Hull hail new hero

Hull FC's exciting new winger Nathan Blacklock is being tipped to become a black and white legend in Super League X by head coach John Kear.

The 28-year-old three-time NRL top try-scorer has impressed Kear since his early arrival for his first taste of Super League football. And Kear said: "I really do believe Nathan will become a cult hero with the Hull FC fans."

Kear has no doubts Blacklock is here to make a name for himself in the British game.

Now he hopes he will continue the form which brought him international recognition and made him one of the most lethal try scorers in Australian rugby league history.

During a glittering career with St George, Blacklock became one of only three players ever to top the Australian try-scoring charts in three successive years, between 1999 and 2001.

It turned the man from Tingha, who was introduced to Australian Rugby League by former Hull coach Noel "Crusher" Cleal, into a legend.

He has amassed over 100 tries in the Aussie game and had a spell in Rugby Union with the New South Wales Wharatahs, before deciding he needed a new challenge.

That opened the door for Hull to step in and give him a chance to ply his trade in the Super League.

After a season hampered by a hamstring injury, the former St George-Illawarra star made the decision to come to England a couple of weeks before the rest of the club's overseas players.

It is a decision that's left a lasting mark on Kear, who revealed: "There is no way this lad has come over here to pick up a pension.

"He has come here to prove something and the people who will benefit from that will be our fans sat in the stands.

"What he has shown on the training field is so exciting and already we have seen some scorched earth on our training pitch.

"Make no mistakes, he is fast. In fact, he's really fast - and he has integrated magnificently with the rest of the players.

"Every session you can see he's getting to know the rest of the lads better and they are getting to know him better.

"In our last session before the new year we had a semi-opposed session and he just strode through the middle of the field, popping up where you wouldn't expect. You just know that once he hits the fresh air you can start clapping.

"He has settled in well and I am absolutely delighted with his attitude, which has been first class.

That's why I have no doubts he will become an invaluable asset to the side and to the club as a whole.

"Nathan is so elusive and the fact he pops up all over the place makes him such a dangerous player.

"With a player like this you don't just bring him over to stick on the wing. He has a licence to do what he does best and I have no doubts the fans will love him.

"In the couple of weeks he has been with us, it has been a genuine joy to work with the guy."