Gareth Ellis is having ride of his life

The England international had claimed player-of-the-year accolades in three of his four seasons with the NRL side, confirming his status as one of the best forwards in the game.

And Ellis was expected to return to Leeds, before a conversation via Skype with Hull FC owner Adam Pearson and coach Peter Gentle persuaded him to sign a three-year deal at the KC Stadium instead.

Ellis became the marquee signing of Super League for 2013; the benchmark of the Black and Whites’ ambition.

Tomorrow, his decision will be vindicated when he leads Hull out as captain against Wigan in the Challenge Cup final, a repeat of the 1985 classic, hoping to steer the club to their first Wembley victory.

But it has not been easy getting to this point. What should have been a dream debut for Ellis at Leeds on the opening day of the season turned into a nightmare. He broke his foot during the warm-up and spent the next three months on the sidelines. “That night at Headingley was the lowest point of my career,” said the 32-year-old second-rower, who helped Leeds to two Grand Final victories in 2007 and 2008.

“I had broken a bone in my foot the previous year and it was a very fragile fracture but I trained all pre-season and it had been fine.

“I played in all the friendlies and it was just very unfortunate that it happened at that point.

“I was running in the warm-up and it just went. It’s one of those things I have to be very careful with now.”

Ellis eventually returned to make his bow in early May and has helped Hull to find form and resilience in equal measure.

After four successive victories they have a play-off place to look forward to and a chance to make history tomorrow.

Wigan, record 18-time winners of the famous old trophy, stand in their way, but there is no mistaking the ambition and desire at Hull, from top to bottom. “When I was making my decision, I spoke to Adam and Peter on Skype and they began laying down plans for the future of the club,” explained Ellis.

“Adam spoke about where he wanted the club to be, of consistently being a top-four team and competing for trophies on a yearly basis, not just being a flash in a pan.

“Hull have had the odd success and then not really capitalised on it.

“Adam’s vision for the club is to be a Leeds or a Wigan and he really sold it to me. I came here to help create a legacy and to be part of things when the revolution started.”

The Black and Whites have not won any silverware since beating Leeds, who included Ellis at the time, in the 2005 Challenge Cup final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

But the takeover of the club by former Hull City owner Pearson in July 2011, and subsequent signing of players such as Ellis and Daniel Holdsworth, has made them a force to be reckoned with.

“If I’m honest, I probably thought that this was going to be a building year,” said Ellis.

Gareth Ellis is having ride of his life