The Black and Whites are in action for the first this year on Sunday afternoon.
New Hull FC signing Harvie Hill in pre-season training. (Image: )
Hull FC will get the first glimpses of four new signings in their opening pre-season game against Huddersfield Giants on Sunday afternoon.
Turning out for Brad Fash’s testimonial, the Black and Whites will field two of their new props in Harvie Hill and Sam Lisone, while Connor Bailey and Arthur Romano will also get an early chance to lay down a marker.
Impressing in camp, all four players will now look to follow suit in a game situation, with assistant coach Simon Grix outlining the impact of all four players this pre-season.
“They’ve all been really good and they’ve added to our group in different ways,” Grix told Hull Live. “Sam is the powerful carrier and Harvie is a bit of an all-rounder. He’s got some ball play, and he’s got some minutes in him as well.
“They’ve got good personalities as well and they’ve definitely added to our group. Both are very vocal, too; they’re just good players and I’m excited to see how they go in the black and white.”
As for Bailey and Romano, Grix continued: “Connor has come back into a full-time environment after playing over 100 games in the Championship and he’s ready to test himself. He’s applied himself really well and fits in nicely.
“He’s got a bit of versatility going for him; back row is probably his main position but he could probably do a job in the middle and possibly even half-back if required.
“Arthur has also come in and jumped into it. Obviously, it’s a big deal as a French player, and his Mrs and their son have jumped in with him and taken the leap across the water. He’s been thriving in training and he’s worked really hard, making sure that his effort areas are in the right place. I’ve been really impressed with him. He will certainly add a decent battle to that centre spot as the year goes on.”
As for the game, with 23 players selected in a squad containing a sprinkle of experience and a lot of youth, Hull are looking for certain things in the team’s performance. And while pre-season games are viewed as a chance to build up match fitness and blow off the cobwebs, it’s those traits that the coaching staff want to see.
“We’ve worked on all aspects of our game over the off season and this is our first opportunity to put it all together,” Grix explained. “This week we’ve got a mix; there’s some Super League experience and some young boys who are having their first go in amongst it.
“We just want to see them compete hard and try to implement what we’ve been practising in training. The result is we want to win every game we go out to play, and especially with it being Fashy’s testimonial, but as coaches, we’ll be looking at the detail of it, how we finish our sets, and the process we use to get the ball from A to B.
“We’re just really looking forward to seeing the lads get out there and then fast forward to Wigan next week; that takes us closer to the season and we’ll have a few more boys in for then. We’re building nicely towards that Challenge Cup game, but the general objective of your friendlies is to get some match speed into you and see where you’re at in all areas. We’re really looking forward to it.”