John Cartwright has admitted that Hull FC are looking for a more permanent training solution—with the grass pitches at their University of Hull training base currently ‘too hard’ to train on.
The Black and Whites are currently taking their field sessions on the 4G turf at the university’s sports complex—the same surface they used for the majority of their pre-season training. However, the preference is to train on grass, something the club has done for the last two summers on the site.
But the ground this year is too hard, presenting a problem for Cartwright’s side, who are looking for a long-term grass solution.
Asked by Hull Live if the 4G is an issue, with Will Pryce the latest first-team player to suffer a long-term hamstring after John Asiata and Jed Cartwright, Hull’s head coach said: “We look at everything. But the simple answer is we’ve got no option at the moment. The grass pitches are too hard, and until we can find somewhere permanent, we’ve got to stay on as consistent a surface as we can.
“The medical staff are checking everything. We know every metre they run and at every possible speed they run, how fast they go when they’re moving forward and moving backward. There is not one stone that hasn’t been unturned to find out if we’re in a bad situation.”
Hull moved their academy and reserve games from the University of Hull’s 4G surface over to Hull YPI last summer—the home of Hull Rugby Union—but have continued to play both competitions on the surface this year.
Former player Tex Hoy also aired his concerns with the 4G while at Hull FC. Coming over from Australia, it was the first time he had even seen such a surface.
But Cartwright stopped short of saying that the 4G is causing injuries to his players, just that the preference is to train on grass. As for Pryce’s injury, which was copped in the final minutes of the Catalans Dragons game over 10 days ago, Cartwright used the conditions in Perpignan, pushing 30 degrees Celsius, as a factor, with the player out for 8-10 weeks.
“Will had a game where he ran for nearly 300 metres, and a lot of those metres were at top speed,” Cartwright added. “It was a really hot day, and he did it in the last second of the game. If anyone is going to do a hamstring, that’s probably the time you’re going to do it.”