Hull FC Hall of Famer Gareth Ellis discusses Tony Smith influence as he recounts legendary tales

The 41-year-old received the highest honour available to a Hull representative at a special ceremony last week, joining an illustrious list of icons featuring Johnny Whiteley and Clive Sullivan.

Ellis famously led the Black and Whites to back-to-back Challenge Cup wins in 2016 and 2017 to cement himself as one of the club's greatest-ever captains.

An uncompromising forward with unbridled energy and enthusiasm, Ellis made a lasting impression at each of his four clubs.

He was picked up by Leeds Rhinos after catching the eye in Wakefield Trinity colours and never looked back, going on to win two Super League titles before becoming one of the country's greatest exports in the NRL with Wests Tigers.

Ellis' career has almost gone full circle after being reunited with his former Rhinos coach Tony Smith, a man he credits with helping set him on the path to Hull FC immortality.

"He played a massive part," Ellis told The Yorkshire Post.

"I think I was very lucky that I had the right coaches at the right times.

"Being a young lad in the academy at Wakefield I had a real tough Australian guy called John Harbin who instilled belief and that will to want to get better through hard work.

"I then had Shane McNally who gave me the captaincy. That opened my eyes to the leadership qualities that he saw in me that I probably didn't see in myself.

"I went to a star-studded Leeds team that was headed up by Tony Smith. What he coaches is doing the basics really, really well and instilling the mindset about hard work and being a team player."

Almost 20 years on, Ellis still draws on the values instilled by Smith in his role as an assistant coach at Hull.

"I sometimes remind him of the things he used to say and he can't remember," added Ellis, who hung up his boots for good at the end of 2020.

"It just shows that as a coach you can have loads of conversations in a day and you may not remember them but that person might remember that little sound bite and carry it with them for the rest of their life.

"I've done that with some of Tony's messages. He's had a massive influence on me."

Smith had an immediate impact at Leeds, leading the club to their first title in 32 years in his debut season at the helm.

The Rhinos won a second Grand Final in Smith's final match in charge against St Helens in 2007, by which time Ellis was a colossal presence in the pack.

Fittingly, Leeds took a stranglehold on that Old Trafford contest after seeing one of Smith's key messages in reverse.

"He's always been big on body language and portraying yourself in a positive light by not allowing the opposition to see you looking tired," said Ellis.

"If you look tired, that gives them hope. Don't give anything away because if they see you crumbling, it gives them something to feed off.

"That's been a big part of my life and there have been times when I've thought, 'That definitely works and has made a difference'.

"There was a time in the 2007 Grand Final. Back then, Leeds used to be the ones that ran off the field together at half-time.

"I remember doing it thinking it was a gimmick. We ran past some of the Saints players and they tried to run with us but they were that tired that they stopped.

"As a group of players we thought, 'We've got these'. JP (Jamie Peacock) picked up on it and we told ourselves that we had them. We ended up winning easily."

Ironically, Smith's messaging came back to bite him when he was in charge of Warrington Wolves a few years later.

With Warrington seemingly on course for a routine Challenge Cup final win, Ellis sensed a weakness and Hull took full advantage to claim a famous victory.

"It also happened in 2016," he continued.

"I thought we were playing for pride with 20 minutes to go. We got nilled in 2013 and didn't want to get nilled again.

"Then Sneydy (Marc Sneyd) kicked a 40/20, we ran to the scrum and some of the Warrington players were out on their feet. I remember going to the boys, 'Hey, we've a chance here'.

"The messaging Tony gave me came back to me in little moments like that and made me realise it wasn't a gimmick at all.

"I've told him about the Saints one but I haven't mentioned the Warrington one to him!"

That Wembley win – Hull's first at the national stadium in nine attempts – secured Ellis' place in club folklore, culminating in an unforgettable evening at the city’s Bonus Arena last week.

"I was really overwhelmed on the night," said the former Great Britain and England international.

"Well over a thousand players have played for Hull FC over its existence and to think I'm now one of 34 players that have been recognised in the Hall of Fame is very humbling. There are so many great players that have played for this club that aren't in it.

"To think you've made an impact at that level is really special. This award is right up there with my other career achievements.

"I didn't have a hell of a lot of talent but I had a lot of drive and determination. I can honestly say that I eked out every ounce of potential that I could."

Ellis' challenge since joining Hull's coaching staff has been to convince the current players to do the same.

After a spot of soul-searching during Brett Hodgson's ill-fated tenure, Ellis is hoping Smith is the man to unlock his potential as a coach.

"We've got a talented group of players who have probably underachieved over the last couple of years," said Ellis.

"If we can keep improving as the season goes on, I think we can have a real prosperous and enjoyable season.

"I'll be honest, it's not been enjoyable over the last couple of years, to the point where you're questioning what you do and whether you're good enough to do it. Tony coming in gave me a moment where I thought I'd give it one more crack.

"I'm really confident that Tony will have an influence on this team, whether that's in six months' time, 12 months' time or two years down the line.

"You've only got to look at his track record to see he's made players, teams and clubs better.”