Herman Ese’ese’s fitness since returning from an Achilles injury has been questioned.
Hull FC prop Herman Ese’ese.(Image: Getty)
Scott Taylor has stressed that Hull FC forward Herman Ese’ese can get back to the shape and form that saw him emerge as one of Super League’s best props last year – but there has to be a personal drive behind it.
Ese’ese returned to action last month after a serious Achilles tendon injury but has struggled to hit top form again this year. He was left out of the side at Huddersfield Giants on Thursday night, with interim coach Andy Last citing tonsilitis for absence.
Of course, time was always going to be a factor after such a nine-month layoff, but Taylor, who will rejoin the Black and Whites as one of new head coach Steve McNamara’s assistant coaches next season, believes there are other external factors behind Ese’ese’s struggles: for one, the increased speed of the game; and two, the condition the player returned in.
But Taylor has pointed to the player’s former NRL career, with Ese’ese making over 100 appearances in the Australian competition and clearly capable of playing at a high level when fit and in form.
Speaking on Radio Humberside, Taylor said: “It’s only a few years since Herman was playing in the NRL. We saw the shape he was in at Brisbane, at Newcastle, and at the Dolphins.
“He was in great nick in the NRL, which, as we all know, is a lot quicker game. That evidence just shows he can get easily to that sort of weight and keep up with the speed of the game at that level and be effective in the game and not just a passenger.
“For me, it would be a case of let’s just look back to those days and the shape you were in and what you can easily maintain and get back to. And that would be the drive behind it.
“It doesn’t help how fast the game has got since he has been injured, and he hasn’t had a pre-season. You don’t have a pre-season, and then you come back into a game which is a bit more unrecognisable to the one that you left.
“It’s much quicker, so it’s going to be tougher, but on the flipside of it, he knew the rules were changing in pre-season, and he’s come back, and my issue is that he just looks bigger than he was before he got injured, and when you know you’re coming back from an injury like that, and you’ve seen the game’s getting quicker, for me, you’ve got to get fit and you’ve got to lose the weight.”
Taylor also pointed to Gareth Ellis’ Achilles injury in 2015 and how he came back to lead the club to a first Challenge Cup win at Wembley in 2016.
He continued: “My first season at Hull in 2016, Gaz Ellis came back from the same Achilles injury in round two. Gaz returned, and he was around 36 years old, and there was no dip there. It took him a while to get going, but as every game went by, he looked fitter, and he looked stronger, and he looked faster.
“I don’t think you can dip after such a long time out when you’re playing teams that are a bit busted. You need to bring that energy and that spark. The tough thing I found from watching Ese’ese in the derby was that there were only six or seven minutes into his stint when he looked really gassed already defensively, and he wasn’t moving. Off the back of that, Rovers scored two tries through the middle on the Hull goal line, which obviously isn’t good enough.
“Look, he’s had a very good excuse with the injury he’s had, but he’s come back now. For me, if I’m the head coach, I’m keeping on top of him. I’m building a relationship with him; I’m working hard with him and keeping him onside, but I’m also tracking his training, his diet, and his weight – and we’re seeing what weight he is, and then we’re tracking that weight over the next few weeks and making sure that weight is coming off.
“For me, the game is too quick for him at the minute, and he’s too heavy. The priority with Herman now needs to be getting weight off and getting fitter. I’d be tracking that weekly and keeping each other accountable to it and doing it the right way.
“No threats, no sulking, nothing – let’s buy in together and get you better. A fit and healthy Herman Ese’ese is an unbelievable asset to this club. We’ve seen that last year and the year before what he can do. He’s such a good player, a marquee player, and at the minute, the value is not there. He just needs to lose more weight, get fitter, get confident, and get back to his normal self.”