Hull FC’s young guns stood out again.
Hull FC were defeated 16-10 at St Helens on Friday night, but in terms of their performance, there was still a lot to shout about. Here, Hull Live looks at some talking points.
Spirit and desire
It’s hard not to admire this Hull FC team this year, who, despite the loss, showed plenty of spirit and desire against the Saints. They had to deal with adversity, as they have all year, losing Jed Cartwright to injury early on, but they never gave up and they continued to battle on and fight together, showing the level of grit and resilience that has truly become a fabric of the club once again this season.
In terms of culture, dynamics, the environment, the team bond, and so forth, Hull are leaps and bounds from where they were last year. It’s astronomical. Of course, in a skill sense, there’s a way to go until they’re a top top team again, but this year wasn’t about that. It was about restoring pride and getting the building blocks in place to challenge again.
Hull have done that – and regardless of where they finish this year. They go for eighty minutes every week, rain or shine, and that’s brought a powerful connection back with their supporters, who appreciate the hard work and travelled in numbers once again. They’re a club building in every facet. And the only way is up.
Hull FC’s centre answer is right in front of us
Wingers Lewis Martin and Harvey Barron have been praised all year after two mega seasons – and rightly so. But how about Davy Litten? The young back, crafted into a centre after emerging on the Super League scene as a full-back two years ago, is getting better and better.
At St Helens, he was outstanding. His try was from a Saints mistake, but he reacted first and showed instinct to ground the ball. He also carried hard throughout the game, and as he gets more confident and composed at this level, the talent is coming through. The offload out wide to release Aidan Sezer late in the game was sheer class. Those moments are becoming more regular.
But perhaps more impressively, Litten is getting more defensively astute. It’s worth noting his last two opponents have been Umyla Hanley and Harry Robertson – two highly thought of young players – and both have had quiet games. That’s down to Litten. He knows he has improvement in him, but he absolutely bleeds black and white – and he’s also developing into a fine player, one who deserves his place in this side, both now and for next year.
Matty Laidlaw does his job again – and with no fuss
Sticking with Hull’s youth theme, Matty Laidlaw again took his first team chance. The prop put himself about off the bench and produced one or two belters in defence. He’s looked more and more comfortable at this level this year and never lets anyone down.
“He did a great job for us,” John Cartwright said post-match. “He’s improving, Matty; he’s only young and he’s not had a lot of opportunities at Super League level, but every time we give him an opportunity, he gives it to us.”
A few words on St Helens
In what was a tough game on Friday night, it would be unjust not to praise St Helens. They dominated field position and ensured that Hull did it tough coming out of their own end, winning the yardage battle and playing in their desired areas.
At times, the Saints, who ran for over 300 more metres, smothered Hull, and only the away side’s resilience stopped the scoreline from pulling away. But Saints, akin to their title-winning years, were relentless. Their defensive line speed was very good and they kept the pressure on Hull, with Paul Wellens’ side moving to second place in the table after both a fiery and competitive contest. They’ve won nine from their last ten games now and seem to look more like their old self with each passing week – although their next three games will give a proper reflection.
Go again
A defeat – but Hull’s season is still alive with four games of the regular season to go. Wakefield will sit in the play-off driving seat should they defeat Wigan on Sunday, but regardless, Hull have to look at themselves. They host Leeds on Saturday in another big game with pride, league position and more at stake – and with their attitude this year, they’re going to be in the thick of the action.
They led Leeds for all but the final minute in May’s meeting at Headingley – and they’ll be confident of taking it to the Rhinos again. One thing’s for sure, they won’t die wandering. A big clash awaits.