‘Geordie Shore' put Newcastle on map for Herman Ese'ese ahead of Magic Weekend
Hull FC prop Herman Ese'ese admitted most of his knowledge about Newcastle stems from television series Geordie Shore as he prepares for his first Super League Magic Weekend on Tyneside.
The Black and Whites are in action at St James' Park when they come up against Huddersfield on Sunday.
New Zealander Ese'ese joined Hull at the start of 2024 and has only ever competed at Magic Weekend at Elland Road in Leeds, but is relishing the opportunity to play in Newcastle, a city he knows from the MTV reality show.
The 30-year-old told PA news agency: 'To be honest, I haven't really heard much about Newcastle.
'I know Newcastle because I used to watch Geordie Shore – I know that's pretty bad! That's the only time I've heard about Newcastle.
'I know their football team, I'm a big football fan and they've been going really well. I've been watching some of their games. The games that they play here, it looks hectic and it looks like a nice atmosphere to play in.
'Hopefully we get a sold-out crowd on Sunday at this beautiful stadium. It's my first one in Newcastle. My first season last year was at Leeds, so I got to miss out playing here, but I'm really excited.'
Hull will be aiming for a more enjoyable Magic Weekend experience compared to last year's outing in Leeds, where they lost 29-4 to London Broncos in a wooden-spoon battle.
Eight months later and Hull, under new head coach John Cartwright, are sat in fourth.
Ese'ese believes a change in coaching staff and new faces in the dressing room has been beneficial.
'What stands out for me is the professionalism. We brought in coaching staff and they know how to build a winning culture,' he said.
'We brought in some senior players – experienced players – that have won a lot in their career and are good role models for our young boys.
'We have a young team so it's good for them to learn from them. When you bring those kind of people in, you tend to win more games and start building a winning culture and building connections within the squad as well.'
Ese'ese has continued to impress this season, scoring four tries, and he praised the consistency within the team.
'There's been comments made about how we've been playing, we're a more resilient team now going into the season,' Ese'ese added.
'It's just the team, we don't want to let each other down. We're playing consistent footy, our structure has changed as well. I think our defensive game has definitely improved a lot.
'When you bring in someone like Andy Last, who's a really high-rated coach, he's taken control of our defence.
'We're an all-round team this season. There is a reason why teams wouldn't want to face us.'
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