John Cartwright has praised the efforts of his Hull FC forward pack after victory at Leigh Leopards on Thursday night and has explained the strategic selection of one of his interchanges.
The Black and Whites’ middles had to put in a huge shift after injuries to Cade Cust and John Asiata, with Liam Knight going for over 70 minutes of the 26-12 victory.
Elsewhere, Sam Eseh also stepped up with another strong account. The on-loan Wigan forward has risen in stature in recent weeks and has upped the ante every week.
Similarly, Herman Ese’ese was his ‘normal’ self, scoring another try, while Matty Laidlaw came in strong, with Carwright explaining the strategic minutes played in both the reserves league and at Doncaster in recent weeks – with the 21-year-old coming into the side well at Leigh Sports Village.
“Liam Knight was outstanding,” Cartwright said post-match. “Sam Eseh also went to another level for us. Herman was his normal self. I thought Matty Laidlaw did a fantastic job, being only his second Super League game for us this year.
“He got nearly 35 minutes out in the middle of the field. He did a really solid job, which is what we expect of him. It’s a bit rude to pick out individual names like I just did, as I was really happy with a lot of them.”
Explaining the decision to play Laidlaw over Brad Fash, who has been recovering from a calf injury, Cartwright continued: “Brad hasn’t played for a few weeks with a calf injury, and Matty’s been playing – we purposely sent Matty to play in the reserves and for Doncaster on dual reg. He had a lot of miles in his legs.”
And as for Knight, Cartwright called his stint ‘invaluable’. The prop forward has been strong since arriving from Australia back in March, debuting against Leigh back in March. Signing a deal until the end of the season, the club want to keep Knight beyond the current season – and it’s not hard to see why, with the 30-year-old playing for 70 minutes in the round 12 fixture.
“It’s invaluable when you get injuries,” Cartwright said on Knight’s shift. “The plan was to play him for 50 to 60 minutes tonight. Losing the two players really forced us to change our thinking, but I know Liam, and I know he’s smart enough.
“He works hard in defence, and if he needs to have a rest when we get the ball, he will. He’s got a great work ethic and a great knowledge of the game. That’s how he gets through. He probably could have played the 80, but it was nice to swap those middles around a bit towards the end when we were starting to lag a bit at the end.
“He never wants to come off; it’s just a team thing, and he always lets you know if he’s okay. He would have come off before half-time if we had no injuries, but he told the trainer he was fine to get through the first 40 minutes. He’s done it before. He’s got a big engine.”