When you complete at around 61%, there are no second guesses where your focus lies, and for Hull FC, it’s improving that figure at Salford Red Devils that is their primary focus.
And for Cade Cust, who has missed just one league game to injury this year, it’s a simple fix-up, with Hull needing to play a simple game and use one key facet: communication.
For the half-back, who has found a home at the Black and Whites this year, that will ensure the tide turns again, with Hull, targeting a big block of performances before another bye week next at the end of next month, looking to respond after last week’s disappointing defeat to Castleford.
“We completed at around 61%, and you’re not going to win any game when you complete that low,” Cust, speaking in Hull’s pre-match press conference, said. “That’s not good enough. You can’t do that and expect to come away with those numbers and expect to win.
“We’ve identified that as the problem area, and we’ll do everything we can to fix that up. But I think it was just an off game – across the park, everyone didn’t perform well, and we just provided Castleford too much field position and good ball.
“We had a look at it in review, and there were a lot of unforced errors. It’s something we have to fix now and put in a good performance this weekend. We need to play simple with a clear job and clear role and have a bit more communication out there.”
For Cust, Hull FC’s attitude is also key. He continued: “You can’t go into any game thinking it’s going to be an easy win – it’s Super League, and there have been upsets all throughout the year. But we’ve prepared really well, and we’ve had a good week of training. We’ve had plenty of time out on the training paddock. It’s good, and all the boys are refreshed, raring to go and ready to turn things around.”
Sunday will see Cust return to his former club for the first time, who are under a sustainability cap this season after financial issues that have forced player sales and even seen late payments for those still at the club, with the 26-year-old sympathetic for what his old teammates are going through.
“They’ve had a lot of struggles – they are a good bunch of boys, and I’ve still got a few mates there,” Cust said. “It puts them under a lot of stress, and hopefully they can sort it all out as soon as possible
“It’s tough not knowing when you’re going to get your wage on the finance side of things, and there are people with mortgages and stuff like that and young families. It’s tough to see – you don’t want to see people struggling and not getting paid for the job they are doing. It puts a lot of stress on a lot of the guys I’ve spoken to who have left – it was just too stressful for them and their family.
“I’m just happy that they got sorted and are now getting support. It doesn’t look like Salford are getting that at the moment, and that’s the bad thing. You want your mates to be looked after.”
And while there is sympathy for Salford, it’s a game Hull needs to win to ensure their grip on a play-off position doesn’t loosen. Currently sitting sixth in the table, they know they to stay on track and control their own destiny.
“I just see it as another game,” Cust, who shook off a nasty hip injury last month, said. “I don’t need to prove anything like that; I just want to go there, get the job done, and get two points. That’s what we’ll be going out to do.
“I like playing against old mates. It brings the best out of me. We’ll go hard for eighty minutes, and we’ll have a good chat after.
“The body feels fine now. I couldn’t really run. I tried to run on the Saturday when the boys were in Catalans but I couldn’t get above 60%. But I’m all fresh and ready to go.”
Hull will be without John Asiata and Will Pryce for the clash with John Cartwright and Jordan Lane still out. But for Cust, it’s a next man up mentality – one that will help them still achieve their goals.
“They’re vital figures,” he added. “We’ve got both our back rowers out too, and they’ve been out for a significant period of time. But it’s the next man up mentality for us, and Carty and the squad have total belief in whoever comes in to get the job done.
“There are a few games we could have won, and they slipped out of our hands. We’re in the top six at the moment, but we’ve got five or six games now until we have a week’s break again, and we know we have got to get some wins in this block to cement that top six. I think it’s really important, and we need to get as many wins as possible.
“Our fans have been outstanding all year. Hopefully, we can get a good few down there again; it’s good weather, and we can get two points.”