But what transpired was a disaster for those of a Black and White Persuasion.
Tone-setter
Despite a number of new faces for either side, Rovers would have been buoyed from their historic 40-0 result at the MKM Stadium just ten months ago.
Ultimately, the tone was set straight away as FC saw centre Liam Sutcliffe withdrawn from the 13 through illness, and an initial strong carry from debutant Franklin Pele was probably viewed as one of a handful of highlights for Tony Smith – at the very best.
After Niall Evalds’ opening try after great work from Tom Opacic, the familiar cracks started to appear among the FC ranks. They began through fellow new man Herman Ese’ese’s sin-bin for a high tackle – just moments after Joe Cator was withdrawn with a hamstring problem.
Unsurprisingly, the Robins smelt blood, and added further insult with tries from Kepli Tanginoa and their man of the moment Mikey Lewis, before the aforementioned Pele was shown his marching orders following a reckless swing on Elliott Minchella to compound a miserable first 39 minutes in the jersey.
Seven of Hull’s nine penalty concessions also came in the opening 40, summing up their ill-discipline, on top of multiple errors – with their best chance of adding to the score coming through Jack Walker.
In truth, the 14-0 half-time scoreline flattered the hosts, which in part was down to KR full-back Peta Hiku only adding the extras in the latter of those scores.
Half-Time: Hull FC 0-14 Hull Kingston Rovers
Comfortable second period for the Robins
With a lot of damage already done, Rovers had their sights set on consecutive nillings as a somewhat better showing in the half’s opening exchanges still saw the hosts unable to force their way to the try line.
After Lewis Martin did superbly well to deny a score from Robins debutant Oliver Gildart, the visitors continued their unanswered scoring streak on 59 minutes through Matt Parcell.
Martin alongside Jayden Okunbor were the main outlets going forward for Tony Smith side in what remained of the encounter, but once again, KR’s defence were in strong form.
Hull’s misery was compounded in a second major flashpoint of the 244th Derby, as despite Parcell’s sin-bin, Ligi Sao saw FC’s player count reduced to 11 through retaliation.
And with the party already beginning in the North Stand of the MKM Stadium, Evalds scored his second try with 30 seconds to go, before James Batchelor was unable to convert his solitary kick.
Full-Time: Hull FC 0-22 Hull Kingston Rovers
Tony Smith issues brutal post-game verdict
Whilst those who travelled from the east of the River Hull could bask in the glory of a superb start to 2024, many of the 20,014 crowd – the highest on opening night for 17 years – will immediately be starting their inquests into what went wrong as their counterparts claim the bragging rights.
Former KR head coach Tony Smith was quizzed on his side’s inefficiencies just moments after the final whistle.
“Yes, loads did! (things that went against his side),” he told Sky Sports. “Some of it before the kick-off, with illness and disruption before we went out.”
“Certainly some of the on-field incidents disrupted us – losing Joe Cator early, having a send-off. I thought most of the players dug in when we were down to 12 men for most of the second half,” he continued.
“It wasn’t to be tonight. Our opposition deserved it, they did enough tonight. We’ll go back in and lick our wounds ready for the next game.”
When questioned further on the discipline of his side, Smith was far from impressed.
He added: “I didn’t think it was good from a lot of people. We’ve got to learn from that, we made it hard on ourselves at times there and let our emotions get the better of us.
“You can’t do that, that’s the beauty of our sport, you’ve got to be able to take care of your emotions and fight hard in the right manner, and we didn’t at times.
He concluded: “We’ll batten down the hatches and come back strong.”
Round 2 for Hull FC and Hull KR
Hull FC will look to right the wrongs of such a damning defeat right away, as they face another one of Smith’s former employers in Round 2 – travelling to the Halliwell Jones Stadium, in what will be Sam Burgess’ first Betfred Super League home game in charge of Warrington Wolves on Friday February 23rd.
Their last visit to Cheshire saw them beaten 34-6 in Round 7 of 2023.
As for the Robins, they face Leeds Rhinos at Sewell Group Craven Park next Thursday.
Having come within 80 minutes of Old Trafford last October, optimism is high in East Hull, and Peters’ men will be hoping for back-to-back wins to kickstart the campaign once again, with silverware of some sort the aim for many supporters.
The next meeting between these two bitter rivals comes on March 29th, when those from the West make the short trip journey across the City in search of revenge.
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The Wire come into this fixture off the back of a dominant 38-0 victory away to Castleford, a victory which has cemented their spot at the top of the table and within the top four. Despite the stark contrast in form between themselves and Hull FC, head coach Daryl Powell says his team must be aware of the threat they’ve posed teams away from the MKM Stadium.
“The way I’m looking at them at the moment is that they’re better away from home.”
“We’ve got to prepare for the best that they’ve got.
With two games against the sides directly below Warrington after this Saturday’s fixture, Powell has highlighted the importance of the side maintaining the same performance levels;
“The biggest danger to a team that’s winning consistently is to start taking your eye off the ball, so we’re very mindful.
This fixture could also be the last in a Wire shirt for Thomas Mikaele, who looks set to join the Gold Coast Titans in the coming days. Sam Kasiano and Daryl Clark are unavailable for selection, but Josh Thewlis and Josh Drinkwater return after missing last Friday’s win against the Tigers.
