The Hull FC coach has revealed that Herman Ese’ese pulled out of Thursday’s game to illness.
Hull FC prop Herman Ese’ese.
Herman Ese’ese missed Hull FC’s game at Huddersfield Giants on Thursday night due to tonsillitis, Andy Last has revealed.
The Black and Whites prop – who was eight games into his return from a nine-month layoff with an Achilles injury – missed the clash in West Yorkshire, with illness now cited as the reason.
Ese’ese was named in the 21-man squad on Tuesday lunchtime but unfortunately was stood down on Tuesday afternoon after contracting the illness. Yusuf Aydin came into the side in the only personnel change, with Hull going down 22-16 to the Giants at Accu Stadium.
Speaking to Hull Live post-match, Last said: “It’s a viral infection, tonsillitis. He was off on Tuesday. And we found out Tuesday afternoon that he had contracted viral tonsillitis. So he was unable to play.
“He’s not very well. But I don’t think it disrupted the team much. Max Wood and Yusuf Aydin did good stints and Hugo Salabio and Harvie Hill have been starting for us. It was obvious Huddersfield came after that middle unit and they got some joy there.”
Asked if Ese’ese will need an operation, Last said: “I couldn’t tell you. He’s on the meds. He saw the doctor. He’s on fluids and he’s taking his meds – and we’ll see how he is over the weekend.”
As for the contest, Last pointed to Hull’s lack of ability to get control of the ruck, the metres conceded, and individual errors as reasons for the defeat.
The Black and Whites took the lead twice through two Davy Litten tries but were unable to kick on with a killer punch, with Huddersfield, who made too much ground and dominated the ruck, turning a 16-12 deficit into victory.
“We had a lack of composure,” Last said. “And probably the scars of being in close games over the last four or five weeks and not being able to get it done – and then just a lack of confidence. There is some decision-making that is proving very costly.
“Our inability to control the ruck speed is also proving a real problem for us. Our middles had a big job on, as once a team starts to slow you down in the ruck – and it’s happened two weeks in a row now – we’ve clearly got some work to do in that area.
“Then unfortunately for us, our decision-making wasn’t good enough and proved to be costly. We came up with the wrong plays at the wrong times. We didn’t put the right kicks in to build pressure and we didn’t come up with the right quality of kick we needed.
“Then some passes went to ground and wrong choices were made. We didn’t build pressure. We had some opportunities in the first 20 minutes but we made some individual errors and those individuals don’t need to make those errors.
“They proved very, very costly, but what’s disappointing is when we do turn the ball over, we can be on their try line, but the ability to let a team march upfield is a real concern.
“It’s not good enough defensively. We need to limit the run metres a team is getting on us. It’s a big thing for us. Teams are rolling us. It’s happening most weeks.
“We talk about it. We practice it. We do a lot of contact and wrestling, but in the heat of the game, teams are rolling us a bit too easily. It’s a concern.
“Teams find a way to get over the advantage line and we don’t help ourselves when we turn the ball over. We make errors and that takes energy from you, and when you’re on the back foot it’s hard to stop a team when they get momentum.”