Loyal Rover Hardman rewarded with a testimonial

Hardman, who joined Rovers in 2008, has made 309 career appearances so far.

He made his professional debut for St Helens versus Castleford Tigers in 2003 and primarily played full-back but found chances limited due to Great Britain No1 Paul Wellens.

Hardman, 30, had a loan spell with Hull KR in 2007 and briefly the following year at hometown Widnes before moving to Featherstone.

At Post Office Road, he helped claim the Championship League Leaders Shield in four consecutive seasons from 2010 to 2013 and was part of the victorious 2011 Grand Final side.

Along the way, Hardman has also scored 109 tries for the club and featured once more on Sunday when they defeated in-form London Broncos 42-18.

‘I would like to thank the RFL for granting me a testimonial year and also Featherstone Rovers for their continued support,” he said.

“I see this as an opportunity to celebrate my career to date with everyone who has helped and supported me along the way and enabled me to play a game I love for so long.’

Hardman and his committee have lots of events planned to mark his testimonial including a launch dinner on Saturday July 30 at The Big Fellas Stadium with St Helens legend and former team-mate Wellens as guest speaker.