2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Daniel Tomlinson)
It’s been 140 days, but Hull FC are finally back in competitive action, taking on York Acorn in the third round of the Challenge Cup. Ready to get cracking under a new head coach in John Cartwright, the Black and Whites face amateur opposition for the first time since 1998, with the tie played at Featherstone Rovers’ Millennium Stadium. Playing a mixture of youth and youth experience, at least six Hull FC players will make their first-team debuts today, including marquee signing John Asiata, signed from Leigh Leopards and expected to transform the way this side shape up and offer unparalleled leadership to the team.
Asiata will be joined by some up-and-coming young guns, with Cartwright hoping for a controlled and professional performance against the National Conference League amateurs, who will look to make the game as competitive as possible and will certainly come out firing. A tasty tie awaits, and as always, we’ll be there with all the team news, live action, and post-match reaction as it gets underway. Stay professional Harvey Barron gave a good insight into Hull's focuses in an exclusive interview with Hull Live this week.
Outlining some of Cartwright's plan, the side will be expected to get on top with hard, direct carries, returning the ball well, and playing with energy. A big emphasis has been placed on how they shape up around Asiata, their go-forward, and completion this year, with Hull turning the ball over on their terms and in the corners, making their opposition work in undesired areas of the field. Eventually, the hope is they can suffocate their opponent with error-free rugby league, get on top, and post points.
Up against a National Conference League side that will be fired up, this is good practice to put it all into action. And while some will keep a keen eye on the scoreboard, it's perhaps how Hull shape up, complete, and defend that will interest Cartwright most, especially with the Super League opener at Catalans Dragons just one week away. Keep Acorn to nil Hull can't bang their defensive drum enough this year.
And while there is technique to tackles and ruck control, in particular, defence is also about fundamental rugby league traits: attitude, grit, effort, and your willingness to get off your line, dig in, and work hard for one another. It's those traits that this Hull side must show in abundance if they are to move forward and put last year behind them. It would be a fair indication of the attitude Hull have to defending this term if they could nil York Acorn here.
The NCL outfit will get their opportunities, and the Black and Whites won't have it all their own way. And like at Castleford last week, where that defensive desire was there by the bucketload, the biggest takeaway may lie again in what this team does when they don't have the ball. Share Comments As many as ten debuts could debut today.
However, John Cartwright has confirmed around six are expected to make their first-team bows - including John Asiata. Elsewhere, Lloyd Kemp is poised to play a big role after impressing at Castleford Tigers last week. Hull 21-man squad: 2.
Harvey Barron, 13. John Asiata, 14. Cade Cust, 15.
Oliver Holmes, 16. Yusuf Aydin, 17. Jack Ashworth, 19.
Brad Fash, 21. Will Gardiner, 22. Lewis Martin, 23.
Logan Moy, 25. Denive Balmforth, 26. Zach Jebson, 29.
Ryan Westerman, 31. Hugo Salabio, 32. Will Kirby, 33.
Will Hutchinson, 34. Lloyd Kemp, 35. Joe Ward, 36.
Owen Haldenby, 37. Lennon Clark, 38. Ben Johnson Full team news out at 12:30.
Kick off 2:00 pm Share Comments “The biggest thing for us is not to get too carried away.” The Hull FC winger on the tie with York Acorn, areas of focus, and laying down a marker. Full interview Share Comments Hull Live exclusively reported last month that young Hull FC hooker Denive Balmforth has signed a new three-year deal at the club.
John Cartwright confirmed that news this week, with the 21-year-old signed up until the end of 2028. Denive has re-signed with the club. He's very young, and he's got a hell of a lot to learn, but it's rare to have the talent that he has.
Denive is a definite talent. He's got talent that not a lot of other players have. He has shared the hooking role through the pre-season with Amir (Bourouh), and they've both really impressed me.
Neither of them have missed any training at all. Share Comments The Hull FC head coach was in relaxed mood ahead of the tie. Here’s what he had to say: There's certainly no lack of respect for the opposition.
Those boys will be rubbing their hands together for the opportunity they are going to get this weekend. We've got to make sure that we play tough and do the tough things well. We've got a big travel schedule in front of us, so we're trying to get that balance right.
We want a fully fit team for the round one game, but we also want to show respect for the Challenge Cup. We've come up with a good balance. There are young guys in the halves who are more than capable, and we've got a really competitive pack of forwards and a sprinkling of youth in the backs as well.
While York Acorn are going to be excited, there are around six guys making their debuts for us as well, so not only are they excited, but everyone else around them is too. We're looking to get them going with a win. Share Comments It’s been a long off-season but now the real stuff starts.
Challenge Cup action and some new faces to see. Stay tuned for all the action. Share Comments.
