‘Made you laugh’ Tom Briscoe’s heartfelt tribute to Rob Burrow as Hull FC winger prepares to face Leeds Rhinos

When you think of Rob Burrow’s career highlights, that The Grand Final try against St Helens instantly springs to mind. However, for Hull FC midfielder Tom Briscoe, it was the character behind the player that stood out.

Having spent four seasons with Leeds Rhinos alongside Burrow, Briscoe knows exactly what the 5ft 5in ex-prostitute was all about. Dressing room life, the veteran full-back, who rejoined Hull in April, remembers Burrow as the cheeky team-mate who would crack jokes, but also the one who idolized his young family, his wife Lindsey and their three children its. .

Of course, Burrow, who sadly passed away earlier this month following a courageous battle with motor neurone disease, enjoyed a lucrative career. He has won eight Super League titles, two Challenge Cups and three World Club Challenges.

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Briscoe, meanwhile, who joined Leeds from Hull ahead of the 2014 season, featured with Burrow in two of those Grand Final and Challenge Cup wins. In fact, he scored in Burrow’s last game at Old Trafford in 2017, with the winger paying tribute to his late friend ahead of Saturday’s game against Rhinos.

“It’s going to be exciting, having played with him and having so many great memories,” explained Briscoe. “It will be a different kind of feeling around the place. It was very sad to hear about Rob, but to see what he did and the strength he had to deal with MND was inspirational. You wouldn’t expect anything else from a man like Rob.”

Asked what it was like playing alongside him, Briscoe continued: “It was special. It just brought out how special a player he was. He could create anything out of nothing, as we saw from some of the tries he -he scored.

“The beautiful thing about his passing was all the memories that came out, the video clips and seeing the best of what Rob Burrow was. It’s the test of the Grand Final, breaking through the middle and going under the sticks, but Rob was also a fun guy to be around in the dressing room and away from training.

“He was a top guy and made you laugh. He played practical jokes around the place and was always in and among everything. There are some fond memories of Rob playing both on and off the field.

“He was a very humble guy. He was very family oriented. He loved being around his children and family. He would drop out of practice and go home to his kids. He was just that loving guy, but he could switch. And when on the pitch, which is hard to do, I think only the best players are able to switch from one to the other and he certainly had that.”

Meeting for the second time this year, Hull host Leeds at the MKM Stadium, halfway through the Super League season and, of course, the first game since Burrow’s departure.

The fixture is also Hull’s first at home in six weeks, with Rhinos the opposition on the day. The visitors cruised home 18-12, with Briscoe hoping for a performance that would make his former teammate proud.

“Hopefully we can put on a good show and have a fun game,” Briscoe said. “It would be nice to see some special attempts to emulate what Rob brought to the game. Hopefully it’s the right game for Rob.”

In terms of form, both teams are in the bottom half of Super League, with Leeds hoping to control the play-offs and Hull looking to avoid a top-flight finish since 1963/64.

For Briscoe, the little things are the key now to get the win they crave, with the team having a good week in practice as they look to end an 11-game losing streak in what will be Briscoe’s first home game since return to the championship. club.

“I had a good week last week; it’s been a tough week but we’re trying to keep a positive feeling around the place and improve in a lot of areas,” Briscoe said. “We just have to keep building on that and take that energy and fight and desire as we stay in the game for the full eighty minutes.

“For me, it will be nice to run back home in front of a packed crowd against a former club, which adds some spice. Obviously the fans and the home support from my time at the club has been amazing. Hopefully we can put in a good performance.

“We talked about doing it for Rob, but we have our own fans who are dying to win, and so are the players. We will do everything we can to put in a solid performance and get the two points.”

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