Ben Crooks
 Crooks with the Wentworthville Magpies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Benjamin Crooks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
15 June 1993 Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 95 kg (14 st 13 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre, Wing, Fullback | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 11 October 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ben Crooks (born 15 June 1993) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Leigh Centurions in the Championship. He has gone on loan to Hull Kingston Rovers until the end of the 2018 rugby league season. He has previously played for the Castleford Tigers and Hull F.C. in the Super League. He primarily plays as a centre.
Background
Crooks was born in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England.
Personal life
He is the son of Hull Legend, Lee Crooks and the nephew of another Hull Legend, Steve "Knocker" Norton.
Playing career
Early career
Crooks is a product of the Hull F.C. Academy System.
Playing positions
He primarily plays as a centre, but he can also play on the wing and as a fullback.
Hull F.C. (2012–14)
Crooks made his Hull F.C. and Super League début on 22 April 2012, in a 56-12 loss to Wigan.
He enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2013, creating a deadly try-scoring combination with winger Tom Lineham. Which led to his selection in the Super League Dream Team. At the end of the 2013 season, he was named Super League's 'Young Player of the Year.'
He also represented Hull F.C. in the 2013 Challenge Cup Final.
Crooks struggled to recapture his form in 2014, making only 12 first-team appearances for Hull and spending time on loan at Doncaster.
Doncaster R.L.F.C. (2014)
He had a short loan-spell at Doncaster in 2014, making three appearances and scoring five tries in total.
Parramatta Eels (2015)
Crooks signed a two-year deal with National Rugby League side Parramatta Eels, in September 2014.
But he left after only a year, after his deal with the Parramatta Eels turned out to be an unsuccessful one.
As a result, Crooks mainly played for the reserve-grade New South Wales Cup team the Wentworthville Magpies.[3]
Subsequently following his departure from the Eels, Crooks signed a deal to play for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League, ahead of the 2016 rugby league season.
Castleford Tigers (2016-17)
Crooks returned to the Super League in 2016 and signed a three-year contract with the Castleford Tigers.
Although he didn't manage to play in the NRL he shared his belief saying that, “I believe I have achieved my goals in my career development and I will return to the Super League a better player for the experience.”[4]
Leigh Centurions (2017 - present)
Crooks joined the Leigh Centurions on loan from the Castleford Tigers for the 2017 season.[5]
The move was made on a permanent basis with a two-year deal signed in October 2017.[6]
Hull Kingston Rovers (2018)
It was revealed on 26 July 2018, that Crooks would be returning to the city of Hull to play for Hull Kingston Rovers for the remainder of the 2018 rugby league season, on a loan basis from the Leigh Centurions.
The loan-deal which involved Crooks moving to the east Hull outfit, also saw his fellow Centurions' teammate Craig Hall come over with him in the same move.
On the 27 July 2018, just a day after joining Hull Kingston Rovers. Crooks made his début for the club on a rain-swept evening against Hull F.C. at the KCOM Stadium, in the final round of the regular Super League season.
Ben marked his return to the city of Hull by recording an impressive display, starting the game at the centre position in the 'Hull Derby.' In which Hull KR claimed a thrilling 16-20 victory over their cross-city rivals.
Career statistics
| Season | Appearance | Tries | Goals | F/G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012: Hull F.C. | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| 2013: Hull F.C. | 22 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 88 |
| 2014: Hull F.C. | 13 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 68 |
| 2014: Doncaster R.L.F.C. | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 2015: Parramatta Eels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016: Castleford Tigers | 28 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 26 |
| 2017: Leigh Centurions | 23 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| 2018: Leigh Centurions | 25 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 64 |
| 2018: Hull Kingston Rovers | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 136 | 66 | 31 | 0 | 326 |
Honours
Club (Hull F.C. 2012-14)
- 2013: Super League Dream Team
- 2013: Super League's 'Young Player of the Year'
References
- ↑ Rugby League Project
- ↑ Love Rugby League
- ↑ "Crooks Signs New Deal". Hull Daily Mail. 2012-08-10. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
- ↑ "Castleford Tigers sign former Hull FC centre". BBC Sport. 2015-06-27. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
- ↑ "Ben Crooks: Leigh Centurions sign Castleford Tigers centre on loan". BBC Sport. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ↑ "Ben Crooks: Leigh Centurions sign centre from Castleford following loan spell". BBc Sport. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ben Crooks. |