An honest and emotional message from Andy Last.
Hull FC coach Andy Last.
Andy Last has pleaded for everyone connected to Hull FC to hold on for the rest of the season and insists that things will change next year.
Fronting the Black and Whites’ current situation, the interim coach has stated that the club are fully aware that they have underachieved this season but has insisted that better times are on the horizon under Steve McNamara and co.
The Black and Whites have endured a torrid run in recent weeks, winning just two of their last 15 games and sitting 13th in Super League, just two points ahead of bottom-placed Huddersfield Giants.
With six games to go, there is still a chance of a first wooden spoon in 62 years, but for Last, and while the disappointment cuts deep, it will make the upward curve taste all the sweeter under their new head coach next season.
Speaking on Hull’s current situation, Last said: “Last season was a year which we loved and enjoyed and took great satisfaction from because we probably overachieved in finishing seventh. And then this year we’ve certainly underachieved and we’re all fully aware of that. As coaching staff, as a playing group, and as an ownership group, we’re fully aware that we’ve underachieved this season.
“We’re on a little bit of a downslope at the moment on this rollercoaster, but we’ll start to get that climb again and then once we have that climb and you’re on the top, hold on, because it’s going to be exciting and enjoyable. I can’t wait to be on it.
“The disappointment is there and it does affect me and it’s normally a couple of hours after the game where I’m down in the dumps and it can linger for an afternoon or two. But like the supporters, come Monday, you look past it, and you’ll turn up with your Hull shirt on and get behind the team because that’s just the Hull way.
“And it has been all the time I’ve been a supporter. Over the course of the 30 years now, I’ve been supporting Hull FC, and in those times, there have been some really, really, really tough times, and there have been some brilliant moments, and the tough times make you enjoy those highs even more.
Outlining the challenges of his spell as interim coach, Last continued: “The toughest part has been the disappointment after games. During the week, the work that we’ve done and the way that the boys have responded to the work that we’ve been doing have been excellent, but then just us not getting a reward for the results has been really deflating at times.
“There have been different challenges. The injuries have been hard. The impact of the injuries is significant, because I reckon there have been four or five games where if we had a little bit more quality, that quality probably gets us across the line.
“But the big thing for me is, like, the group; we spoke about it, Zak Hardaker, Tom Briscoe, and Aidan Sezer, and it doesn’t feel like the type of season where you’re 13th in the ladder, and that’s because we’ve been so close in so many games and we’ve invested so much effort and energy in so many games and been close on the scoreboard.
“And not to get the rewards for that effort just by getting over the line and just getting our nose in front has been challenging, but I’ve got to credit the lads. They’ve stuck at it.
“But it is very draining. It’s tiring and sometimes the environment can be a little bit suffocating and be a little bit negative because this isn’t happening and that isn’t happening, and we’re not getting the wins.
“But I’m very, very fortunate that I’ve got a great support network. I’ve got a very supportive wife; she’s my rock. And then my family, they are all big black and white fans, and they’re very supportive: Mum and Dad, mother and father-in-law, and then I’ve got my daughter; she finds a way to snap me back out and into reality with, ‘Can you pick me up from so-and-so at this time at night?’ Emily’s great at getting me back into being dad, and then obviously I’ve got the twin boys in Isaac and Jacob.
“They did a great job for me last Saturday. I took the boys for a round of golf at Hornsea. We had a great day and we ended up having a chippy at Sullivan’s. And that was brilliant for my own headspace.
“My family are a big salvation for me, and I’m a man of my faith, so I always have a little chat with the big fella upstairs and I put a little bit of my trust in him. He hasn’t answered many prayers this year, I’ll tell you that, but it does help from a holistic point of view – a little bit of spirituality and that feeling of someone else there watching you and this being the path I’m on.
“And if I’m the person who has to steer the ship through these rough waters for some calmer waters, which someone else might benefit from, then I’m happy with playing that role. So, just a big shout out to my family and them helping me.”