John Cartwright has challenged his Hull FC players to keep on adapting to different situations this season – and has used Zak Hardaker as a prime example.
The 33-year-old was brought to the club as one of several new signings ahead of the season with the view of playing in the centre spot. But injuries have forced a rethink, with Hardaker playing the last half a dozen or so games in the back row.
In fact, he even stepped into the half-back position alongside Aidan Sezer last week to get Hull home against Leigh Leopards after injuries to John Asiata and Cade Cust.
It’s that sort of adaptability Cartwright wants to see from his side when the situation dictates, with Hull negotiating the first game of the season without Asiata, who is ruled out with a hamstring injury against Catalans this weekend.
Asiata has played all 15 games so far but is set for scans on the injury. In the meantime, Cartwright, who will field a different player in the loose-forward role for the first time, is calling on his key players to remain adaptable to different situations – some of which have tested his side in a season that sees them sitting in seventh spot in Super League after 12 rounds.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Cartwright said: “Ideally, you want to go through the game and everything to go to plan, but the fact is you don’t get that happening very often.
“There are sin bins, send-offs, and injuries, and sometimes you make a call on the bench to go with more middles or an extra winger; it’s a bit of a lottery, but you just have to be adaptable when it happens.
“We’re fortunate that we have got some players in the side who can play well no matter where they get shifted to. That’s a bonus for us, but the experienced guys are the ones we’ve looked to when we’ve had to make key changes in the game.
“Zak Hardaker is a good example – he went from the back row to the six position and a really difficult role, especially having no practice, but he slotted into it really well. We’re very fortunate to have Zak in the team – he can pretty much play anywhere, even in the front row if you really had to.
“But we’ve trained without Johnny; the pressure of a game hasn’t been there, but we have trained – although it will be a new experience for us, I’m confident that we will have done enough on the field throughout the pre-season. The experience of the players that are going to be there will ensure, while it’s a challenge, that we will be ready for it.”
Hull will also give Cust every chance to prove his fitness ahead of the trip to Perpignan, with the half-back taking a bang to his hip last week. Cust hasn’t trained so far this week, but a call will be made on Thursday. He suffered the same bang at Wakefield back in March but played the following week.
Meanwhile, Cartwright is calling for his spine to step up without Asiata, with the 1, 6 and 7 combo of Will Pryce, Cust, and Aidan Sezer impressing against Leigh. Jordan Rapana is also set to return after passing the mandatory checks following a recent head injury, while Jack Charles is an option should Cust not pull through.
“We’ve got a one, six and seven who had their best game together last week,” Cartwright added. “They’re going to have to take a bit more responsibility, but also everyone around them will too and own what they do with the ball.”