When Hull FC’s rising half-back Callum Kemp says he’s watched Danny Houghton all of his life, he means it literally. Born on September 18, 2006, the recently turned 18-year-old wasn’t even a year old when Houghton made his first-team debut for the club back in July 2007.

Yet last Saturday afternoon, they lined up on the field together as Hull brought their 2024 season to a close. It couldn’t have been more of a changing of the guard moment either, with Houghton, along with Carlos Tuimavave, playing their final game for the club and Kemp, along with Ryan Westerman, their first.

That sentiment was felt all week, with the old war horses presenting the new generation with their debut shirts. For Kemp, a boyhood Black and White who has grown up watching Houghton and the like, it meant everything.

"It was special," Kemp told Hull Live. "Danny’s career has been as long as my whole life so far. He’s been around longer than I’ve been watching rugby league. Of course, he’s a local lad as well, and he knows what it means to play for this club. Being his final game, it made it even more special, and it was a privilege to share the field with him.

"It was surreal too, lining up together, but it was a massive opportunity and one that I'll always be grateful for. It's a day I'll never forget. I'm just really happy for the whole experience. The lads made it special as well with what they did during the week and on gameday.

"It all meant the world to me. It was a dream come true to play, and hopefully it's the start of a big journey with the club. You look at people like Danny, and you aspire to be like that. Hopefully, I can keep pushing on with some of the other lads as well. That's the dream; to keep building, keep improving, and get other young lads into the team and build a strong foundation around that."

Lining up at half-back, Kemp cut a composed figure throughout his debut. An out and out seven, he is an organiser, a leader, and it showed, not just on the field but before the game too.

After Houghton’s pre-much speech as captain, it was Kemp who followed the club legend, addressing the Hull squad and declaring what he wants from his forwards, how he wants to play, and the like. For a teenager, that confidence is a big thing, and one that earned him respect straight away.

"It felt good," Kemp, reflecting on his Super League debut, said. "It's a lot quicker than what I'm used to, and my skill got questioned a bit. Obviously, it's a lot more physical with big bodies like Chris (Satae) running at you, but when you’ve got people like Jed (Cartwright) next to you and Carlos as well on his last game, it helps.

"We all understand our roles. It's not been quite right this year with results, but if I tell them what to do, they'll do it. We saw it early doors. We pulled the trigger against Catalans, and we got plenty of width into our play. It just wasn't enough in the end. We ran out of juice a little bit with our discipline. But that's how I want to play (with width and with no fear).

"Hopefully, we don’t pull away from that, and we keep going with it. It can be a real strength of our game as we create future partnerships, but that’s my game. I like getting people around the park, and with the help of Franny (Cummins) and people like that in the academy, that part of my game has really come on. I just want to keep progressing now with that and get better, but it’s a team effort."

Another big strength of Kemp’s is his relationship with twin brother Lloyd. Their partnership, with Lloyd playing from full-back, is almost telepathic, with the duo, along with Westerman, signing up to first-team contracts next season.

"We want to keep building together," Kemp added. "There's parts of our game that we need to work on on both sides of the ball, but we’ve always got each other to fall back on, and it helps, but I’ll also be picking Aidan Sezer’s brains next season as much as I can and learning off him every day.

"He’s a very seasoned professional, and he's done it for a lot of years. He's been around the game for a long time. Hopefully, he is the type of player that can help take me to the next level. I’m really excited now for the future and what that holds. There's plenty of hard work ahead, and I can’t wait to get going again."

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