Mark O'Meley on his time at Hull FC, playing in the fog and his passion for the city

Mark O’Meley famously came over to Hull FC and Super League to 'bash a few poms.' Watching the highlights of his first game in the competition, that game in the fog at St Helens, you can hear Eddie Hemmings say as much in commentary.

O’Meley, throughout his four years at the club, certainly did that. He was a fierce prop who led the charge for the Black and Whites and who ran and hit with everything he had.

That passion he displayed at Hull is still there over a decade later. And so are the memories of that first game in 2010, not that anyone saw much of it, including the Ogre himself.

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"I didn't even see James Graham's first tip on when Wellens went through," O’Meley told Hull Live back in 2022. "I didn't even see it. I remember Fitzy telling me to 'tighten up at A' and to compress as we couldn't see anything.

"That was a bizarre first game in Super League. The game got delayed, we couldn't even see the goalposts, it was a different experience but that's the fun of rugby league."

Ironically, Hull also played St Helens at home later that year in another game that went into folklore. Trailing 6-26, the Saints were running rampant, but Hull clawed their way back to win 27-26 with a Danny Tickle drop-goal.

"That St Helens game was massive," O’Meley continued. "We were getting hammered, and James Roby got concussed. Danny Tickle picked the ball up and made a break and we stacked some points on from there, which was a massive confidence builder during that game. Those moments change games where you gain an extra arm or leg."

Elsewhere in his Hull career, O’Meley also played in numerous derby games, also being part of a side that managed four finals finishes in a row from 2010 to 2013. Looking back amongst Exiles call-ups, bust-ups and big drives, it’s the passion of the fans during those occasions that sticks with him.

"What I learned over in Hull is that the city lives and breathes rugby league," O’Meley explained. "You've got Hull FC and you've got Hull KR and it separates and divides families. Everyone looks forward to the derby—it's the fixture of the year that you need to be ready and prepared for.

"You can't go into that patching yourself up; you've got to be 110% ready as there's so many twists and turns. You can be up by 18 points and then trailing by two, which happened to us one game.

"There were a couple that I missed out on through suspension or injury, but just sitting there watching them, you hated not being a part of it. That was your highlight fixture that you wanted to play in. My first trial game was Richard Horne's testimonial and there were like 16,000 there at the KC Stadium. That was my first introduction to Hull.

"I had a great time. We didn’t win any silverware, but we made the finals all four years and learned a lot about the English game and about the town. We got to Wembley for the Challenge Cup final too in my final year. It was a great experience."

O’Meley first came over to England as an Australian Test player. He played against Great Britain at the then known KC Stadium whilst turning out for the Kangaroos on two separate tours.

The Ogre always knew he’d come back. "I toured over in England twice but I always wanted to go back at the end of my career," he added. "I was lucky enough to have some lemon left to squeeze in my footy career when I went over. I didn’t want to go over to England burned out; I wanted to go with a couple of good years in me. I went over at 28. I knew I could do that; I was only ever going to do the two years, but I ended up staying for four. That's how much I loved it.

"I only really came back because my family had made so much sacrifice for me my whole life. We hadn't lived where we grew up for 17 years. I needed Nick, my eldest son, to have a connection in the community where we were going to live. That was the main reason why I left Hull or I would have stayed for a fifth year.

"For me, it was one of my great experiences; my mum and dad came over once or twice, and they loved it, too. It's a great place to be and a great part of the world."

O'Meley went into cardiac arrest during a recent back operation but is understood to be doing well. Everyone at Hull Live sends our best wishes to the O'Meley family.

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