Hull FC know the Challenge Cup is a different beast – and are preparing as such.
Hull FC are looking to kickstart their season in the Challenge Cup.(Image: SW PIX)
John Cartwright has challenged his Hull FC side to have a Grand Final mentality against Leigh Leopards on Saturday afternoon.
The Black and Whites go up against the Leythers in the Challenge Cup fourth round with no second chances and the desperation to earn a victory to truly ignite their season.
Aware that things haven’t gone to plan so far, Cartwright’s Hull side are one from four to start the Super League season, but with a fiery cup tie looming against an opponent that brought some humdinger contests last season, the appetite is certainly whetted.
“It’s a Grand Final, really,” Cartwright, speaking pre-match, said on Saturday’s tie. “All games in the Challenge Cup are Grand Finals. You lose and you’re out, and we all want to be there at Wembley for the final.
“The Super League is a bit different in that you’ve got 27 games to get yourself into a position to play finals footy, but this is do or die for both sides, so there’s a little bit of a different approach, but you’ve just got to look at how much it means.
“The Challenge Cup is something we all want to be apart of and you only get one chance; there’s no coming back next week. It’s brutal, but I suppose that’s why people love it so much.
“It’s a magical time of the year when you get to Wembley. We’d love to play there and we’d love our fans to get to Wembley. That’s all our focus has been on this week, to try and touch up on where we can be better from last week. We all know the importance of this week; it means a lot to the club and there’s a lot of history involved.”
Cartwright is very familiar with that history. A self confessed rugby league tragic, the Hull head coach grew up in Australia watching Challenge Cup games, and one final sticks in his memory.
“Every young kid in Great Britain playing rugby league wants to go play in and win a final at Wembley, and that certainly resonates with me,” Cartwright explained. “It’s something I’ve watched from a very young age, and something that I would have always loved to have done.
“I’m going back a long way, but the Sterling-Kenny final between Hull and Wigan – that’s a standout. It was probably one of the best games you’ll ever watch. It was 1985 and it still burns bright in my memory, so it’s very high on our list, to go to Leigh and stay alive in the Challenge Cup.”
Hull – ten years on from their first Wembley win back in 2016 – go into the clash on the back of a long turnaround, with a chance to rest and regroup before resuming training this week.
“It’s been a break that we’ve used well,” Cartwright said. “The ability to have a rest when you have a long turnaround is really important. You talk about injuries, and that’s an easy way to injure your players: trying to fit too much into them.
“We had a rest early on in the week and it was a good chance to catch up with players and see where they’re at physically and mentally. We’ve had a few meetings and a couple of hard, tough training sessions with a break in-between.
“It’s been a good week so far, but we need to tie everything together on Friday and then go into Saturday’s game. I believe we have a side that is more than capable of winning.
“We had three really good games against Leigh last year and they all went to the wire. We had a draw in one of them at the end of golden point, and there’s no reason to think that this weekend’s game will be any different.
“I dare say that they’re sat thinking, knowing we did a bit of a job on them last year, so they’ve got many reasons to be up for the game just as we do. Both sides are going into the game on the back of results they wouldn’t have liked and it’s a good chance now to stay alive in the cup and get our season back on track.”