The news finally broke this week that next season I will join the coaching staff of Hull FC.

There were many factors in my decision to join Hull, both rugby and family related, and in the end I felt the opportunity was simply too good to miss.

These positions simply don't fall in your lap everyday of the week, and I didn't want to look back in five years time and think: What if?

I have enjoyed my time at the Knights as much as any time in my career. We are having a memorable season that hasn't finished yet.

I have made some valuable friendships, with players, staff and supporters alike - friendships that will remain for many years to come. I will always be indebted to Steve Ferres for giving me the chance to coach the Knights, to the players for their effort and commitment, and to the fans for the huge part they play in the club.

When the offer came, I had to consider many things. First was the fact I have a good job away from the game and a young family. Leaving my job is pushing me out of the comfort zone, having no safety net there for a time when rugby might not be a part of my life.

However, I also asked myself how long could I be a part-time coach with a full-time job and a young family, and continue to develop?

Coaching is a full-time job, done in part-time hours, and one thing I would never do is cut corners. I had already spoken with Steve and Paul Broadbent about this before Hull came along.

I knew the time-commitment when I took the job on, and would never complain, because I love it, but I also believed that there would be a shelf life because of the impact it has on the rest of your life.

I don't believe I've reached that life yet, but timing is something which unfortunately I cannot dictate. And if I couldn't give the job the time and commitment it deserves, then I wouldn't do it.

The chance to be a full-time coach will give me the chance to develop and give me a better quality of life. Added to that, the lure of working at a huge club with a vastly experienced coach and world-class players to learn from, made me decide I wanted to give it a shot and have no regrets.

I have been asked how will this affect the Knights. Simple answer, it won't. The players want to make it to the final and get promoted. So do I. It's that straightforward.

While I have known for a few weeks now, it has and will stay on the backburner, until our season is over. It will be a wrench to leave what has been more than just a rugby club to me.

Let's enjoy the rest of the season.

As the regular season in the National Leagues come to a close, I would like to mention two players. Matt Foster of Keighley Cougars and Mark Cantoni of London Skolars, have finished top tryscorers of their respective competitions.

Both players have played in struggling teams, and in particular for Matt, whose team has only managed one victory all year, this has been a great effort.

Well done also to 'Broughy' (Danny Brough, pictured left), who topped the point scoring table for our league.

As expected, Barrow took the NL2 title. Congratulations to them, their consistency over the season has been incredible. And while I was bitterly disappointed at the way we lost our final league game, one has to have sympathy with the plight of Chorley. I'm sure the Knights fans will wish them all the best for the future.

As for Brian Capewell, I would suggest he gets a copy of the game on tape, because that drop goal was something very special.

Updated: 08:38 Wednesday, September 15, 2004