to shake things up and bring players in, FC knew established faces would have to leave and that process started before the season had come to an end.
The club made contact with other Super League outfits about those available within their squad with the likes of Mahe Fonua, Josh Bowden and Jordan Johnstone thought to have been offered.
They quickly dialled up their interest in players they had previously identified as options and Lovodua was the first to be confirmed, taking the overseas spot Bureta Faraimo had vacated on his way to Castleford Tigers.
Lovodua is unproven in the Super League having spent his club career playing in the New South Wales Cup.
But, his attributes such as tricky ruck play, speed and energy tick all the boxes in terms of what Hull have been looking for in a hooker, not to mention the international experience while representing Fiji.
Then came the first big call of the offseason as Hull reached a financial settlement with Fonua, allowing him to follow Faraimo to Wheldon Road and link up with former Hull coaches Lee Radford and Andy Last.
Fonua had struggled for form and confidence during his second spell at the MKM and a lapse in discipline before August’s Hull derby perhaps spelt the beginning of the end for him.
The addition of Evans from New Zealand Warriors was the one Hodgson was waiting for after regularly speaking about his desire to add to his front-row options.
In terms of props on the market this offseason, you’ll be hard pushed to find a more experienced and talented option available and once more, he seems to provide everything the head coach wanted.
Evans will miss the first three games of the Super League campaign but Hodgson will be hoping he can find his feet quickly and help bring even more out of Chris Satae and Ligi Sao by sharing their considerable load.
FC still don’t have huge numbers available to them in the front-row and a run of injuries similar to last year’s will leave them thin once more.
However, by replacing Masi Matongo, who has joined York, with another Fiji international, they have bolstered the quality of their options.
Last Friday’s business, allowing Marc Sneyd to leave and bringing in Gale, didn’t initially thrill every supporter.
It was tough for FC to say farewell to
Sneyd, who during his seven seasons in East Yorkshire more than cemented his place within club folklore, winning two Lance Todd trophies and coming up with clutch plays over and over again.
Hull have brought Gale in to offer something a little different, though.
The former Leeds man will undoubtedly dominate the club’s kicking game, but he’s also expected to take on the line, boost the attack and help Jake Connor realise his full potential by bringing out his best on a consistent basis from scrum-half.
His leadership qualities and character are perhaps what appealed most, though, and it is hoped he’ll help the club take strides forward when it comes to mentality on and off the field.
He’s played in the biggest games, he knows what it takes to be involved in them and has the personality needed to make a huge impact on the players around him.
Gale’s last few months at Leeds weren’t exactly smooth after a well-publicised falling out with Richard Agar, but he’ll be motivated to rediscover his best form with Hull and with Shaun Wane keeping tabs on his performances, a spot at the World Cup could be on the cards.
FC knew making changes was going to be far from straightforward, but they’ve made progress and the head coach has every right to feel excited about 2022.
KEY AREAS ADDRESSED WITH CLOSE SEASON