Liam Knight has wasted no time in hitting his straps with Hull FC over the last five months, but given everything he’s faced so far this season, his form is all the more credit to him.
For a player who came close to retiring from the sport last autumn, to come halfway around the world having trained on his own throughout the off-season, perform, and then battle a virus and continue to perform is a testament to him.
In reality, there’s no wonder that the club, as first reported by Hull Live back in April, shared the desire to extend the prop’s deal and then got the formalities done and dusted. He’s been superb.
For head coach John Cartwright, it will all have come as no surprise, with the duo working together back at Manly Sea Eagles, but for assistant coach Andy Last, there are certainly some methods and tricks behind Knight’s stellar form, from preparation and the like to the strong culture the club are creating once again.
“It’s really pleasing,” Last said on Knight’s new deal. “Since Liam has come in, he’s really helped our forward pack dominate some big games. It’s what he does on a day-to-day basis; he trains with intensity, and he’s very keen to learn and pass his influence and knowledge on to the rest of the group. He’s been a great signing for us, and we’re really pleased that he will be with us for the next 12 months.”
And on his form, Last continued: “It’s a testament to his character and how he is as a professional. He’s very diligent in his preparation. He spends a fair bit of time stretching and doing his prehab and rehab. He’s one that, on his days off, will go do his ice baths, and he eats well and has different protein powders from the rest of the boys.
“He’s very insolent with his own body and his diet and all this type of stuff. He’s found something that works for him, and I think that’s been evident in his performances. He’s got something going.
“He’s got a big frame, and he’s very fit. Carty knowing him and spending a fair bit of time with him in Australia at Manly and knowing what he’s about, has helped him to settle really quickly here. He’s built a good relationship with Aidan Sezer, one of his travelling partners, and Will Pryce—they’ve got a really good craic.
“He’s been a really good signing for us, and he’s fit in. He’s done it tough with his partner being back in Australia, but he’ll get some time very soon to catch up with her and rekindle that romance. That will be good for Knighty, and it’s certainly good for us.”
Setting the tone in Hull’s middle, Knight has got through some mammoth stints this year. He played just short of 70 minutes at Wigan last week and did similar in victory at Leigh back in May. The minutes are efficient too, and with what Hull demands from their middles, they have to be.
“We ask a lot of our middles,” Last explained. “We ask them to kick chase with a sprint, push on every play, bring it out of the ruck on your third man’s, give us good line speed, and make sure contacts are strong—we do demand a lot of them, and the fact that Liam is able to get through his work very, very efficiently and play massive minutes is a big plus for us.
“It allows other players to be more explosive. We’ve got a really good balance in that middle unit—Herman Ese’ese and Yusuf Aydin, along with Brad Fash and Liam Watts. It’s a good dynamic in there, and the pieces of the jigsaw fit well.”
And as for Knight’s virus, the prop first felt the effects at Catalans. The 30-year-old didn’t come back for a second stint, a rare thing in itself, with the player battling the effects of what turned out to be long Covid into this month.
“He got the symptoms of it leading into the Catalans away game,” Last said. “Then the game came, and the conditions were ridiculous. It was really hot and humid, and Liam is one that never does not want to go back out on the field, but after his first stint, he said, ‘I’ve got nothing left in me.’
“It allowed us to put someone else on, and we got to the bottom of it. We said it’s not like you, and he said he was feeling really, really tired and had flu-like symptoms. We had to monitor his week, and his minutes probably dropped off a bit more.
“There was a bit of a drop in performance, but since he’s gotten over it, his form has certainly picked up again, and that’s helped us perform the way that we have. He’s okay now.”
And on this week’s clash against Huddersfield, with Hull looking to go back into the top six with victory, Last added: “Hopefully, he won’t have to play 80 minutes. He’ll have a job to do against Huddersfield, and we’ll need him to perform exactly as he did against Wigan.
“I thought he, Herman, and Yusuf were outstanding at the start of the Wigan game, and the challenge for us is to make sure that we set a platform again this week.”