BY JOHN DAVIDSON
Hull FC coach Tony Smith insists his team can turn their troubled season around and will continue to fight after their loss to Leeds.
The Black & Whites went down 34-10 to the Rhinos, their seventh defeat in a row.
“I’m disappointed,” Smith said.
“We had a little more field position and territory than some of our previous games that we’ve been struggling in, but it still comes down to converting those games into points.
“We’re learning lessons the hard way at the moment, it’s tough. I can see effort in the way that they’re trying but it isn’t effective enough.
“We had one half that was probably more dominant than the other half, and that’s sometimes what you get when you have a makeshift half. We need to be more effective in taking some of our opportunities.
“Chris Satae was absolutely outstanding for us. There was glimpses of others at times. Davy Litten was pretty good in those conditions.
“I liked some of our defence early on before we conceded points.”
Hull FC were behind 18-0 at half-time and could do little to stop Leeds romping to victory at Headingley.
But Smith says his side is up for the battle.
“We go forward,” he said.
“You can roll over and cry about it or you can get on with it. That’s what professional sports people do when they’re in a rut. I’m in there fighting as hard as I can. I’m pretty sure they [the players] are too.
“We’re all trying hard really hard at the moment and it’s not easy. There’s no easy games in Super League. It’s a big job and it’s a big club.
“But I know that we will get there. We’re determined to get it right and get this club back to being one of the big clubs.
Smith said if he has to drop some of his more high-profile, established players to reserve grade, he will
“If we have to play some of our bigger names in reserve grade that’s what we’ll do.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
