Hull FC had a good start to the Super League season. They won five games in a row and lost just one of their first nine in all competitions.
But the honeymoon period after last season’s woeful account is over. For all the praises Hull have received over the first three months, they’ve now got to buck their ideas up, and quickly.
At the Magic Weekend, they were an ill-disciplined rabble – an eventuality more perplexing given the focus on discipline all week. John Cartwright spoke of its need, and so did John Asiata in Hull’s pre-match press conference. Hull then delivered an account that was anything but disciplined. They were unorganised and off the pace, and when that frustration came to its fore, it got all the more ugly, with Liam Knight sent off after a yellow for Sam Eseh.
But Hull’s poor discipline wasn’t limited to two cards. It told in their inability to complete sets on their terms, get to points, put kicks in desired areas, and put pressure on the opposition. Instead, Hull forced passes and went wide too quickly. They didn’t stick to their game plan, and in defence, they missed too many tackles.
The first try for Leroy Cudjoe was poor, with the Huddersfield veteran easily beating Will Pryce to score. The second was a walk-in for Jacob Gagai.
It wasn’t good enough, and Hull have got to take the rough with the smooth. They’re in for a tough week of training now – with a week off coming at the opportune time. Hull have looked jaded for a couple of games now, and this is a chance to reset and regroup.
Hull have got to sort their issues out and quickly. They can’t just dine out on the fact they’ve made progress from last season – even if this year was always going to have its ups and downs. Cartwright said post-match that perhaps they’ve been hearing it too much. Perhaps he’s right. We’ll soon find out.
What we do know with recent Hull FC history is how fast a good thing can fizzle out. This team have to buck their ideas up or it will get ugly soon. That might sound dramatic after one bad defeat, but we’ve seen it all before. 2021 started positively. It ended badly. 2022 followed the same script. 2023 had some resurgence mid-season, but it ended with a whimper.
Hull have a habit of going off the rails. That habit can’t continue, with the side rediscovering the standards they set early this year. Discipline has to be Hull’s buzzword now going forward. But they have to put words into action.
They have to find composure, not be erratic, and play a patience game. That’s what the best sides do. On Sunday, they were dumb as dumb gets. Effort wasn’t in question, but Hull have gone beyond giving themselves pats on the back because they’re trying hard. They’ve got to be smarter. That’s the key.
In the second half, they were a man down and two points down, needing to complete sets and manage the clock. What do they do? Fling the ball out wide, drop it, watch it sail into touch and present the opportunity to Huddersfield. That happened time and time again. And eventually the Giants took their chance.
Hull showed some character to come back with a Lewis Martin try, a great finish after a skilful offload by Davy Litten, but that was as good as it got. With the ball, they were largely erratic, sloppy, frustrated and the like. And while Litten, not to mention Aidan Sezer and Cade Cust, deserve some praise for their gutsy displays, it doesn’t mask what was a poor team account.
That needs addressing now before it becomes a rut. Luckily, time is on their side, but given recent history, it’s easy to say why the alarm bells are ringing. Hull’s challenge is to nip that worry in the bud and get back on the horse with a disciplined and professional account at Leeds. They’ve got around ten days to prepare for it. And then we’ll see what they’re truly made of.