Former Shark and English league legend Roger Millward MBE has tragically passed away at the age of 68 after a battle with cancer.
Millward, member of the Rugby League Hall of Fame and the Sharks captain during the 1976 season, will be remembered as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport and somebody who touched the lives of all who knew him.
A wily five-eighth was an outstanding left-foot kicking game, Millward played 14 games for the Sharks in 1976 in a team which included club immortals Steve Rogers and Greg Pierce, along with the likes of Barry Andrews, John McMartin, Rick Bourke, Paul Khan and Steve Kneen.
The ’76 Sharks, coached by John Raper, finished in eighth place.
A Great Britain and England representative with 29 and 17 caps respectively, Millward was a hugely successful player and coach in the UK and was already an international when he joined Hull Kingston Rovers from Castleford in 1966.
He would go on to become an icon of the game during his spell at Craven Park, the home of Hull KR, making 406 appearances for the Robins, scoring a club record 207 tries and kicking 607 goals.
Fittingly, his last first team appearance for Hull KR was at Wembley, when he achieved a career ambition of lifting the Challenge Cup in the famous final against rivals Hull FC in 1980 – his fifth trophy as captain of the side, another club record.
After his retirement from playing, Millward coached the Robins for another 11 seasons, winning six more trophies and becoming the most successful coach in the club’s history.
He was fittingly awarded the MBE for his services to rugby league in 1983 and inducted into the Rugby League Hall of Fame in 2000.
Hull Kingston Rovers chairman Neil Hudgell said: “This is a tragic day for everybody associated with the club and everybody who considers themselves to be a rugby league supporter.”
The Sharks offer their condolences to Millward’s wife Carol, his family, friends and colleagues at Hull KR.
