6 days Ago By [email protected] (Daniel Tomlinson)
Hull FC's Davy Litten has been through some tough times over the last six months, but on Saturday afternoon, those tough times were vindicated. Scoring two tries, the 21-year-old showed just why he is so highly valued at the club, starring in the centre position and proving to be a real handful as Hull extended their winning run on the road to seven matches with a 28-16 victory at Warrington Wolves. For Litten, it justified the hard work over the winter, hard work that saw him in rehab after MCL surgery last October.
Turning a negative into a positive, Litten bulked up in the gym, adding several kilos to his weight. The result is a more rounded player, one who looks every bit at home in the Super League competition. "It's all that hard work in rehab coming to fruition," Litten, reflecting on his two tries, said post-match.
"But I'm nowhere near the finished article, and I can be a lot better. "There are a few things for me to work on, but the first try – that's what I pride myself on: energy, effort and hard work – and the second was just something I probably haven't shown enough in Super League, my instinct. That was off the back of our hard work and how we frontload our energy in our defence.
That's when you reap the rewards. "It wasn't the best second half from us; we know that and won't overshadow that, but it was a great win for us against a very resilient Warrington side. We can't complain.
"We knew they were going to come out firing, but it was probably our doing as to why they had so much ball. We went down to 12 men, but that's no excuse; we have to keep battling away and be better if we want to improve." Dotting down for his brace, Litten was on fire in the first-half, one that saw Hull go into the sheds 26-4 up at half-time.
But the second half saw Warrington fight back, and while there is satisfaction in posting points, it's the ones conceded that the young FC back is focused on. "We came out, and our attack was on," Litten continued. "In the second half we then made error after error after error, but we kept turning up for each other, which is a sign of a good side.
"But a sign of an even better side would be to back up that first-half performance, and that's what we're striving to do. We'll look at it again, reassess and get ready for the Good Friday derby. It's a massive occasion, and we're looking forward to it.
" Set to be backed by a 20,000-plus crowd, Hull go up against Hull KR once again, looking to avenge the Challenge Cup defeat a fortnight ago. The reward? A place at Super League's summit, with victory putting John Cartwright's side top of the pile after eight rounds. Not that Litten's getting carried away.
Focused on the task ahead, his eye is on the ball, with gratitude shown for the support shown from the club's supporter base this season. "We've got to thank the Old Faithful for again turning out in big numbers," he said. "They've done it all year away from home and at home as well.
We're reaping the rewards from it at the moment – they're getting us home. "To be able to celebrate in front of those fans – they're so important to us. It's special.
It's a moment I won't forget. They come out every week in numbers. We know we haven't been good enough the past three or four years, but we've started the season well this year, and to see those guys with smiles on their faces makes us hungry for more.
I got carried away a bit celebrating in front of them, but you can't help it when you're doing it." He added: "I know it's very cliche, but we're going week by week. We're working hard, and we're backing ourselves as a team.
That's where our expectations are at the minute. There are 20 rounds to go, and we'll see what happens. But if we go week by week, day by day, I'm sure that we won't be too far away.
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