Lee Crooks

Lee Crooks

Lee is perhaps the last of the great ball-playing front row forwards that were a feature of British Rugby League for over a century.

A precociously talented young star at his home-town club, Hull FC, Lee quickly established himself on the international stage while still a teenager. He played in four Wembley finals, three for Hull FC including captaining the club against Wigan in 1985, which is widely regarded as the greatest Challenge Cup final of all time.

Lee also scored the winning try in the 1982 Challenge Cup final replay against Widnes at Elland Road.

He played in 16 major finals during a stellar career with Hull, Leeds and Castleford, and also had spells in Australia with Western Suburbs and Balmain.

Both Leeds (1987) and Castleford (1990) paid world record transfer fees to sign a player who would gain 19 Great Britain caps and make over 550 career appearances. He is a three-time Lions tourist having been selected for the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Great Britain tours and played in four Ashes series against Australia in 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1992.

Since retiring in 1997, Lee has coached Keighley, York and Serbia and worked in a number of coaching and development roles with the RFL, Hull KR and Hull, where he is currently Head of Rugby League Development with the club’s charitable foundation.

Lee is a qualified mental health first aider and is currently undertaking a Level 2 Counselling Course.