Hull FC have a key decision to make.
Hull FC head coach John Cartwright.(Image: SW PIX)
Hull FC will make a full-back decision this week following the devastating injury news regarding Will Pryce.
The talented 23-year-old has ruptured his ACL after going down awkwardly in a tackle towards the back end of Saturday’s game at Wigan Warriors and is expected to miss the rest of the 2026 season. And while it’s a crushing blow for the Black and Whites, they have to regroup and prepare for Friday night’s Super League round three game against York Knights.
Taking on a newly promoted outfit at the MKM Stadium, Hull do have options at their disposal, with four current players playing the full-back role inside the last 12 months: Zak Hardaker, Lloyd Kemp, Davy Litten, and Logan Moy.
The most recent of those was Litten, who had the role for the Challenge Cup game at Salford RLFC, scoring three tries. The other three players all started there in Super League at the back end of last season, and may be called on pending team decisions elsewhere. At the least, there are options to go at.
“It’s about building your squad, isn’t it?” John Cartwright told Hull Live when asked about those options. “We’ve got some guys there who can do a job. We’ll talk about it and we’ll come up with a 13.”
Hull – who have previously confirmed they are operating at the full salary cap this season – can also apply for dispensation on the cap should they desire, with Pryce taken off and space therefore opening up for a new domestic recruit.
It is an option they used last year with Ligi Sao after the prop was ruled out for the entire 2025 season and one they could use again should the right player and opportunity present themselves – although for the avoidance of doubt, it would have to be a domestic addition with Hull up to the full complement of quota players this year.
Elsewhere, Hull will hope to field influential loose forward John Asiata, who will train this Tuesday and, if passed fit to play later this week, will line up against the Knights for his first appearance of the season.
“We won’t play him if he’s not 100%, so we’ll get through the week and see how he is,” Cartwright said. “It makes a big difference when Johnny is out on the field. He’s great at what he does, but he’s also a calming influence for everybody else. He’s a big assistance for Aidan (Sezer) out there too.”
Hull will also have Liam Knight to call on after the prop avoided a suspension for a dangerous lift tackle on Wigan’s Sam Walters, with Hull’s middles not expecting to change too much from the Wigan game. Ligi Sao will serve the final game of his two-match ban, with Yusuf Aydin, Harvie Hill, Sam Lisone, and Brad Fash expected to get the nod again.
As for Knight, Cartwright added: “It’s always a worry when they go on report, but luckily, he fell just short. He’ll be available this week.
“I spoke about it after the game and I’ll speak to Liam about it. I’ll talk to him tomorrow (Tuesday) about some standards that we set ourselves. We didn’t live up to them.”