2023 Season Preview: Hull FC

Tony Smith is starting from scratch in 2023. He has been brought in as head coach following the departure of Hull’s mercurial star Jake Connor and a season to forget where the club finished the season in 9th place.

The black and whites won just three of their final 14 games after being as high as 4th place in April. This run of form culminated with head coach Brett Hodgson losing his job following a humiliating final day 36-4 loss to bitter rivals Hull KR.

Losing Jake Connor means Hull FC have lost their main creative force. Despite the team’s dire end of season form Connor was still the top try assist maker in Super League last season. He was also the architect of big wins against Salford Red Devils and Leeds Rhinos early in the season who both made the playoffs.

Filling the space left by Connor, Luke Gale and Josh Reynolds (who left mid season) are a trio of players with question marks hanging over their heads.

Jake Trueman, who arrives from Castleford, has long been talked about as one of the most exciting young halfbacks in the English game. The 23 year old has proved he is among the best in Super League, appearing over 100 times for Castleford since debuting in 2017 and making the squad for the 2019 Great Britain tour. However the question is, can he perform to the same level outside of the Castleford system that he has known for so long?

Overseas recruits Jake Clifford and Tex Hoy have been signed from the struggling Newcastle Knights off the back of a poor 2022. Clifford, who showed early promise at the North Queensland Cowboys, quickly fell out of favour at the Newcastle Knights playing just 25 games over two seasons.

Tex Hoy, perhaps unsurprisingly as he was fighting for the number one jersey against Kayln Ponga, failed to get many opportunities to show his skills in the NRL. The Newcastle junior played just 29 games for the club since debuting in 2020.

Both Hoy and Clifford will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of players like Jackson Hastings and Brodie Croft who have made the switch over to Super League and thrived outside of the cauldron that is the NRL.

Speaking to the media about the Australian recruits, Tony Smith said: “They’re adapting to the weather; it hasn’t been an easy start for them! They went a couple of weeks without seeing sunshine and we reassured them that we do get sunshine here.

“But they’ve mixed in well; they’ve embraced what we’re doing but also the environment and the adventure of coming to another country and a different culture. There’s a lot of things to adapt to and they’ve been terrific with us.”

As mentioned previously, 2023 is a clean slate for the black and whites. Given this is the case Tony Smith is potentially the best person for the job. In his coaching career he has found success wherever he has gone, from guiding Leeds Rhinos to their first grand final win in 2004 to more recently helping Hull KR go from relegation favourites to the playoffs in 2021.

Last season Hull FC had a strong, aggressive forward pack and exciting outside backs but they struggled to nail down a halfback pairing that could lead these two facets around the field. If they are to have any success in 2023 it is vital that Smith is able to get the best out of his halfbacks Clifford and Trueman.

If he can do this there is no reason why the club cannot be back fighting for a place in the playoffs come September.

Arrivals:

Jake Clifford, Tex Hoy (both Newcastle Knights), Brad Dwyer, Liam Sutcliffe (both Leeds), Jake Trueman (Castleford).

Departures:

Jake Connor (Huddersfield), Manu Ma’u (Catalans), Will Smith (Wests Tigers), Jordan Johnstone (Widnes), Luke Gale (Keighley), Aidan Burrell (released), Marcus Walker (Newcastle Thunder), Jacob Hookem (Castleford).

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