One of Hull KR’s most popular players, Clint Newton has been reminiscing on his time at the club and in the city.
In terms of fan favourites, few players can match Clint Newton’s popularity among Hull KR fans in recent years. After helping Rovers establish themselves in the Super League, the gritty Australian became a popular figure at Craven Park over four seasons.
The back-rower was pleased to be a Robin, and, more importantly for supporters, he wasn’t afraid to get involved in the verbal war with the squad on the other side of the city.
Newton never shied away from the derbies, making his presence known before he even arrived in the city. In a memorable interview with the Hull Daily Mail, the forward guaranteed he was well-loved but equally much-hated on both sides of the divide after declaring that the Robins would never finish below the Black and Whites while he was at the club.
It was a story he told on James Graham’s The Bye Round Podcast while reflecting on his time at Hull KR, which included a particularly amusing contact with two Hull FC fans.
“If you can connect with the people in this community, you will find opportunities. I recall writing one of my first articles. I was in Melbourne for the pre-season and was scheduled to leave shortly after Christmas. I was in good physical condition and ready to go.
I recall publicly stating in the Hull Daily Mail that there is a new sheriff in town, and that regardless of what happened previously, we will finish higher than FC every year that I am there. I really wanted to start a fire with FC fans, but I also wanted the residents of East Hull to understand that this isn’t just some Australian coming over to take a pay; at the time, it was a common misconception.
“I wanted to let them know I was coming to work. It was not a holiday. Everything I’d had in my life up to that point, with the work ethic, accountability, and how you go about your day-to-day things, I was taking that there; I was going all in; this wasn’t a holiday to me.
I recall the criticism I received when this Australian came over and told FC officials that they would be coming lower than KR, who had been out of the Super League for about 20 years. I got smashed when I got over there, but it was fine.
Newton went on to tell the account of a confrontation with two Hull FC supporters during his first days in the nation, and how he refused to back down.
“I recall one of my first days there. I got to the grocery and am pulling the trolley down the aisle, trying to figure out where the food is. I see these two FC fans; they appear like husband and wife, sporting jerseys that are not really a known thing in Australia; they wear their jerseys all the time.
You see it in the streets all the time, and they walk to me. The wife says, ‘What the f*** are you doing on this side of town? F*** off back to east Hull, you red and white b**.
“It was like,’s*, what do I do here?’ And it was a big lad and I was thinking that I didn’t want them to spread that I’d curtailed it, especially these FC people.
“So I said, ‘Right, when I’m not playing for KR or wearing red and white, you shut your mouth and keep your thoughts to yourself. The wife was stunned, and the husband said, ‘Fair play to you, lad,’ and continued on.
“So I exploited that; I understood my history; I knew some of the greats who had played for the clubs, such as Roger Millward, Phil Lowe, Johnny Whiteley, Arthur Beetson, and Gavin Miller, all of whom were Australians. It was critical to grasp the past, and I took every chance to promote KR, belittle FC, and highlight Hull. If you can connect with the people, there is opportunity in this community.”
In case you were wondering, Rovers have finished above their arch-rivals in three of the four seasons Newton was at the club, and during his time there, they won eight of the twelve derbies that took place.
