Horne, Briscoe and Lancaster - what’s happened to FC young guns?
Hull FC’S academy has produced a wealth of talent over the years with some of the club’s most iconic players being homegrown. The likes of Richard Horne, Danny Houghton, Kirk Yeaman and Jamie Shaul have all emerged from the youth ranks and into the first team picture since the club’s first season in the Super League and there will surely be plenty more to come in the future.
With that in mind, the Mail takes a look at the 10 youngest Hull players to make their debut in the Super League and what became of them.
10. Paul Cooke - 18 years and 8 days
The half-back had only just turned 18 when he made his debut for the Black and Whites, coming off the bench to feature in a 30-10 loss to St Helens at the Boulevard on April 25, 1999.
Cooke would go on to become a fans’ favourite at Hull and he played key roles in the Challenge Cup win in 2005 and the charge to the Grand Final in 2006.
However, he went from hero to zero in 2007 when he turned his back on the club and joined newly promoted Hull KR. He went on to represent Wakefield Trinity and Doncaster, too.
9. Graeme Horne - 18 years and 1 day
Horne scored two tries on his senior debut in the 88-0 win over Sheffield Eagles and that was enough to convince Shaun Mcrae that he was ready for his Super League debut, which came against Widnes Vikings, a day after his 18th birthday in 2003.
He was known for his versatility at Hull, playing in the back-row, outside backs and halves and scored 23 tries in 132 appearances for the club before joining Huddersfield Giants in 2010.
He has enjoyed spells at Hull KR, York City Knights and Doncaster since.
8. Richard Fletcher - 17 years, 10 months and 30 days
The forward made his debut off the bench against Leeds in April 1999, but struggled to tie down a regular spot in the side before he left to join Eastern Suburb Tigers in 2004 after making 71 appearances for his hometown club.
Castleford Tigers brought him back to the Super League and the Scotland international went on to play for Whitehaven, Widnes, Barrow Raiders and Dewsbury Rams before retiring from the professional game.
7. Tom Briscoe - 17 years, 10 months and 20 days
Briscoe’s talent was recognised at an early age and Peter Sharp showed no hesitation in throwing the youngster into his Super League side a month before his 18th birthday in February 2008.
He scored six tries during his debut season in the first team, including two in a convincing win over Hull KR and he went on to make of a habit of touching down.
The England international scored 90 times for Hull before making the move to Headingley where he remains a key player in Richard Agar’s Leeds side.
6. Kirk Yeaman - 17 years 10 months and 0 days
Few will remember the Black and Whites’ 15-6 loss to Leeds at the Boulevard in July 2001, but it will go down as the day a true club great made his debut for the club.
Yeaman only made three appearances in his first season and seven in his second, but by 2003 the centre was a key member of the side and beginning to score tries for fun.
He retired in 2016 as the club’s top tryscorer in the Super League era with 177 under his belt and two Challenge Cup medals to show for his 16 years with the Black and Whites.
5. Harry Tyson-wilson - 17 years, 8 months and 9 days
Tyson-wilson’s debut against Huddersfield Giants in September 2014 proved the playmaker’s only appearance in a Hull shirt, unfortunately.
He was rated highly but after loans with Doncaster and York, he was released in 2016 and allowed to join the Knights on a permanent deal.
Now 24, Tyson-wilson is still in the game and he is preparing for the new season as a Sheffield Eagles player after joining the Championship club in October.
4. Callum Lancaster - 17 years, 7 months and 10 days
Lancaster hit the ground running in the Super League. After making his debut in a disappointing 20-6 loss to Leeds Rhinos in May 2014, the winger bagged eight tries in his next three games.
However, he struggled for game time during the remainder of his time with the club and while he did score nine tries in total, he made just seven appearances before his release in 2016.
Since then he has spent time at York and Hunslet and in rugby union.
3. Tommy Lee - 17 years, 6 months and 13 days
Lee’s debut was one to remember as the then 17-year-old stepped into a side that saw off Leigh Centurions 76-20 at the KCOM Stadium just a fortnight before travelling down to Cardiff for the 2005 Challenge Cup final.
The playmaker eventually moved away from his boyhood club to Crusaders in 2010 before stints at Wakefield Trinity, Huddersfield, London Broncos, Salford Red Devils, St Helens and Hull KR.
Lee came out of retirement last year to join Halifax but his hopes of playing again were ended as coronavirus brought the Championship campaign to a halt.
2. Reece Lyne - 17 years, 3 months and 25 days
Lyne’s Hull career started brightly, scoring a try and underlining his potential in a Super League clash with Salford in March 2010.
However, he couldn’t quite settle in the first team at the KCOM Stadium and at the age of 19 he was allowed to join Wakefield Trinity on a permanent deal in 2012.
The England international has since played 184 times for Wakefield, establishing himself as one of the best centres in the country.
1. Richard Horne - 16 years and 9 months
Such was Horne’s obvious talent, he was thrown into the first team just months after bringing an end to his school days. He made his debut in the same game as Fletcher, versus Leeds in 1999 and started at fullback against the likes of Iestyn Harris, Terry Newton, Barrie Mcdermott and Adrian Morley.
By the time Horne had turned 17 he had already made 12 appearances and he would go on to make 375 more on his way to becoming a legend at the club.
He retired in 2014 but seven years on he is still regarded by many as the most talented player to pull on the shirt in the modern era.