Lewis Martin has been talked about for England honours this year.
Lewis Martin has been earning his praises after a strong run of displays on Hull FC’s left wing this year. To date, the 20-year-old has 27 tries in 24 games in all competitions, leads the Super League charts after 21 rounds, and holds a club record for the number of tries scored for Hull in a Super League era season.
It’s not bad going, with Martin’s other attributes – backfield carries and his ability under the high ball – also bringing him his just deserts. But for Pryce, there’s another key member of Hull’s backline that also deserves his merits: Harvey Barron.
The towering winger has held the right wing spot and done a stern job in what is an ‘unfashionable’ edge, with Pryce, assisting five of Hull’s 14 tries against Salford last weekend, looking to feed both wingers and build on the combined 38 tries they’ve scored this year.
Speaking to Hull Live on those links, Pryce joked: “Lewis doesn’t give me any credit! He just says that’s my job and to be fair, he’s not wrong. That’s what Carty (John Cartwright), Richie (Myler), and the rest of the club brought me in to do.
“It’s always nice to get assists on the board but getting the wins is more important. We’ve got strikes all over the field so unlocking players like Lewis – and I think Harvey Barron, too – he doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves.
“We always talk in rugby league that the right side is probably the side that does it tougher. They usually make more tackles and they don’t get as much of the ball, so I think him coming out of the backfield has been massive in general.
“We’ve got a young squad mixed together with some really experienced players, so this year, and definitely next year, we’ve got something to really look forward to.”
And on Martin, who Pryce has built a strong relationship with on and off the field, Pryce continued: “He’s been working really hard. Like a lot of young lads last year, he got chucked in really early in his Hull career, but he’s proving that he is a Super League player.
“He’s been outstanding for us this year and some of the finishes he’s scored have been unbelievable. He’s a young lad who is playing well; his confidence is high, and hopefully he keeps working hard and can keep it going.”
Hull’s two young flying wingers have been tipped for England honours in the future, with Hull and England assistant coach Andy Last stating last month that both players were spoken of at the top table. And while this year’s Ashes series may come too soon, the ambition is nonetheless there to feature for their country in the future.
“It’s a hard one because Andy Last is the assistant coach so everyone is pecking his head about who is getting in the team and who is not,” Pryce said. “Everyone wants to play for England. I’d love to play for England and I’d love to play for Waney (Shaun Wane). He seems like one of those coaches who you really want to play for – but to get that, you have to play as well as you can at club level.
“People probably do think about playing for England at the end of the year and have that aspiration, but that’s not at the forefront of our minds. Lewis might get called up for the Ashes and he might not.
“Hopefully he does keep performing how he is and he gets selected. I’m one of Lewis’ biggest fans. He’s a young English lad who is carving it up and he’s doing a good job and touch wood, he keeps that going, but again, our main focus is winning games for Hull FC and putting in good performances to make the six.
“I think if you look too far ahead, you don’t see what’s in front of you now. We just need to win as many games as we can.”