A big moment – but Hull need more of those moments.
Lennon Clark celebrates his first Hull FC senior try. (Image: Dave Lofthouse, Hull FC)
Andy Last has praised Hull FC back row forward Lennon Clark after scoring his first senior try for the club – and has challenged half-back duo Jake Arthur and Aidan Sezer to produce more consistency in their game to help ice more of those moments.
Clark touched down in the second half against Leigh Leopards on Saturday evening, leaping highest to take Arthur’s kick and stretch out to score for his first Super League try.
Coming on his home debut, it was a sentimental moment for the boyhood Black and White fan, playing in his fourth game after three first-team appearances on the road. He took the club Player of the Match award for his efforts and once again didn’t look out of place at this level.
“That was a try I really celebrated,” Last told Hull Live after the game. “When the ball went up and obviously Lenny came down with it and scored, my reaction was one of great pride because I know how much it’ll have meant to Lenny on his home debut scoring.
“He’d have had his family in the crowd and plenty of his friends will be there and he’s one who’s come from our system. So that’s a real nice moment for Lenny and he’ll remember it for the rest of his life.”
And on the consistency challenge to Arthur and Sezer, who were involved in tries for Harvey Barron and Cade Cust, the message is simple: do it from the start and more often.
Hull, who were abysmal early on, trailed 28-0 at half-time but rallied in the second half after having their character questioned by Last during the break. That team talk worked, with Hull playing with more intent and with more shape and pace, scoring four tries in what ended up being a respectable, albeit frustrating, 32-22 defeat.
“Jake had some real nice moments in the second half, as did Aidan, but there were some moments in the first half that they didn’t quite nail,” Last said. “That’s something that both of those individuals will want to be better at over the course of the 80 minutes.
“Just being a little bit more consistent with their decision-making and play choices, but the second 40 gives us a lot of hope and a bit of a blueprint for how we want to try and play the game.”
On Hull’s character challenge and second-half improvement, Last added: “The supporters respond to what is being shown on the field. And what we showed in that first 40 minutes isn’t a team which you can be proud of, and it isn’t the team that you want to applaud and get behind.
“There were too many basic errors and too many missed tackles. The ruck speed was too quick. We give away penalties. And then at half-time, I challenged them as individuals and challenged the character of the team and they responded as I expected them to because the character of this team has never been in question for 18 months.
“You can say a little bit of talent is maybe missing, a little bit of X-factor is maybe missing, but you could never question the character. And I questioned the character at halftime, and I think they responded in the right way, which was a really strong 40 minutes, and that gives me pride.”