The interim coach has aired an alternative view on Hull FC’s fitness.
Hull FC prop Herman Ese’ese.
Andy Last has hit back at claims that his Hull FC side are ‘unfit’ and has offered a counterargument to why they look gassed in matches.
The Black and Whites fatigued quickly against Hull KR in the derby last Thursday night. They took a 12-0 lead and were unable to sustain that level, with the Robins soon grabbing a stranglehold of the contest, dominating field position and ultimately the scoreboard.
But Last doesn’t believe that reality was down to Hull’s fitness, which has been pointed out at several stages of the season after a disrupted pre-season and ongoing injury crisis, and instead has aired an alternative reason.
“No, I wouldn’t say so,” Last responded when asked if his side are unfit. “I think it’s down to the momentum of the games.
“I think with the new rules, momentums can change very, very quickly, and when the momentum goes against you, it’s very hard to get it back. You watch NRL games and once a team gets momentum, before you know it, it can be 50 points and you’ve lost the game.
“I think that’s something that we as a team and I think generally in Super League, all teams are finding when an opposition has the momentum; it’s very, very difficult to grab it back.
“So, when you’ve got the momentum, it’s really important that you concentrate and don’t be that person who makes the error which takes the momentum from you and gives it to the opposition and then likewise, you’ve just got to bite down on your gum shield a little bit harder when the team has the momentum against you and find a way to grab it back and grab it back quickly.”
Last also defended prop Herman Ese’ese, who has been criticised recently for his fitness following his return from a nine-month Achilles tendon injury. Ese’ese is now eight games into his comeback – playing games from the start and from the interchange.
“It’s his first long-term injury, a lower limb injury, an Achilles injury,” Last said. “By nature, obviously Herman’s a big guy so it’s taken him probably a little bit longer than he probably expected to come back from that injury but he’s working away in the background.
“It is very, very challenging playing in the Super League, but Herman knows obviously what he needs to work on and he’ll certainly do that and he’ll be better for it moving forward.”