Betfair Big Interview: Hull's Lee Radford on this weekend's final

Rugby League / Ralph Ellis / 28 August 2008 / Leave a Comment

It's Rugby League's Challenge Cup final weekend at Wembley so this week Betfair went for an exclusive chat to Hull's captain Lee Radford about what we can expect.

Lee, you're a Hull boy and you will be leading out Hull FC at Wembley. What will that feel like?

Fantastic, I should think. I'm really, really proud, because it is something I never thought I'd get the opportunity to do.

The last local lad who played for Hull at Wembley didn't do so badly. Have you talked to Dean Windass about his winning goal in the play-offs?

No, I haven't - but I probably should have done! I must be the only person left in the city he's not told about it! Funnily enough I probably saw more of him when I was playing for Bradford and he was at Bradford City, and they used to train at the same place as us.

It's a good omen, though.

Definitely, fantastic, it's just been great for the city actually, with the football team doing well, Hull KR are having a decent season, and we're now through to the challenge cup final. There's a real buzz about the place. That helps everybody, it's great to see. Whatever street you go down you can guarantee somebody's got one of the three jerseys on, so sport in the city is absolutely buzzing.

You are going to be underdogs, but you are getting players back from injury, aren't you?

Yeah, we are massive underdogs, and with the sort of season Saints have had and their success in general over the last thee or four years that's probably right. But, and everybody always says this, it's a one off game and we've got one or two coming back. We do know that when we've got our strongest 17 on the pitch we can give anybody a game. We'll see what happens

It's been a tough season for you hasn't it? A lot of injuries and a change of coach too.

That's right. We played Huddersfield in a friendly before it even started and I think we lost four players that night with broken bones, and one with a dislocated shoulder. You thought: 'At least it won't get worse', but it did, it sort of spiralled from there. We've had four players in on loan this season which is unheard of. It's got to the stage where it's comical. None of them ever seem to be trivial injuries either

What has Richard Agar brought to you since he took over as coach?

A lot, he's a really relaxed coach, he comes across well. Towards the back end when Pete (Peter Sharp) was leaving everything was very intense. If a ball went down in training and so on you could expect everybody jumping down your throat. I think Richard has just sort of relaxed it a bit, taken a bit of stress and tension off, and that's helped

You were very disciplined as a team beating Wakefield in your semi-final. Will it be the same again?

That's the aim. We're not kidding ourselves, if we are to achieve anything we are going to have to bring our A game from one to 17. Over the past four or five years they've confirmed how good they are so we will have a game plan and need to try to stick to it

On the subject of discipline, is it right you went five weeks without a beer before the semi-final?

Yes I did. Fitness standards get better and better all the time, as it is in all sports, every year is a progression. You have to make some sacrifices to stay with it. People make comparisons to football, and I think physically we are a lot bigger people than they are, they tend to do a lot more endurance work, whereas we are looking at short stuff, up and down off the ground, running with people on your back and stuff. Our conditioning is specific to our sport. We have to do a bit of stamina work, but the majority is about speed and power

We're not arguing! You tried boxing when you had the Rumble in the Humber against Stuart Fielden for charity and won it. You'd wipe the floor with any of the footballers, then?

Ha, I don't know about that! I've not seen any of them fight! Dean Windass looks a bit intimidating, I'm not sure I'd put that one to the test!

It's a tough sport, though, isn't it? How hard is it recovering from all the hits?

Very tough. I'm 29 now and it's Tuesday or Wednesday before I'm getting over the Saturday game. It was a lot easier when I was younger. The knocks and the physicality of the sport mean you are bound to pick up injuries but it's part and parcel of what you've come across in your career.

You're still going back for more though because you've signed a new contract.

Yeah, I'm still enjoying my time at the club, in spite of the year we've had. In the last three years we've reached the 2005 challenge cup final and managed to win that, reached the grand final in 2006, we reached the play-offs last year and got to the quarter final of the cup, and now this year we've got to Wembley. Probably Leeds and Saints have been the most successful in that time but we've done our bit - and being a local boy it was a massive achievement for me to get to captain the club.

We hear you coach East Hull amateurs?

Yeah, I came through as a kid there and started coaching the youth about eight years ago to put something back. Then the opportunity came to coach the first team, they were struggling a bit, they asked me to go down, and the last seven years we've gone from being a Yorkshire league team to the national league, and last year finished national league champions. We're all on a high at the moment. It's just fun though, I'm not thinking about a long term career yet.

You've got a sports business too. Do you ever get time to sleep?

Not often! My missus doesn't often see me! I like to keep busy as much as I can, it does get a bit wearing sometimes but thankfully I've been blessed with a good life and I can do it all. Just hoping for something more to celebrate after Saturday.

Thanks for your time and good luck. We've a £50 free bet for your favourite charity.

I'll put that to the Steve Prescott foundation - it's the charity we did the boxing for. And I'll go for a long shot by backing Caleb Folan to be top English Premier League scorer. He got his first on the opening day and I think he will surprise people, there are definitely more goals to come. What's more I should be able to get that matched at around [300.00].