If anything shows why changes are coming at Hull FC, this was it.
Hull FC loose-forward James Bell in action against Castleford. (Image: Dave Lofthouse, Hull FC)
It’s 18-14. Minutes to go. Game on the line. Hull FC get a penalty. A full set in good ball. A chance to strike and level the scores. What have they got?
Nothing. That’s what. In fact, that set on the tap penalty with just minutes to go was horrendously bad. There was no shape, no structure, and no instruction to get to a point to try and put on a play or shift. Instead, it was unorganised, crash-ball, one-up dross, and it ended up seeing Hull get what they deserved.
If anything can sum up this Hull side this season and why changes are coming, it was that set. Hull just haven’t been good enough in good ball opportunities this year. They are rudderless in those situations. There is no leadership, shape, structure, urgency, and therefore no execution. The big players don’t step up enough. It’s happened throughout the year and it happened throughout Friday night’s defeat to Castleford.
You can usually tell what type of Hull FC performance you’re going to get after five minutes, certainly after ten, and the tone was set early on. Hull had the opportunity to strike first but didn’t have the penetration or the quality to get over the line. Players weren’t in sync, and instead, they were sloppy and out of sorts.
And defensively, they just weren’t up for it. Hull’s line speed was non-existent. Castleford instead rolled up the field far too easily, another massive concern this year, with this side leaking too many metres and struggling to play the set-for-set attritional nature of the game.
It’s happened for most of the year. Hull can get up field, kick, get a strong chase, and pin their opposition in their own ten, but they’ll still be kicking in Hull’s half and turning the ball over close to the Hull line. The fact is teams roll Hull, who look pedestrian and off the pace, far too easily. It was the case again here.
It saw Castleford, with their Ryan Carr saga still ongoing, build a deserved lead and despite being pegged back in the second half, they had the grit and the spirit to find a winner. Credit to them. But for Hull it told a familiar story. It’s why changes are coming. It’s why players are going, some of whom are still under contract. Those changes are justified. And perhaps should come as early as next week.
They just can’t go on like this. It’s so typically Hull FC. Win last week. Try to get some momentum this week. And bottle it. They are consistently inconsistent. They can’t string two performances together. And the worst thing about it is you could see it coming. The mentality is all wrong. They fall in love with themselves too easily and fail to back words up with action.
This was a big chance to keep a bit of positivity going after victory at St Helens last week and the announcement of Daly Cherry-Evans on Thursday. But it’s a chance blown in an all too familiar story.
Again, it showed why changes are coming and why more new signings will be made to enforce standards, consistency, professionalism, responsibility and quality – and they can’t come soon enough. This season, which has been such a disappointment from pretty much the get-go, can’t end soon enough.