Woodsy's major problem was he was too short to play prop. He hated playing at fullback because he wanted to be right in the middle of things.

Vinnie Farrar was one of the hardest to pull on the B&W. Steve Dennison tells a story about a game against Bradford Northern: as the pack went down, it suddenly erupted and Jeff Grayshon swung a haymaker at Vince. Vinnie rode it and his fist only moved 6" to connect with Grayshon's jaw. Dennison reckoned it's the only time he'd seen a grown man cry on the field. Result was: Grayshon gets led off the field and we got the penalty and the resultant two points.

As a group, then I'd say the pack of the 1982 side who played the Aussies. Five of the six forwards were Hull-born and for the first 20 minutes of that game we kicked them off the park, even Les Boyd was looking for somewhere to hide.

Karl Harrison.

Trevor never needed to dish it out, he caused plenty of damage with perfectly fair tackles. I recall a cup semi against Cas in the 80s (can't remember which one, there were that many) and James Leuluai had just been clattered by a Cas forward (could've been Beefy). A couple of plays later and Skerret lined him up, when he hit him you could physically hear all the air come rushing out of his lungs. He never bothered having a go again that day.

I think there are a few who are confusing hard and violent in this thread. To have Brad Hepi mentioned in the same thread as the likes of Woods, Skerritt, Harrison etc is an insult the genuinlet tough nuts.

Steve Folkes, aussie loose forward during Brian Smiths tenure. Small in stature but ran through brick walls and didn't get intimidated by anyone.

Barry Mac once made a comment at an after dinner that the hardest man presently on the circuit was Lee Radford.

Remember that tackle...we all stood there and winced....nearly cut the poor bugger in half.

Hepi wasnt hard...he was a thug and cheap shot merchant.

Agreed. Woodsy would take on anyone anysize anytime anywhere. No cheap shots, just a genuine hard man.

RIP Woodsy, your like will never be seen again.

In recent years it has to be Kearney. Just a presence about him, I put a lot of the cup run down to SK. The away game at Wakey which got very physical and then the semi against Saints, in both those games he initimidated them, you don't see that opften in souch a tough sport. Before that, I think Terry Regan was the toughest I've seen and I include the 80s pack there.

As an outsider looking in for 40+ years I think the hardest FC player I saw was Paul Woods.

I remember Warrington coming to the Boulevard and Steve Hesford made a break, from full-back, down the right wing (Threepenny Stand), he looked up and saw all there was between him and the line was Paul Woods. He STOPPED, I kid you not. He stopped and waited for support. Unfortunately (for him), it never got there in time.

Rose, Crooks and Skerret in that same 80's pack was awesome and a concern for any opposing forwards.

For sheer lunacy and hard as nails intimidation , it has to be Paul Woods.

My dad says the Drake brothers who were nutters apparently and Grandad who apparently played a few times but I think for only the reserves or A team was a lunatic in the 30's 40's.

Was there a player who played for Wigan years ago who had a name similar to Skerret? Everytime I hear his name mentioned it reminds me of someone who played for Wigan? (Tbh might not of even been wigan).

Its a different game now and many those pre 1990's hard men simply wouldn't have had a career now thanks to the always present cameras so we'll never see another Paul Woods. Great memories of him though.

A mistake many people make is equating dirty play with hardness. Some players will dish it out but hide from the consequences (Ryan Bailey is of course the poster boy for this) and others will only target the smaller opponents (Len Casey made his "hard man" name taking out opposing scrum halfs, which backfired spectacularly on him when he tried Fred Ah Koui). The real hard men take on anyone and are prepared to suffer the consequences of their actions.

Two genuinely hard men who played for Hull and perhaps didn't get the full recognition they deserved because they destroyed their opponents in a usually legal manner were Trevor Skerrett and Karl Harrison.

Kelvin Skerret, Trevor's nephew I believe. Tough indeed but much dirtier than Trevor - though since he played for Wigan he always got soft treatment when on disciplinary charges.

There's some footage of Kelvin on you chube, he was a rite nut bar.

Graham Walters was another one who was a hard sod...remember him flattening someone in front of threepennys...well assaulting more like.

Ah no wonder I always got confused.



Although Kelvin played for Wigan, therfore probably got more recognition. Who was the better player of the two?

He also wore a cocoa tin lid on a chain around his neck, shirt unbuttoned to the waist, tight, white flares (with obligatory clenched buttocks) and made the fatal mistake (fatal to my lugholes anyway), of believing that everyone from Wales could sing

Both very good. I'm biased in favour of Trevor who at is peak was awesome and had the respect of the Australians. He did suffer a bad leg injury which meant he missed a GB tour and he was never the same after that.

Alan McGlone was as hard as they came, he and Frank Foster probably the other mobs hardest I've seen were always at each others heads. After him it's gotta be Paul Rose.

The hardest player I have seen is Paul Woods no one else comes even close, the guy was legend.

Cas away 1980 we where getting beat by Cas and the Hyde decided to take on the line with only Paul Woods to beat, we all knew what was going to happen. Dropped him and just walked off I do not think the ref actually sent him off. The same Paul Woods who was banned before the 1980 Wembley final for 8 matches and had it reduced to six so he could play in the final.

Knocker was a bloody hard bloke as well lets not forget that, he could and did mix it with the best of them but he was not a nut Like Woodsy.

I think Radford has a reputation for being hard as well and rarely gets much aggro on the field as his reputation precedes him.

Crooks, Rose, Skerritt and Woods from the past. From more recent times Greenhill and Radford.

Always remember the tackle by Skerritt, the Rose punch on Rod Reddy in 82, Woods with the ball ignoring a huge hole so he could run straight into the breaking scrum headfirst and also Fred Ah Khoi battering Casey at craven park.

Adam Maher. Who was the Huddersfield forward he leathered?