| I was 8 years old when I first
saw Peter Sterling. He was was playing for the 82'
Aussie Tourist "invincibles" at the Boulevard against
Hull.
The Aussies that day paid Hull the ultimate compliment
and played their full test team against us. We should
have won, in fact but for a disallowed try we would've.
Sterling that day was majestic....with that blond
mullet flowing in the chill North Sea breeze he
looked like a greek god to me. He was everywhere,
crunching tackles, darting runs and his kicking
game was flawless.
I recall the day Hull signed him 2 years later.
I got home from school and my Dad just smiled at
me and held up the back page of the Hull Daily Mail
and said "Son, he's coming". His first Game for
Hull was against the old enemy Hull KR. Sterlo had
literally stepped off the plane 3 hours earlier,
warmed up with his new teammates and got the man
of the match award in a 29-12 victory. I still have
that Yorkshire Cup final game on tape.

great pic sent to the Era by Paul Hussey. It
was from Sterlos days in the UK. Australian Test
Scrum Half Peter Sterling feeds a pass to Lee Crooks
with, from left Shaun Patrick, Paul Rose and Steve
Evens in support in the Boothferry Park Semi Final.
He played only 8 games that season as he was on
a short term contract as was the fashion in those
days, but he came back in '85 and played the full
season. We finished 3rd in the League and got to
the final of the Challenge Cup.
Sterling was unbelievable that year. The cup run
itself was a fantastic rollercoaster for us. We
had an easy first couple of rounds, then played
Widnes at home in round 3 We drew 6-6 and Sterlo
missed the game with a thigh injury, he returned
for the replay in Widnes and we won easily.
The Semi final was another draw this time against
CAstleford, and Sterlo was the difference and the
replay once more. This is despite a real going over
from Mal Reiily in one of his last ever matches
for Cas. Reilly punched, raked, gouged and spat
at Sterling, but he never took a backward step.
We won the game 29-16 and went to the Final against
Wigan.
We fielded 6 overseas players that day, a record
at the time. Sterling, his brother-in-law John Muggleton,
and 4 Kiwis Leuluai,O'Hara,Kemble and Ah Kuoi.
We lost the game 28-24 and it was the last game
Sterlo ever played for us. He was just shaded by
Brett Kenny but he never stopped.
Hull recently included him as Scrum Half in our
Team of the Century despite playing only 30 odd
matches for the club.
I recently went to the footy show and met him and
he spoke to me for 5 minutes...it felt like 5 seconds
to me, my wife couldn't understand why i was smiling
for days.
I just kept saying "but Darling, it PETER STERLING!!!!".
She will never understand, she just knows him as
the bald funny bloke from the TV, I know him as
the man who shaped my Rugby League Education.
Every player to play at 7 for Hull FC since has
his boots to fill, and most have had no chance at
all. |