Hull FC are targeting a big end to the season.
Hull FC haven’t fared well this year when handed the favourites tag. And after defeat to Huddersfield Giants last time out, they need no reminder.
Come Sunday, it’s a tag they’ll get again, hosting the struggling Salford Red Devils at the MKM Stadium. But it’s one, after a week off to regroup and rejuvenate, that they are ready for, with two key motivations to lure them to victory: their top six charge and their home crowd.
Hull know their results at home haven’t been good enough this year, with just one win to their name in HU3, but they also know that if they turn the tide – given five of their last seven games are at the MKM Stadium – then they’ll give themselves a real shot at a top six finish.
That is something on John Cartwright’s mind, who wants to reward the club’s loyal fans, who have backed them all year, and give them something to smile about as they approach the business end of the season.
“We have to be honest about it,” Cartwright, speaking in his pre-match press conference, said on Hull’s home form. “We can’t sugar coat it. It is what it is, and we’ve struggled at home with our form. It’s there, but there’s only one way to get rid of it – go put on a performance this weekend.
“It’s a game about us and a big chance to play in front of our home crowd, who deserve a win. They deserve to see a side go out and represent them and get a win.
“I’m not taking away from Salford at all; they’ve competed every week, and they’ve tried hard, but we ourselves haven’t been too good at home, and we can’t take anyone easy. It’s about preparing well and going out and trying to play how we train and play at the level of the games when we’ve been at our best.
“That’s all we can do. We spoke about this after the Huddersfield game, but we’ve got a great group of people who turn up week in, week out and who spend their hard-earned money on us. There’s no lack of trying here, I can promise you that – the players go out every week and try, and they want to see the smiles on faces after games. That goes without saying. The players have spoken about it; just trying to send them home with smiles on their faces. That’s what we’ll be aiming to do.”
Hull’s defeat to Huddersfield came after a season-high performance away at Wigan and followed their first home win against Wakefield. In many ways, it mirrors the club’s year, with highs and lows along the way as they rebuild following a turbulent and dismal campaign last year.
“It (the season) is a rollercoaster,” Cartwright continued. “Your highs and your lows are going to happen; you don’t know when, but you draw on a bit of experience. I’ve been around a while, and I know what we’re capable of. It’s always at work. How do we be at our best every week? That’s my train of thought.
“We’ll know better after the weekend, but we didn’t play well against Huddersfield. We weren’t anywhere near as consistent as we were the week before. Huddersfield in the first half were nearly faultless, and they pressured us. I’m not taking away from the fact it’s a game we should have won, but sometimes you’ve got to give credit when it’s due.”
Hosting Salford, Hull, who are hoping to welcome back Will Pryce and John Asiata to their side, know victory will keep them in check for a play-off finish, something that would be a stern return after last year. For Cartwright, it’s all to play for – with 14 competition points still up for grabs.
“I still think where we sit, our destiny is in our own hands,” Cartwright added. “If we win the majority of our games, that will look after itself. I know we sit outside of the six at the moment, but 14 points can do a lot. If we win the majority of our games, we’ll still be playing games come finals time.
“We’ve come back (after a week off) with seven games to go, and it’s a long way to go. You don’t want to get sucked into the trap, but seven games is 14 points, and that can change a lot of teams’ seasons. There’s a long way to go, and we’re not talking about winding down. The time was a chance to recharge for the last seven games.
“We’ve mentally freshened up. We’ve got a lot of home games coming up, and we’ve struggled at home. There’s no getting around that; they are games we are expected to win, and we didn’t.
“We’ve refreshed the bodies and the minds, and we need to come back now and make this home ground a fortress. If we can do that, with five of the seven at home, then it will be good for us. That’s got to be our mentality now.”