HULL KR forward Dean Hadley has been a constant factor throughout his club’s rise to prominence since he arrived in east Hull in 2019.
Last season he appeared 30 times for the club, always in a starting position, and he was voted the Robins’ Player of the Year at their annual awards night.
But his original club was Hull FC, with whom he made his Super League debut in 2013 and, before joining the Robins, he had a season on loan at Wakefield Trinity in 2017.
Like his team-mate Jez Litten, he made the switch from west Hull to the red half of the city, with both players now being talked of as potential England selections for this autumn’s Ashes series against Australia.
And Hadley, now at the peak of his powers at the age of 32, believes his success came from a desire to take control of his own career.
“I was a bit in and out at Hull,” he explained.
“The easy decision would have been to stay, but I was aged 26 and I decided I needed to take a risk.
“I had confidence in myself as a player and I knew what type of player I was. So I decided to back myself and I came here.
“But in the first couple of years I had back-to-back shoulder injuries and I had surgery. I missed a fair few games and it wasn’t all plain sailing.
“But I’ve always gone back to what I am as a player and a person and fortunately I have managed to play. When I’m playing week to week, that’s when people see what type of player I am.
“At Hull, people didn’t see that because I was in and out.
“I had that one year at Wakefield on loan, when I played every week and I felt appreciated. The Wakefield club and their fans really liked me and made me realise that I needed to be playing every week.
“That was one of the reasons for my move to Hull KR and I’ve had no regrets.”
And Hadley has come on significantly since the arrival of Robins coach Willie Peters in May 2022.
“Since Willie has come in, I’ve found that what he is really big on are my strengths too, which is the defensive side of the game and the effort areas and maybe the little things that people don’t see,” said Hadley.
“I’ve really bought into the way Willie wants to play and how the game looks. Fortunately for me it’s gone well and I hope I can keep doing that.”
Hadley made one appearance for England Knights on their 2018 tour of Papua New Guinea and if he is to earn a senior cap, now may be his best chance.
“For any player that is the pinnacle. England v Australia in the Ashes is going to be unbelievable,” he said.
“As a kid I used to love watching those games so to be a part of that would be amazing.
“But I’ve got a long way to go. There are some quality forwards in that England team so for me it’s about starting games every week and playing big minutes. That’s when I’m at my best.
“I have to keep doing that for Hull KR and getting better. If I can keep doing that, then perhaps good things will come off the back of it.”
