The Hull FC assistant on Hull’s recent youth rises.
One of the best things about Hull FC this year has been the continued emergence of their young up-and-coming outside backs. But for assistant coach Simon Grix, this is just the start.
During his interim spell as head coach, Grix fielded Harvey Barron and Lewis Martin together at the back end of the season – and this year, they’ve just gone on to another level, scoring 40 tries between them but more importantly holding their own with their carries and hard work in defence.
Tipped for international honours with England in the future, the sky is the limit for the duo – who have been followed by Davy Litten this year in what has been a strong season from the young centre. But the challenge now is to kick on and find another level – with Grix believing there is ‘plenty of growth’ left in all three players.
Speaking on their rise this year, Grix said: “They’re in great form and they’re getting their rewards for a lot of hard work. I won’t take any credit – they have earned their opportunities.
“Last year, a lot of young blokes played out of necessity, which is good and bad, I suppose, but I do think that exposure to playing against men and seeing what it looked like under different pressure helped.
“They dipped their toe in and saw what it is like, then they had a good pre-season and they’ve both come out and gone really well. They’ve gone from strength to strength but there’s a lot more in them yet; that’s the exciting bit for me.
“They’re only just starting their journeys as players, Lewis and Harvey, Davy too, but there’s so much more improvement in them. They’ve had solid years, though, and they’re learning to compete against men and learning their positions. To get to where they are at this age is great, but there’s still plenty of lessons to be learnt and plenty of growth in them.”
Just three examples of Hull’s youth plan: the goal throughout the club is to bring more of their own talent through and get them to Super League level.
“It’s something that hasn’t happened for quite a while at this club,” Grix continued. “We want to keep going up the table and challenging for those trophies at the end of the season, and I don’t think you can do that without having the foundation of a good youth underneath.
“We’ve had a good system going there, but I think we’re in a position now where there will be a bit more attention put on it so we can try to pull more of these young players through. It helps when you bring in quality players too at the top end to help their development.
“It’s a good cycle to be in; you’ve just got to keep finding them and then, at the right times, trust them, give them the exposure, and see how they go.”
One further young gun to make his mark last week was Lloyd Kemp. The teenager made his Super League debut in victory at Leigh and, along with Tom Briscoe, was part of a back five that have all come through the Hull system.
“He’s been great for both the academy and the reserves all year,” Grix added on Kemp. “He’s been a standout performer. He deserved that opportunity, but we didn’t expect to put him on the field after twenty minutes. He did a great job, though, and that’s what we’ve come to expect. The fact the back five were all from Hull – that’s something to be proud of in itself.”