So, this all came from an idea Ian mentioned in passing during a post about the Ashes series about potential further tests. For some reason it took a while to take root in my head until I came across an old programme on eBay for a combined Hull FC/Hull KR team that face Papua New Guinea. I thought it would make for a fun thought experiment (which might also make for ideal content) that might trigger some interesting conversations.

Of course, the temptation for me is to just name Hull KR’s strongest squad and call it a day for purposes of banter, but I’m going to try and take this seriously, but in response to Ian’s bit of cheek in his posting; the team should take the white from Hull’s kit, the red from Hull KR’s, and the name should take ‘Hull’ from FC, and KR from the Robins. Also, the game will be played at the stadium which one of the clubs own, and I’ll leave you all to guess which that one is.

1. Arthur Mourgue
2. Tom Davies
3. Peta Hiku
4. Oliver Gildart
5. Joe Burgess
6. Mikey Lewis
7. Aidan Sezer
8. Herman Ese’ese
9. Jez Litten
10. Sauaso Sue
11. James Batchelor
12. Jed Cartwright
13. Elliot Minchella

Bench:

1. Dean Hadley
2. Kelepi Tanginoa
3. Amir Bourouh
4. John Asiata

There’s some tough choices made here to be sure. You may notice an all Hull KR back-line, and to be honest, that could change depending on what you’re looking for in a team. Lewis Martin is unlucky to feature, as is Will Pryce, the choice between him and Mourgue was a flip of a coin, really. I ended up giving the nod to Mourgue simply because of his big-game experience.

If you were looking for one winger who’s strong, and one who’s speedy, you could go for Davies and Martin as your choices, but as we’re writing this now, I have to give the nod to Burgess on experience. In a few years, it probably won’t be as much of a choice once Martin develops a bit more. The centres picked themselves, though, as Hiku and Gildart are arguably two of the leagues most in-form players right now. Zak Hardaker could well have been pushing for inclusion a few years ago, but he doesn’t get in ahead of those two.

The biggest challenge in this is it’s all very well and good selecting the best players from each team, but that doesn’t acknowledge the fundamental differences in the way each team plays. I’ve picked the best team available to play the way Rovers do, because that’s the way I’m familiar with, and no doubt Ian has done a similar thing.

A good example of this is in the selection of our respective loose forwards, I’ve gone for Minchella, and Ian for Asiata. One of which is a running forward and the other more of a ball player, and which you pick depends on the style you want to play.

The forward line as a whole was a challenge to piece together, to be honest. Once you’ve gotten past the obvious choices of Ese’ese and Sue as your starting props (and you’d be hard-pushed to name anyone other than Jez Litten as your number nine, as well) the trouble then becomes a matter of having too many options. Rhyse Martin, for example, doesn’t make the seventeen. If I had my biased hat on, he probably would get in over Cartwright, but I was really trying to be even-handed in my squad building, so Cartwright the younger got the nod.

There are a few names who could well have made my seventeen but were just edged out. Names such as Liam Knight, Jai Whitbread, Mickey McIllorum, Jack Charles, Jack Broadbent, Davy Litten could all make compelling cases, but were all edged out for one reason or another.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little exercise Ian and I have indulged ourselves in today. No doubt if you’re of a black and white or red and white persuasion you’ll have your strongly-held opinions either way, it may even be a novel idea for a neutral to offer their opinions. Do feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments.

Written by Nathan Major-Kershaw (Site editor & Hull KR fan)