Hull FC know they need to go up another gear at Wakefield.
Hull FC half-back Jake Arthur celebrates his try. (Image: Hull FC)
Andy Last is still looking for some Hull FC fix-ups ahead of Friday night’s game against Wakefield Trinity. The Black and Whites have a quick turnaround as they face another West Yorkshire opponent at the MKM Stadium, with the side defeating Huddersfield Giants 36-12 on Saturday afternoon.
And while Last praised Hull’s attack, which opened up after a tough start to the game, not to mention a goal-line defensive effort that produced at least three try-saving tackles, he knows his side will have to take it up a notch against a current top-six placed opponent.
Hull know they need to restrict the metres made by their opposition, who are still getting out of their red zone too easily, and even when pressed into corners after good kicks and kick chases.
It’s something Last is well aware of, with improvements targeted ahead of what is set to be a much sterner challenge against Wakefield. Nonetheless, with 15 players out due to injury and suspension, the commitment and tenacity of his side were good to see in what was a satisfying and much-needed win.
“We’re probably doing a little bit too much defending on our own try line because of some errors that we make out of yardage,” Last told Hull Live. “But when we actually are on our try line, we’re very, very comfortable, and that’s credit to the boys. They’ve bought into the system and what we want from the team as a defensive unit on our try line.”
On the challenge of Wakefield, Last continued: “They are a good side. They’ll be hurting from the game against Wigan, but they’ve got a quality squad and a coach who is obviously very, very good at what he does in Daryl (Powell).
“And I’m sure they’ll be looking to bounce back after a performance which they’re probably disappointed with. It’s going to be a very, very tough game for us. We’ve had a couple of tough games with them over the course of the last two years, so it’ll be a tough challenge and I know Daryl will have them ready.”
However, Hull will go into this week and Friday’s game with some belief and confidence – having given themselves something to build on.
“It just lifts the mood,” Last said on the win. “We all started feeling a little bit edgy, shall we say, using words like we’re desperate to win. Every game is important. I’ve said this before in press, because they’re all of the same value, which is two points, but that was probably a little bit more than two points.
“On the back of Hull and Proud week, against the opposition that we were playing against, and the fact that we had put in three or four really, really good shifts, but we hadn’t got our rewards, I just felt the lads needed it for confidence.
“The boys were then able to enjoy their night, relax, and enjoy Sunday, knowing that they’ve got two points in the bag, and then come back into work on Monday ready to have a look at the video and ready to improve in some areas.”
And on the reality of winning with 15 players out, Last added: “When you look at the team that they had out, they didn’t have as many injuries as we did, and that only bodes well for us in the future.
“It’s strengthening the depth of our squad. The likes of Will (Hutchinson) getting good minutes and playing regular Super League – that’s only going to benefit him.
“We were able to put Hutch out there and give him a little bit more exposure and play some more minutes. So that’s only going to benefit us in the long term. I’m just pleased for the boys; they have worked hard. It’s been a challenging couple of months for us, and we probably haven’t always got our reward, but here we certainly did.”