Hull FC have set a big challenge for their senior players.
John Cartwright has laid the challenge out to his senior Hull FC players. (Image: Dave Lofthosue, Hull FC)
John Cartwright is counting on his senior players to lead Hull FC to victory over Hull KR this Good Friday – and none more so than last week’s Man of the Match Zak Hardaker.
The 34-year-old was superb against Catalans Dragons on Sunday afternoon, leading the side to back-to-back wins from the half-back spot.
And while it may be another role for Hull’s Swiss Army knife this time out – pending the inclusion of skipper Aidan Sezer – Cartwright is backing the veteran to come up trumps again – and no matter where he plays.
“We might toss a coin, I think,” Cartwright joked when asked where Hardaker, who has also turned out at full-back and centre in 2026, will play this week. “It doesn’t really matter.
“He’s just so important to the team in what he brings – his leadership, his experience, just his knowledge of the game. Some of the things he did the other day, the 40-20 and the chase on the break, on the kick – he just makes those big plays all of the time.”
Hardaker will be joined by the likes of John Asiata, James Bell, Ligi Sao, and the returning Joe Batchelor for the 250th Hull derby clash, with the Black and Whites also hoping to have Sezer back after a recent pec injury.
And Cartwright will be counting on that seniority to lead Hull around the field, ensuring they remain disciplined and not be fazed by pressure in the manner they were in stages of the three derby meetings last year.
“We need guys like Zak and the experienced members of our team to step up,” Cartwright continued. “We thought there were one or two occasions in the derbies last year where we just got a little bit excited and we just lost our discipline a little bit.
“That’s something we’ll talk about as we get closer to the game. We’ve got to be a little bit better at dealing with pressure than we have been in our previous encounters with them.
“Of course, every game is a big moment, a big occasion, and there’s pressure from the outside, and you feel that, but we’re all a year older and a year wiser, and we’ve had three derbies under our belt from last year. We have to learn from that.”
And while Rovers saw a big return to form with victory over St Helens last week, the focus for Cartwright is very much on Hull FC.
“We are aware of what is coming at us, but more importantly, it’s about us just dialling in how we want to play,” Cartwright added. “If you look through their side, you probably just worry a bit too much about what the opposition are doing when it’s always back to what you do as a team.
“That will be our focus heading into the game. We know we need to be at our very best.”