Cartwright has a big selection call to make.
John Cartwright has praised Denive Balmforth after a strong comeback to the Hull FC side – with the hooker ensuring the head coach has a selection headache or two ahead of Thursday’s game against Catalans Dragons.
Ironically, the 21-year-old returned from a loan spell at Super League’s French outfit to take his place against Warrington Wolves, with the hooker impressing from the start in the 34-2 victory.
Scoring one try and assisting another, Balmforth shined in attack, but he was equally as impressive in defence – and for Cartwright, that was the icing on the cake.
But now with Amir Bourouh back in contention and Cade Cust, although a doubt due to injury, in the squad, Cartwright, who fielded Callum Kemp and Aidan Sezer in the halves, seemingly has a big decision to make.
“There’s options there now,” he told Hull Live ahead of the clash. “Denvie did really well in his first game back. He did what we asked of him. We sent him over to Catalans for a reason and that was to get game time. He did that, he’s come back, and he did a good job.
“We all know what he can do with the ball; it’s defensively but he’s only young and he’s got lots of time on his hands. It’s also the toughest thing to do in the game: defend in the middle of the field, thus he went over to Catalans, he’s got the game time and I feel like he’s taken that on board. He did a really good job for us.
And on the selection headaches ahead, Cartwright continued: “You want those decisions – you don’t want to be scratching your head and trying to find someone – you want two or three choices in each spot.
“We’ll have a couple of those this week. I’m very loyal to the players who have played the majority of the year and have done a good job for us in general, but we don’t make those decisions alone. We discuss it as a coaching group and we’ll come up with a side. It’s great to have those options.”
And after returning with a bang, the FC head coach is backing Balmforth to keep progressing in his Hull side, with the player signing a new three-year contract earlier this season and adding further depth and competition to the hooking spot, something Cartwright is keen to build throughout his whole squad.
“That’s what you need in order to be successful,” he added. “When injuries or suspensions strike, you need to be able to call on someone who you know is going to do a job. We’re slowly getting to that point.”