The Hull FC loose forward on Rovers’ return to form, containing their threats, and their own derby promise.
Hull FC loose-forward John Asiata.(Image: SW PIX)
Hull KR’s return to form last week was no surprise for Hull FC’s John Asiata. In fact, the loose-forward even revealed to good friend and now derby rival Tom Amone that it was a case of when, not if.
And so it proved, with Rovers dismantling St Helens 52-10 at Craven Park to set up Good Friday’s 250th Hull derby meeting.
For good measure, the Black and Whites have also won their last two games, defeating both Leeds Rhinos and Catalans Dragons at home, setting up what promises to be another fiery clash between the big city foes.
“They’ve had a very busy year,” Asiata, previewing the milestone game, said. “I’ve got a good friend of mine playing over there, Tom Amone, which will be exciting to go up against him. I speak to him a fair bit about their game and about his game, really.
“I said to him that they’ve had a lot of interruptions throughout the year, the World Club Challenge, winning that, being on the high, travelling down to Catalans, going to Vegas – like, there are a lot of moving parts there – and I said, ‘You guys will find your feet once you settle down.’
“They were back at home for the first time last week and put a really good performance in against a strong team like Saints. So yeah, it’s going to be an interesting one this week, but it’s a game that I’m looking forward to.”
Outlining Rovers’ threats, Asiata, who is set to lead the Hull side once again, continued: “They’ve got a lot of strike players around the park; Mikey (Lewis), (Elliot) Minchella controls the middle, Tyrone May on the other side, and then they’ve got speed.
“I think their back three are dangerous. They win a lot of rucks for them and get up the field. Then obviously when Mikey is at his best, he’s running. He’s a tough guy to handle. He’s very strong, very quick, and he’s got a really good kicking game.
“We’ve got to be on all over the park, through the middle, through the outside backs, the edges, and our kick chase. All the little things are going to matter this week. Hopefully we do them well.”
Putting the onus on themselves, Hull are also looking to their own borders, and while the old adage is that form goes out of the window ahead of a Hull derby, for Asiata, it’s all about confidence.
Hull have that confidence. There’s a spring in their step after their last two wins, but now comes the acid test, and for Asiata, who has hit his own burst of form since returning to the side, it’s building a performance on the same pillars of the last fortnight that is key to any hope of victory.
He explained: “Obviously when you’re losing, you’re trying to find out what you are doing wrong and what’s not working, but over the last couple weeks, I think we’ve really simplified our game plan and simplified the way that we want to play, doing all the little things right and understanding the new rules and sort of starting to get used to them.
“Over the last couple weeks, we’ve really nailed that, and I think this week is going to be no different. It’s going to be faster; it’s going to be physical, but when the time comes for our time to have our shot, we’ve got to make sure we nail it.
“We’ve just got to trust the game plan, but also the process, and make sure that our communication within the group is really clear. We’ve had our own challenges this year to think about, and we are trying to build our year. We’ve been focused on trying to find our rhythm, find our game, and try and build on what we’ve done over the last couple of weeks.”
Aware of their challenge, Asiata knows performance needs to go up another level this week ahead of what promises to be another passionate affair.
“It’s one of those games that you sort of pencil in straight away,” Asiata said. “Last year I got to experience how big it was, speaking to a lot of the boys that are from FC and who have family members.
“Davy (Litten), for his family, it’s massive and just to be a part of it was awesome. It’s a big game and it’s an exciting game to be a part of.
“The noise of the crowd is very different because of the hatred between the two teams, but once I cross the white line, it’s another game. It might be a little bit more physical, and it might be faster, but the game doesn’t change the way you play.
“I do my part for the team; the boys do their part for the team. Everything else sorts itself out.”
Laying out the importance of the fixture, with Hull last tasting a derby victory in July 2023, Asiata added: “It’s been a while, but the way we play the game and what we want to achieve this year is to make everyone proud.
“We wear this jersey, and we want to do this jersey proud and the only way we can do that is by winning and giving our best. So, hopefully we can do the job this week. It’s going to be a tough ask, but we’ll give it our best shot.”