By IAN JUDSON
IT APPEARS, at this early stage of the season, that a familiar old problem is starting to affect Hull FC again, that being the lack of a cutting edge in the final third of the field.
It’s definitely fair to say that John Cartwright’s side have been decimated with injuries, which has seen that all-important spine of fullback, halves, hooker and loose-forward chopped and changed on a regular basis in the seven games, including friendlies, that the Black & Whites have played so far this year.
At the moment, the Airlie Birds are missing Jed Cartwright, Joe Batchelor, Harvey Barron, Herman Ese’Ese and ACL victim Will Pryce through injury. But their spine problems have seen Pryce, Davy Litten, Zak Hardaker, Cade Cust, Aidan Sezer, Amir Bourouh, Callum Kemp, Yusuf Aydin, John Asiata and now James Bell employed in it, meaning the Black & Whites have failed to build combinations, understanding and – most importantly of all – trust in each other on the pitch.
On Thursday at the DIY Kitchens Stadium Davy Litten had a torrid time, although it has to be said: the more the hosts tested him with high kicks, the more secure he became as he continues a run in the position that he was known for when he burst onto the scene. But it must also be said that for the last 18 months at least, he has been playing and training at centre. So reverting back to such an important, pivotal position is going to take time to get used to again.
However, what he does have on his side – as confirmed by his head coach in his post-game press conference – is ability and bags of enthusiasm and, with no fresh injury concerns, Cartwright has the enviable option of naming the same spine, or even exactly the same team, for their visit to the Leopard’s Den in the must-win Challenge Cup tie.
Inevitably, that will make Hull a better, more confident outfit, with players being in the same positions, therefore with better, although far from complete understanding.
What Hull did very well in West Yorkshire was defend, although they were just edged out by a patched-up Trinity side. Hull were under almost constant pressure for the entirety of the second half because the home side put them on the back foot with their kicking game, yet they were only able to scramble one – decisive – try despite the well-known attacking prowess of any side coached by Daryl Powell.
But the fact remains, what mostly hurt Hull was their inability to take some promising chances. Taking them, particularly in the first half, would probably have put them far out of their hosts’ reach, even despite the try with the last play of that half.
And if they are going to progress in the cup, that is a factor which needs urgent attention.