Hull FC will get a big boost at St Helens with the return of Arthur Romano.
Hull FC centre Arthur Romano. (Image: SW PIX)
Andy Last is backing Hull FC centre Arthur Romano to make up for lost time at St Helens on Thursday night – with the Frenchman back in contention to play after a double injury setback.
Romano ruptured ankle ligaments in the Good Friday derby at Hull KR and was given a prognosis of three months on the sidelines. However, the player then contracted a wrist injury as a result of being on crutches for an extended period and was ruled out for another month of action.
But now he’s ready to return and add to a Hull side desperate for a win. Arguably the team’s best player in the first seven games, Romano was certainly FC’s best new signing early on and will look to return to form in the final six games of the year.
“He’s ticked all of his boxes in terms of his return to play and he’ll certainly be in contention for the 17,” Last told Hull Live. “It was a double whammy for him.
“So, because of his ankle, he spent a lot of time on his crutches, and then he was suffering with his wrist, and it flared up due to the amount of time he was spending on the crutches.
“We had another scan and made the decision to get that repaired. It probably added another month to his return to play, which is a shame, as Arthur has been an exceptional player for us and a really good signing, and the boys can’t wait to lace the boots again with him.
“He’s someone who does a lot of work; he’s defensively strong, tackles hard, carries the ball out of the backfield, and he’s certainly got the respect of his teammates.”
Asked if he was Hull’s best player early on this season, Last said: “I’d agree, and I think the staff and the playing group would probably agree. He came here after spending his whole career at Catalans. He wanted a change and an opportunity to sample something different.
“He’s certainly come over here and trained exceptionally well. He trains how he wants to play with a great work ethic and he’s a great lad too. He’s certainly someone who we have missed and we’re looking forward to having him back and part of our team.”
Moving to Hull from Perpignan, Romano has taken a young family with him to East Yorkshire, and Last knows how hard it is to move away after spending a year in France at the Dragons under Steve McNamara a couple of years ago.
“It’s difficult,” Last, responding to a report from another publication suggesting that the player was unsettled, said. “I spent 12 months at Catalans being away from family, and Arthur has got a young family. The family pull is a tough one, but in terms of how he goes about his work and his business, he’s not shown any signs to me of being unsettled. He’s contracted for next year. It (his return) is definitely a boost for us.”
As for the game at St Helens, there’s one area that is key for Hull: decision-making. The Black and Whites are creating chances and opportunities to score but must start icing more moments to turn competitive defeats into victories.
“100% we can go there and get a result,” Last added. “Looking at the form guide, we’re bottom of that, but we’re -48 points in the last five games, so we’re very close on the scoreboard.
“But it takes a lot from you when you’re in the game and every week we’re talking about not being far away and it’s a little bit like Groundhog Day in these press conferences, saying the same thing over and over again, not being able to nail that pass or that we’ve missed an opportunity there, and we didn’t get that key moment right. We just need to get a few of those moments going our way this week.”