John Cartwright has challenged his Hull FC players not to be ‘scared’ ahead of Thursday’s clash with Wakefield Trinity and instead be excited and ’embrace’ what lies ahead in the race for the Super League play-offs.
The Black and Whites face in-form Trinity at the MKM Stadium, with the West Yorkshire side leapfrogging them in the table after the latest regular round. Finding some form, Wakefield are flying, tipped by many to make a genuine assault on the top six, while Hull have won just three of their last ten games – their latest defeat a 13-6 reverse to St Helens on Saturday afternoon.
However, Cartwright is warning his side not to take notice of form and instead rev themselves up for what is another big game in the context of the season – with the side having just three days now to prepare.
Asked about the quick turnaround and Thursday’s clash, Cartwright said: “I don’t mind that. It’s sometimes a bit different when the opposition has a longer turnaround, but we’re both on the same keel.
“We both go in with a short turnaround for what is a really important game, but you’ve got to be excited about it. You can’t be scared about it, and you can’t approach it thinking about the type of form you’re in.
“We’re at this stage of the year, and we’re competing with sides – you have to love these situations. It’s a big game, and you want to play in the big games. If we win a few of them, then we’re going to have a lot of big games in front of us. That’s my message to the players. Let’s embrace it and go after it.”
Hull will target a first home win of the season against Wakefield, with all ten of their victories in league and cup so far this season coming on the road – including a 16-12 triumph at Trinity back in March.
In contrast, Hull have lost seven of their eight home games in both competitions with only a draw to show for their efforts. But Cartwright isn’t fazed by those facts, with a challenge laid out for his side to be tough in every facet of the game and then get their just rewards.
He explained: “We can’t use that (home form) as an excuse, that that’s all it is—an excuse. I saw some really tough efforts (against St Helens), and that’s where we need to be.
“This week is another game, and if we don’t turn up with that same effort in the really tough situations, then you don’t win footy games, but I know what they’re capable of. The tough thing to get right is to get blokes to keep trying when things aren’t going your way, but they are doing that for us in spades.”