HULL KR: Briscoe wants to be third time lucky

HULL KR full-back Shaun Briscoe hopes it will be a case of 'third time lucky' when he faces Australia in the Four Nations final tonight.

Briscoe is no stranger to major finals, having reached the Challenge Cup and Super League showpieces with Hull FC.

But he is yet to taste victory on the big stage, having lost out to St Helens in the 2006 Grand Final and being forced to sit out the 2005 cup success over Leeds with appendicitis.

Now, with England just 80 minutes away from their biggest result in almost four decades, Briscoe is hoping for a personal change of fortune.

"I could do with better luck in a final," Briscoe told the Mail.

"I was given a winner's medal in 2005 but I didn't earn it. In 2006, I was happy with my performance against St Helens but we lost the game.

"I'll be treating it as a separate entity, but this is definitely the biggest game of my career and I'm looking forward to it.

"It won't make up for the disappointment of missing out on the 2005 Challenge Cup final, but it will be a very big occasion."

While it will be a big day for Briscoe and team-mate Peter Fox, it will also be a proud day for KR.

The Robins have had to wait 13 years to see two of their players play for Great Britain or England in a major competition.

Chris Burton and Dave Watkinson were the last to do so, playing in the Great Britain side beaten 24-15 by Australia at Wigan in the 1986 World Cup.

Now, Briscoe wants to repay the club for the support they have given to him and Fox.

It was with the club's blessing that they were allowed to miss Rovers' Super League clash with Harlequins to play France in the mid-season international.

And while Rovers fell to a 40-10 defeat, Briscoe and Fox shared four tries between them in a 66-12 rout for their country.

Briscoe said: "It's a proud day for Hull KR to have both Peter and I representing the country in a major final against Australia.

"When you walk down the corridors at Craven Park and see the old photos of Great Britain and England squads you see the historical connection between those teams in the past and Rovers.

"It would be nice to update those photos and that would make Peter and me very proud.

"The support we have received from the club has been great."