Hull KR legend Paul Harkin explains why he wants to finally get rid of unwanted tag

It is hard for Paul Harkin to comprehend it’s nearly 40 years since he was part of the last side to win a major trophy.

He hopes to finally lose that tag on Saturday and welcome in a new set of Robins heroes. A skilful scrum-half, Harkin featured in a famous star-studded KR team that secured back-to-back league titles under the iconic Roger Millward in 1985. The East Yorkshire club bid to end their long wait to rule again when facing defending in the Grand Final.

Ex-Bradford, Halifax and Leeds ace Harkin, now aged 66, recalled: “It was a great side we had. Nearly every one of us was an international. There were the Hull lads who were terrific. But all the overseas players we had were top people as well, like Gordon Smith and Gary Prohm, who added a lot.

“I was one of the out-of-towners, coming from Wakefield, but we all got over to Hull as much as we could and spent a lot of time with them. We were all together. And Roger [Millward] was coach. As a scrum-half, in those days he was the best going, so he was somebody I really looked up to. He didn’t say a lot to me about the seven role. It was just one-liners. But when he said it he meant it. He was well respected by everyone, even the forwards. We all listened to him.”

Harkin was also man-of-the-match in KR’s John Player Trophy Final win over Hull earlier that year and earned his solitary Great Britain cap against France. However, Rovers still remain stuck on just five league titles from their long, 142-year history, which means they remain the butt of Hull FC jibes about 'never winning anything since 1985.' Harkin, who played more than 150 games for the club, said: “It is strange they’ve not won more.

“But there’s been a lot of downs for the club since then. Not long after that they were moving into the new ground. I basically had to move on because they needed money to put down on whatever they needed to do for that. I went for about £40,000 back to Bradford.

“It was in the doldrums for quite a few years. It was very sad. But a pat on the back to everyone at KR at the moment. The club is rocking from bottom to top and it’s nice to see. Those supporters are unbelievable. It would be great to see them do it on Saturday. Willie Peters speaks very well and has everyone onside He’s a little bit like Roger in that sense and I’m hoping they’ll do it. But Wigan aren’t a bad side are they?”

KR’s date with Old Trafford will be even more poignant given the legendary Brian Lockwood died earlier today. The former Castleford and Great Britain prop, a World Cup winner in 1972 and Lance Todd Trophy winner when Rovers won at Wembley eight years later, was 78. Harkin, who joined KR in the same year as Lockwood in 1978, said: “Brian lived in Wakefield and had a pub. I was only 19 but we’d travel over together with people like Alan Agar, Locky and Geoff Clarkson.

“I got well-educated on that hour’s trip! It was like an apprenticeship. They were all great people who got things started for KR in that era. But Locky did it out there in , too, with Balmain and Canterbury. He was a real character.”