Long made Hull captain

New signing Sean Long has been named as Hull captain for the 2010 season.

Long, 33, signed from St Helens in the close season and has been handed the captain’s armband, with Lee Radford remaining as club captain to continue the work he does off the field for the Black and Whites.

Long said: “This really is a terrific honour for me and an immensely proud moment in my career.

“To have gained the respect of Richard Agar so quickly is great for me and I hope to repay the faith he has shown in me, as well as the support my new team mates have given me, by leading this side forward to victory and hopefully some silverware this season.”

He added, “That is why I have come here, I firmly believed we could achieve something at Hull when I first sat down with Richard, the quality of recruitment is there for all to see and we have looked good in pre-season so far.

“Right now though it is up to us to deliver that form, confidence and quality on the field, starting with our first friendly against Rovers on Sunday.”

Long made 265 appearances for St Helens in a 12 year career at Knowsley Road before opting to make the switch to Hull, and coach Richard Agar has every confidence in his star scrum half.

He said: Hull FC Head Coach Richard Agar also commented on the decision.

“Sean is one of the most experienced and decorated players in Super League.

“He is a natural leader, will be our on field general and he has immediately commanded the respect of his new team mates.

“Right from his first session, he has been imparting his knowledge and leading the way both on and off the field and he will do a terrific job.”

He added, “Lee holds tremendous stature within our club, the community and the city and we felt that this is a recognition of that.

“He has a defined role and will ease the burden on Sean off the field.

“Lee has done a tremendous job over the last three years and will continue to provide valuable input in our leadership group,” said Agar.