Kearney likes what he sees at
Hull

Hull coach John Kear is confident his side can match the might of Leeds and Bradford following the signing of Kiwi duo Stephen Kearney and Motu Tony. "When we first joined Super League we were here to participate," said Kear.

"The last couple of seasons we have been here to compete. I now believe that we are here to win and stand up to the likes of Leeds and Bradford.

"The fact that Stephen and Motu have come here is testament to that. They are exceptional players."

Kearney is delighted with his move to the KC Stadium.

"In a way I wish I had have come over here earlier," said the 32-year-old second row forward.

"The set-up of the club is fantastic and just through watching games on television you can see the passion of the supporters is tremendous.

"Hull is a very similar club to Melbourne.

"We don't have the stars that the likes of Bradford, Leeds and Wigan have, and we don't go in for the razzmatazz of being a big club, we have a lot of hard workers and our fair share of game breakers.

"That is how I like my clubs to be and for those reasons I only wanted to come here."

He added: "Rugby league isn't just about 80 minutes on a weekend it's about what you do one the training pitch during the week.

"Hopefully when our backs are against the wall in games we can call on the tough work we have done over the winter, remember those long runs to the hills and all the weights we have lifted to inspire us.

"I believe that if we can work hard and stay professional we have a good chance of going all the way."