The back row forward was Hull’s best again.
Hull FC celebrate Joe Batchelor”s try against Huddersfield.
Andy Last has challenged his Hull FC players to be more like Joe Batchelor, both on and off the field. The back-row forward was the Black and Whites’ best in what was another woeful defeat at Huddersfield Giants on Thursday night.
Losing 22–16, the loss was Hull’s seventh straight reverse and sees them just two points above the Giants at the bottom of the Super League table.
A pathetic performance; just about Hull’s only positive was Batchelor, who has put together a strong sequence of performances this summer after shaking off early-season injury niggles.
Brought to the club for his leadership and professionalism, Last praised both assets and essentially challenged his players to bring similar qualities to their own games.
“He’s been immense, has Joe,” Last told Hull Live. “The reason we brought him in from that winning team at St Helens was because of the character of the man.
“He’s a great professional, he trains exceptionally hard, and his effort areas are always right at the top whenever he pulls on the shirt. If we had a few more willing to put the shifts in that Batch does, we’d be winning a lot more games.”
Hull will now look to regroup ahead of next week’s game at Batchelor’s former club, St Helens – another Thursday night away game on the M62.
Asked where his side goes from here, Last said: “Like we always do, I’ve got to try and generate a bit of energy and enthusiasm, try to focus on some of the positives and try to correct some of the negatives. We go into work tomorrow and then we’re back to work to look ahead to St Helens on Thursday.”
Last also explained his decision to start with Amir Bourouh and play Cade Cust off the bench. He added: “The way that Custy came off the bench was outstanding. I think the opening exchanges are a little bit more set for set and attritional, and Amir probably suits the attritional side of it.
“He started okay for us, and then as soon as we put Custy on, the ruck had opened up a little bit. Custy was very dynamic when he went out there. I don’t think that was a reason why we won or lost the game.”