It's rare for players to make a cross-city move, but it's certainly not unheard of. On Friday, two of Hull KR's key players will be among the exclusive list to have crossed the divide.
Both Jez Litten and Dean Hadley were of Hull FC once, but now they are firmly in the red and white camp located on the east side of the city. From a Rovers perspective, they are deals that have very much worked out for the better.
The pair have both been influential during the Robins' rise up the Super League ranks. When they joined the club in 2019, Rovers were very much strugglers, but they have helped the club move up the food chain.
During that time, the Black and Whites have regressed, and most would argue that they would benefit from having the pair in the squad. In hindsight, it's fair to ask how Hull FC ended up letting both lead. However, their agent insists it's nowhere near that simple.
Craig Harrison has had a strong relationship with both clubs for a long period. His list of players at both clubs is extensive, with at least ten of his clients representing both clubs. He was at the heart of the discussions that saw both Hadley and Litten cross the city and explained that the deals were in the best interest of his players at the time.
"Both were coming out of contract," Harrison recalled. "I often asked Jez about the game time he was getting and we didn't believe it was where it needed to be. That was because Danny Houghton was that good. But with how highly we thought of Jez, we needed him playing. KR had just been making changes to their squad, and we saw an opportunity there for a hooker to go in and play, so that's why we did it.
"Hull realised they couldn't give him the air time. I was doing a lot of work with Hull KR at the time through Danny McGuire, who was in charge of their recruitment. Jez was perfect for them, his age, the price. He took a bit of convincing because his family are Black and Whites. Jez's dad, Deano, is a massive character, so you can imagine his first sentence after the idea was put to him!"
At the time, Hadley was more established but still struggling to get the game time he needed, given the stack of talent the club had at the time. That restricted his opportunities, and at the age of 27, the need to play was clear.
"Dean was coming off contract and was in and out of the side," Harrison said. "I thought he would be a starter for KR and while we thought Jez had potential, we thought Dean was already there, he'd already been in the England Knights squad.
"But he was around squad number 20 at Hull FC and he wanted to be a starter, so we had to make a change. With both Hull FC were brilliant, they understood the situation and Hull KR could see what he'd bring."
Harrison insists the Black and Whites would have kept both at the club beyond their contracts. "But it was at a level. They would have kept them but in the same positions they were in. Jez was on dual-reg at Doncaster, Dean was coming off the bench and not getting picked sometimes, both wanted more."
"It was the right call. A brave call, but the right call, even if Hull FC and supporters won't like hearing that."
Another player the Black and Whites famously missed out on was Mikey Lewis. The halfback was at the City of Hull Academy and while the Black and Whites did have an opportunity to draft him into their academy, they instead chose Connor Wynne. Harrison had already seen Lewis' promise and had made the Robins aware of his talent.
"I'd gone to see a game between Huddersfield and Hull, I'd actually gone to watch the Senior twins and Elliot Wallis. But I saw him score from a scrum and I looked around, nobody seemed to have seen it.
"I told Jamie Peacock about him first, he was at Hull KR at the time, and then Danny McGuire when he arrived. I thought he was the one, but others didn't, which is just sport, that's how it is. They went with Connor Wynne in the end. At the time they had Marc Sneyd and Albert Kelly, so you can perhaps understand their thinking there.
"Mikey was buzzing to go to Hull KR, he was going to be working with Danny and get an opportunity in the first team, it was a brilliant move for him. But a lot didn't see it. You can see it most of the time, the likes of Danny, John Bateman, Kallum Watkins, everyone knew. Morgan Smithies at 16, everyone knew. But what made Mikey unique was that people didn't see it. But Hull KR took the chance, but nothing has surprised me with Mikey."
While Hull KR are currently having the better of the rivalry, Harrison believes Hull FC can turn things around in the long-term.
"I think they've got to bring eight youngsters through," he said. "They have to believe they can do that, then they have to be really smart with their recruitment. Hull FC have, historically, recruited brilliantly from overseas, but if you're not taking on the marquees, it's a lot harder to do that now, so they have to focus on their own.
"I believe what James (Clark) has put in place with the college, they've got to back the foresight and believe they can turn it around. The other thing now too is that if you're a youngster at Hull, you might see the club as the better chance to get a pathway to first team because it's hard to see how you get in at KR in the next three or four years, it's roles reversed almost.
"But it's not all one way, players still see Hull FC as an attraction. Liam Sutcliffe is a good example, he had offers from both Hull FC and Hull KR and decided to go the other way."
Regardless of how the two clubs are travelling, Harrison believes nothing can beat the Hull derby.
"Without doubt, in my opinion, it's the best derby. I've enjoyed it immensely. I got to the stadium on my own last year and wanted to be among it. It was a spectacular day, I think it's like Liverpool and Everton because everyone is in the same city.
"It captures the imagination of everyone, not just the homegrowns. Recently, KR have got the better of the battle. They come and look ready for it, like coiled springs. You can tell the derby has been rammed down their throats. I think they've understood what it means and I think Hull have to realise that.
"In this derby you start even money, it doesn't matter if one team is better, historically they don't always go the way of the form book, it's the team with the better mentality. But in my opinion, Hull KR seem to understand it more. Lee Radford being the coach at Hull would have been a massive plus for the Black and Whites all those years, you can imagine his team talks, can't you?
"But there's no hiding place and something people won't see are the directors and the pressures they feel. There's no hiding place for them, I was at the MKM last year when KR scored 40. Some supporters were leaving early and just stared at the directors. It's high pressure this, perhaps more on the board members than the players."
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