2026 brings a new challenge for Hull FC’s flying duo.
Hull FC’s Harvey Barron & Lewis Martin.(Image: SW PIX)
Hull FC’s two athletic wingers, Harvey Barron and Lewis Martin, are ‘as good as anything in Super League’, but they’ll be marked men this year. That’s the view of head coach John Cartwright, who has outlined a new challenge for the flying duo this term.
Both players have signed new deals to extend their stays at the Black and Whites until 2029 and 2030, having each gone from strength to strength over the last two years, but now comes the acid test: kicking on.
Cartwright, following on from Simon Grix in blooding both wingers in the Hull side, is expecting them to get much more focus and attention this year, with opposition sides clued up on their metres in the backfield and try-scoring abilities.
The pair managed 47 tries collectively last year. Martin was also the top carrier in the Super League and sixth in metres made. Barron was also up there with his average figures and arguably only missed out on the top ten due to a hamstring issue that kept him out for several weeks.
“They are as good as any two wingers in the game,” Cartwright said. “Just for the amount of games they’ve played and their age, and the fact that they’re both here long-term is great news all round.
“I didn’t know what to expect from them last year. I had a pre-season with them, and I saw that they are both big, strong and fast. They fill that requirement, and then being able to come into a side with the experience that we were able to bring in helped them no end.
“It’s just another challenge for them this year; they gained a little bit more attention last year through their performances, so they’re going to get tested this year by opposition teams coming to get them.
“They won’t be going under the radar this season. There will be a lot of focus on them. There was last year, too, to be honest – their form and their performances demanded that. When you’re playing well, the opposition certainly know a lot about you.”
Outlining the work down in the backfield, with both wingers aiming to get Hull’s sets rolling in the Super League opener against Bradford Bulls on Saturday evening, Cartwright added: “It’s a modern-day winger. They have to be able to finish, but the longer the game has gone on in modern times, and the way it’s evolved, wingers have become a little bit like extra forwards.
“They’re like big battering rams. They fulfil a lot of areas where you have to be good, but they’ve still got a lot of improvement in them, too.”