The Hull FC half-back on his first derby taste, taking control, Brad Arthur’s role, and his future.
Hull FC half-back Jake Arthur. (Image: Getty)
The Hull derby is unique, hostile, and, at times, brutal – and Jake Arthur knows it.
The Australian half-back got his first taste of the fixture at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium at the start of the month, and now he’s pumped up for his first derby in the City of Hull this Thursday night.
Clashing at the MKM Stadium, Hull and Rovers are set to go head to head once again for the 252nd meeting of the two sides, and it’s one the 23-year-old, part of a Hull team goaded by fans after defeat on Merseyside, is psyched to get stuck into.
“It was awesome,” the half recalled when asked about the Magic Weekend game. “I’ve never experienced an atmosphere like that, getting to the stadium, their fans into you, our fans cheering; it was awesome.
“It was a great experience and it’s an exciting game now. I can’t wait for it to happen again. I felt like we were right in that game, and if we nail our moments and opportunities, hopefully we can get the win this time.”
The elephant in the room isn’t lost on Arthur or Hull, who have lost the last eight derbies and haven’t tasted victory in over three years – July 9, 2023, to be precise. That record needs setting straight and the Aussie is confident the Black and Whites have the capability to do just that.
“We just need to nail a bit more detail on what needs to happen for certain plays,” Arthur said. “Obviously, a lot of teams run the same plays. It’s just the small details that are the difference in scoring and not scoring.
“But the more times we do the hard work at the other end of the field, the more opportunity that gives us to actually have them opportunities attacking the try line. That is our focus.”
Away from the bubble that is Kingston upon Hull, Arthur, who is slowly growing into his FC role, is taking inspiration from two Leeds Rhinos figures: his dad, Brad Arthur, and star half-back Jake Connor.
“I watch a lot of Leeds games and just the temperament he plays with and how he’s able to just slow the game or speed it up, dependent on what they need – that is really something I’m trying to strive for,” the young half said.
“They’re also doing a lot well as a team. They’re doing the hard parts of the game. They’re a real physical team, defensively very strong, and then they’ve got a lot of class on the attacking front, and then they’re happy to back themselves.
“You see them throwing offloads and passes in the first and second sets of the games just because they’ve got that much belief that their defence can stop it if it goes wrong.
“That is definitely something that my dad encourages. He wants everyone to back themselves and yeah, he gets everyone practising at training and encourages everyone to sort of bring out their best footy.”
And while Arthur hopes to kick on in the Hull team, there’s no denial of who one of his biggest influences continues to be.
“He’s always helped me,” Arthur said of his dad. “He’s done a lot in the game and it’s always good to be getting pointers and just small tips from him. Just having him there always helps.
“He’s loving it over here. He’s happy, I’m happy, and I’m stoked he’s staying. Every week, my partner and I are going out to Leeds, or they’re coming out here, so yeah, it makes it a lot easier for me.
“I’m loving it – especially since the sun’s come out. It feels like a different place. I love all the banter here with the English fellas. I’ve got nothing bad to say.
“It’s definitely made me mature a lot, and I think it’s been good for me and my partner so we can get out of our comfort zone and make us grow.”
Hull look set to mould their team around Arthur under Steve McNamara next year, with Will Pryce likely to move to the halves to partner him and new signing Bailey Hodgson placed at full-back.
On his future, Arthur, who signed a two-year contract ahead of 2026, has an open mind. He added: “I’m just trying to keep it focused on this season at the minute, week to week, really. I’ve still got a lot of improvement to do and that’s my focus; I’m just trying to get better each week and eventually that’ll translate to the long term.
“But it’s good. You want to play the best level you can each week and you want to keep testing yourself. So the more games I can play in a row, the better it will be for me.
“Over the last couple months, I think I’ve improved my game. I’m always learning. I’m still getting things wrong, but if I got it wrong last week, I’m trying to get it right this week and keep building. I think that that’ll add up in the long run.
“Lasty has given me a lot of confidence to take a bit more control and improve each week. He is happy to back me to try things and find out my best style of footy and how that can help the team. I’m really enjoying it.”