Wakefield Wildcats v Hull FC
Great traditional rivals – Wakefield Trinity and Hull FC, but as well as being rivals the clubs also share an empathy for each other, both being strong RL areas, and also a fair share of players who have graced both clubs along the years. None is probably more notable than David Topliss. Dave was fortunate to win the man-of-the-match award in two cup finals, but was also unlucky to only win one Lance Todd Trophy as his display for Hull came in the replay at Elland Road rather than in the Wembley showpiece. Here David tells us a little of what makes both clubs special to him
“When I first played I was 18 years old and Harold Poynton was the stand-off and I can remember going to the Boulevard, the first time I played Hull, and I was on the left wing ‘cause Harold was the No6 – an international, a great player. I was playing against Clive Sullivan and in the programme, I’ll never forget it, my name was ‘David Popliss’, well it was my first season and nobody had heard of me and the Threepenny crowd give me ‘Sullivan will murder you Popliss’ and I was playing the left wing right in front of them – and that was my first introduction to the Boulevard, and to say 14 years later I’d be playing for them and captain and really getting on with the people at Hull!”
“They were a very witty crowd at the Boulevard and it was a place that I just loved going to for some reason, you felt excitement and we always seemed to do well there. I remember one game where David Barrens was our winger” (warning - this story is not for the Politically Correct), “and Eric Broom kicked the ball sky high, and it hit David Barrens on the head, (this is a true story), and it went straight into touch and somebody shouts from the threepenny stand “in off the black – 7 away”, and that was the type of humour that they had. I always took a liking to that humour and I suppose, later on, that was one of the reason why I went there.”
We asked Toppo about the players he remembers facing up against in the Hull side. “There was a lad called Terry Devonshire, then Brian Hancock – they were very good, they were county players, and then later on there was Newlove, Paul Newlove’s dad John who played at Featherstone for years. Actually we always did better at the Boulevard, that I can remember, than we did at Belle Vue against them. I can remember losing a few times at Belle Vue, but we seemed to be able to turn them over at the Boulevard for some reason.
Whilst still at the Belle Vue club, Toppo saw many players depart as the club tried to balance the books. One departure that really hurt was that of Skerrett, who signed for Hull in a world record deal. “The big one that really got me was 1980, when Trevor Skerrett went. Now Trevor was probably the best prop in the world at the time – he’d be in the top 3 or 4 forwards in the game at the time. When he went I thought ‘I’m gonna have to do something’. I’d love to think one day that Wakefield will become a buying club and not a selling club. I hope one day, when we get a new stadium, hopefully – and it showed when Wakefield’s been playing well and how the gates have improved this year, and that last year was like a cup final, brilliant – it got another 2,000 spectators down and I just hope we get through this bad run and they stick with the team – then when we get to a new stadium we can get 10-12,000 every week, then Wakefield can become a buying club and not a selling club and buy the top players from the other clubs. There’s a lot of exciting times ahead ‘cause there’s been a lot of good signings this year, I’m very impressed with Blaymire and Peter Fox!”
A year after the departure of Trevor Skerrett it was time for Toppo himself to move on. “By the back end of that season I’d turned 31 and I hadn’t won a trophy. We’d been in four finals – all losing, two Yorkshire Cups, One Challenge Cup and one Players No6 Trophy in 1972 when Neil was coach. I think they thought I was finished, ‘cause I had a groin injury the year before and it could come back anytime, and actually, Arthur Bunting had spent three years trying to get me to go to Hull – when he signed ‘Knocker’ Norton he wanted me to go – 1978, and he kept coming did Arthur and I kept saying ‘no – I’m loyal’ and all this, but eventually I did put pen to paper through Arthur’s persistence, and it proved a good move for me. But Trevor Woodward (who did a lot of good for the club), he thought I was finished and they took £15,000 for me – you know, at 31 they thought it was a good deal for me, but as it proved I think it was a good buy for Hull!”
But, like most people, Dave never really left his first club completely. “The first result I looked for when I went to Hull was Wakefield Trinity ‘cause they were close to my heart – I’d spent thirteen years with them and you don’t just switch off. I Can remember a feller called Les Aires came for me at Hull – and I’d just lifted the Challenge Cup with Hull and I said to him ‘what would you do?’ And I remember saying ‘no, I’ve done my turn there and I’m better off playing with the likes of ‘Knocker’ Norton, Leuluei, young Lee Crooks and all them players, and the older you get – you don’t want to be the best player, you want the young un’s to be the best players and you just fit in. If you’re the best player at 32 – you’re in trouble!”
Dave had an amazing career in his time at Hull, giving him all the success that he craved so much. “I Played 4 years at Hull and I think we won 5 trophies – we won virtually everything, the No6; the Challenge Cup; Championship; Yorkshire Cup a couple of times, but although we were in the finals of the Premiership it always seemed one game too far. I think we reached three premiership finals – and lost them all!”
“I liken what Hull did in their resurgence to what Trinity did in the early ‘60’s, by signing one player. Wakefield had some good players but they signed one man – Derek Turner – he revolutionised Wakefield Trinity. Hull signed one man – Knocker Norton – you’re talking world class. Just having them players about, Hull - Knocker Norton got Hull back on the map, and Arthur Bunting knew that, that was the best signing Hull’s ever made. Knocker brings it up – ‘who was the best – Knocker Norton or Johnny Whitely’. I always say ‘one man doesn’t make a team’, but what it does is it lifts the place and give people belief. Wakefield would have been successful, but they wouldn’t have been as successful without Derek Turner. One man can inspire – greatness comes every so many years and Derek was that special player.”
As for more recent times, well they firmly belong to the East Yorkshire club – with a couple of notable exceptions, those being the 2004 play-off game at the KC stadium, where Gareth Ellis enjoyed his last victory in a Wakefield shirt; the game at the end of the 2003 season where Sylvain Houles scored a remarkable try and that game just two short months ago in dreadful conditions back at the KC. There’s a fair bit of book balancing to do as far as the Wildcats are concerned!
Many thanks to David Popliss Topliss for his time in helping to put this article together. A more in depth interview can be seen at www.wildcatsrl.com in the near future.
Phil Townsend
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