Career Record for Featherstone
Appearances			Tries	Goals	Drop Goals	Points
Total	Start	Sub
205	172	33	66	105	15	439

When Featherstone Rovers pulled off yet another of their famous RL Cup upsets by beating red-hot favourites Hull by 14 points to 12 in the 1983 final, second-row forward David Hobbs's display earned him the Man of the Match award. He scored the first try from a well-planned move with Hudson and his second, late in the second half, levelled the scores. On each occasion, he caught out the Hull cover by scoring wide with excellent positioning and powerful running.  In between, he gave away a penalty try to Lee Crooks.

He appeared in all 39 matches of that 1982/83 season, scoring 18 tries and in his sixth season with the club, fulfilling all the promise he had shown since being signed from the junior side. He actually made his senior debut at centre v Castleford (at home) on 27 March 1978, but he soon reverted to second row and proceeded to carve out a most impressive career with the Rovers. He developed into a prolific try-scorer and his 21 tries in 1981/82 set up a new club record for a forward, and he was also top try-scorer in the First Division with 19 - the first time a forward had topped the list since two Divisions were reintroduced in 1973. He was also an excellent goal-kicker, but with Steve Quinn around he never got the full opportunity at Featherstone.

However, when Quinn was injured in 1978/79, he kicked 78 goals in 21 matches including two 10-goal hauls against Huddersfield and Rochdale - proof enough.

After impressing at Under 24 level for Great Britain against France in 1982, when he kicked seven goals in the two fixtures, he progressed to the senior team in 1984. His five goals v France at Leeds were instrumental in their 10-0 defeat. He toured Australasia and Papua New Guinea in 1984, making 16 appearances and scoring 2 tries and 15 goals. He played in six of the Tests in a new position of prop forward. In the first, he came on as a substitute after 71 minutes and was sent off in the last seconds for which he received a three match suspension.

Hobbs's footballing brain, his speed, strength and bulk gave him every asset for success in the game and he used them well.  His strong purposeful play was a rousing feature and his departure to Oldham in 1985 for a reported fee of £40,000 was widely regretted in Featherstone. His last match was at home to Widnes on 24 March 1985. Needless to say he continued his successful international and county career with Oldham and then Bradford before finally turning to coaching.  His coaching career included a short successful spell at Featherstone when he guided the team to promotion from the lowest echelon of the rugby league ladder in 2007.

For full details of his coaching career, see here

Biography by Ron Bailey