Matty Laidlaw has found a place in the Hull team.
‘He belongs out there.’ That was the short but sweet assessment from Hull FC head coach John Cartwright on young prop Matty Laidlaw as the duo addressed Saturday’s post-match press conference following victory over Warrington Wolves.
Coming off the bench once again, the 21-year-old made his ninth appearance of the Super League season and the 22nd of his Hull career to date since breaking on the scene three years ago.
Rising in stature, Laidlaw put himself about, getting to grips with the defensive side of his game and putting some big hits on as Hull took pride in keeping the Wire tryless in the penultimate regular season game.
That gives the Hull-born middle confidence. He has no doubts about what his next steps are, with the player recently rewarded with a new contract to take his stay in the black and white into 2026.
“Keep building, play more minutes, and when I’m on the field, make more of an impact,” Laidlaw said when outlining those goals. “I’m not that heavy compared to some blokes and it’s a big confidence boost when you’re able to tackle those bigger bodies and make the ruck slower – you don’t feel like you’re letting the team down and players have got more faith in you.
“That’s been the biggest thing for me, learning how to control the ruck and win some play the balls. I just want to put more size on, but size that I can move around with and be fit with.”
And as he develops, Laidlaw has the backing of Cartwright, who has instilled confidence in the player, not to mention a senior Hull prop who is leading the way right now.
“When you’ve got the confidence from your coach, it helps bring the best out of you,” Laidlaw continued. “It then helps the team get better. Everyone works harder and we’ve all got the trust.
“Then there’s Wattsy. He’s just a big leader overall. He leads with his actions and he leads with his words. He’s someone to look up to. He always does the tough, gritty things, and he’s someone you aspire to be – the effort areas and the hard work. He helps guide me and all the young lads – it gives us more confidence.”
Confidence is what Hull has after beating Wire and now going into their final regular season game. They host Catalans Dragons on Thursday knowing that a win will put them into the top six positions – for 24 hours at least.
“It was tough and physical, but we helped each other get through those tough periods,” Laidlaw recalled on the 34-2 over Warrington. “In the first 20 minutes, they had all the possession, and it was the same in the second half, but we worked hard for each other.
“We just bounce off each other, and when you’ve got characters like Davy (Litten) who give you energy and stuff like that, it helps spur us on. It was good to get the win.”
And on the top six push, Hull are determined to do their bit. They know Wakefield, who face Salford on Friday, hold a one-point advantage in the table, but there’s the desire to get the win no matter what happens elsewhere.
“It’s massive,” Laidlaw added. “We’re still in the running. But regardless of what happens elsewhere, we still want to end the season on a high.
“Some of the boys are leaving, including Jordan Rapana, Laney (Jordan Lane), etc., and we want to send them off on a good note. Laney has been a good servant and he’s been a big figure around the club – so we want to give him a good memory to leave on.”