I'm not going to talk about Sunday's derby match. I was pleased with the win of course, but the blame game that has gone on about the after match pitch invasion and subsequent trouble, well, it's p*ssed me off to be honest. Fault can be found on both sides and the sooner it can all be put to bed the better.
What I am going to write a few lines about though is Richard Swain. Our ex- Captain (although he was this season in all but name if you ask me) has had to retire due to a back injury.
Swainy is a Prince amongst men, and I don't say that lightly. The amount of work he got through during games was the stuff of legend. I scoffed at an article about rugby union players having to tackle too much, up to 15 times a game. Ok, the games are different, but Richard registered over 50 tackles in a game this season, if I recall correctly breaking the Superleague stats record.
One of the best days of my life, if you don't count family events of course, it WAS the best day of my life, ended with Swainy lifting the Challenge Cup in 2005. That memory will stay with me for ever.
With Hull fans, and I'm sure with fans of other teams, certain players stay in the heart and mind. Richard Swain is one of them.
Au revoir mon capitaine, Bon Voyage et bonne chance.
(Still practising the French!)
2 comments:
always a shame when a player has to retire early(albeit, only a few games, because wasnt he retiring anyway at the end of this season?)anyway, its still sad. im still trying to come to terms with sully and millward retiring!! i said in a very early post that i did on here, Richard swain was the only dull fc player that i would move heaven and earth to sign, he was class.a very hard worker and would tackle all day long.
You was right, he was going to retire at the end of this season, but it's still sad for a player not to go out on his own terms.
Swainy was indeed a class act on and off the pitch.
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