Harvey Barron scored a hat-trick at St Helens – with Hull FC’s win led by some strong senior performances.
Hull FC winger Harvey Barron.
Harvey Barron has gone from a ‘boy to a man’ at Hull FC over the last two years, Andy Last has stated.
Barron was the Black and Whites’ hat-trick hero at St Helens on Thursday night, crossing over for his first in Super League and the first of his senior career in the 32-18 victory.
But the 23-year-old, who now has 35 tries in 58 Hull appearances, was about much more than his try-scoring, running strong in the backfield and getting the side on the front foot with his powerful carries.
“It should give him a lot of confidence,” Last said on the winger’s performance. “Harvey is someone who has got huge potential.
“He played exceptionally well for us last year; he just hadn’t quite hit that top level this year, but he’s a really good kid and he wants to improve and get better. It was great for him to be able to carry the ball so strongly, and to get his rewards with three well-taken tries was great.
“Physically he’s very strong. He’s really matured. He’s gone from a boy to man, so to speak. He trains really hard in the gym. We’ve made a real focus for him to lift heavy and he looks like a picture of health.
“He’s six foot four and he’s ripped to pieces. He’s got the big broad shoulders and the skinny waist. He’s a good player, Harvey, and he’s doing a good job. I’m really pleased for him.
“It’s one of those moments of his career where he’ll look back and be able to tell his sons and grandsons about scoring a hat-trick against St Helens. It’s no mean feat. Not many Hull teams come here and win. It’s been a really tough place for us to get wins so we’re going to enjoy this one.”
Last also singled out Hull’s senior players for standing tall in victory. The two sides were locked at 14-14 at half-time before FC took control in the second half. They posted two quick-fire tries and had to withstand a lot of defensive pressure to keep hold of their lead.
“The big one for me was a number of our senior players really stood up and put in their best performances for a number of weeks,” Last said. “The two old Saints boys, Joe Batchelor and James Bell, were outstanding.
“Belly’s tempo, smarts, and ball-playing ability through the middle of the field, and then he was mixing it up running as well, and he got us on the front foot. Then Batch is just a machine in terms of his work ethic, his kick-chase, his effort, his presence, and his leadership.
“Zak Hardaker also came up with some big plays at the end and Aidan Sezer got the Man of the Match from Sky. He led the team to a well-earned two points.”
On the contest, Last continued: “I think the key moment in the game was in the second half. There was a period where we turned them over on our own try line and then we went for a short drop-out, and we managed to regather it.
“They weren’t able to unlock us and that was credit to the team. We sat on our own try line for long periods and we defended brilliantly. We then created some opportunity and our execution was far better and we scored some nice-looking tries.
“Our character hasn’t been in question, barring a half-time against Leigh a few weeks back. The character is there. We’ve been close on numerous occasions and tonight we got across the line. I’m just so pleased for the group of players.”
Last also paid tribute to the late Steve Prescott, with Hull and St Helens still proudly contesting the Steve Prescott Cup every year – a trophy the Black and Whites took back to Yorkshire last night.
“It means a lot to me,” Last added. “Preckie was someone who I played with. He was a great leader back in the Hull Sharks days. He really looked after the younger guys and he looked after me. He lived on the same estate as me. He was just around the corner.
“He was a champion player and a great fella. I think it’s fantastic that the two clubs that he played for with such distinction honour his memory with this game every year.”