Coincidentally, the man who masterminded Warrington’s best start to a Super League season in 2016 will be hoping to put an end to their current streak in the form of Tony Smith. The Hull head coach had a successful nine-year stint at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, but has stated that he has no connection to the club now his allegiances lie elsewhere.
“It’s not close to my heart anymore. It was when I was working there – I gave my heart and soul to it and that’s what we do as professional coaches.
With the Black and Whites currently on a four-game losing streak, Smith is hoping that his side will find a way out of a rough patch sooner rather than later.
“We’ve still got hope within ourselves but, and I’ve said this before, we need to prove some stuff to ourselves before we prove it to everybody else,”
The clash also sees Super League’s most potent attack face off against the worst defence in the competition, but the FC boss has spoken about the mindset his squad will approach the game with.
“We’re going to go and give it our best shot.
“None of us are saying we’re going to go over there and definitely beat Warrington, but I’d like us to think that we can.”
FC will be without Ligi Sao and Cameron Scott this weekend, with Jordan Lane and Nick Staveley taking up their places in the 21-man squad.
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Coming into the game with identical records, it was the visitors who seized the initiative after just five minutes as Jack O’Donnell crashed over the try line to open the scoring. The returning Ben Reynolds converted the kick to give Leigh the perfect start.
Just a minute later and it would get even better for the Leythers. Following FC’s restart going out on the full, Charnley opened his account for the afternoon with a neat try finished off in the left corner. The winger would then double his tally with almost a carbon copy of his first effort. Reynolds then added the extras to extend the lead to 16-0 after just fifteen minutes.
With frustration ringing around the home sections of the MKM, it took Hull twenty minutes to conjure up a meaningful attack , but Jake Clifford saw his try ruled out for obstruction. However, just minutes later Davy Litten went over in the corner to score the home side’s first points of the encounter, with Clifford narrowing the score.
Ligi Sao was then sent to the sin-bin with seconds of the first half remaining for a high shot, and Reynolds’ kick off target saw the half-time score read 16-6 to Leigh.
With work to do in the second 40, Hull came out with a point to prove, as Josh Griffin almost reached the line but was forced into a ball spill through some great defensive play. Having rode the storm, Leigh then scored the first points of the half through another Reynolds penalty.
Sao’s afternoon then went from bad to worse, as he was sent to the sin-bin for a second time, and his side’s defence was picked apart again. Another flowing move saw the ball end up in the hands of Charnley, and he went over for his hat-trick.
With the game seemingly out of Hull’s reach, they did make a contest out of the final quarter. Firstly Jake Clifford took advantage of a line-break before Liam Sutcliffe powered over nine minutes from time. With Clifford only converting one of his kicks, it left FC six points behind with only seven minutes to go.
However, the game was eventually put out of their reach as Reynolds’ converted another penalty to settle the game at 24-16.
Leigh boss Adrian Lam was extremely pleased with his side’s efforts to come away with the two points;
“We’ve been working really hard, I think we only made four errors in the whole game.
“That’s what you have to do to win away from home.”
The Leopards’ next fixture is against Lam’s former side Wigan, and he is looking forward to the prospect;
“Its a Local derby, the Battle of the Borough. Its where we want to be as a club in these big televised games.”
Meanwhile, Black and Whites Head Coach Tony Smith lamented the performance of his team, especially in the opening exchanges;
“Its disappointing, It took us way too long to build anything. We’ve got to get out of the habit of starting slow and not adjusting to what our opponents are doing.
“The first ten minutes isn’t something we’re proud of, even though it went on for longer.
“When you consider how average we were in that period of the game, we actually gave ourselves a chance.
“I don’t want to take anything away from Leigh. I’ve said it all week, they’re a good team.”
Smith also returns to a former club next weekend, as Hull travel to a high-flying Warrington looking to end a run of four successive defeats.
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Despite suffering a third straight defeat last Friday against the current World Champions, St Helens, it was a display full of spirit and defensive discipline , a stark contrast to their last home outing against Salford. Despite not coming away with two points, head coach Tony Smith has spoken about how his side can look to build on that display.
“We talk about it and we practice as if we want it to happen again. There are no guarantees or magic formulas.”
Leigh come into this clash with an identical record to the Black and Whites, and Smith is certainly aware of the questions they will pose to his side;
“They combine well and they’re working well together with a good attitude. They’ve got experienced players and players who have been there and done that. They’ve gained confidence from some of their performances. They’re earning respect, that’s for sure. They’re a good team.”
This weekend sees club captain Carlos Tuimavave involved in a match-day squad for the first time this campaign, as he returns from an Achilles injury which has sidelined the Centre since June 2022. Liam Sutcliffe also returns to the squad after a two-week absence, meanwhile Jordan Lane and Harvey Barron drop out.
As for Leigh, despite being beaten 38-20 last week by Warrington, they have proved to be tough opponents for some of the best sides in the competition . Head Coach Adrian Lam has been pleased on the whole with his team’s solid start to the campaign, but believes there is still more to come;
“It’s been steady away, we’ve built a really good base on who we want to be as a club.”
“In the sense of where we sit in the table we are equal fifth on the same points, so we are there or thereabouts and we need to stay in that range for now before we play our best rugby.”
Despite receiving many plaudits so far, Leigh will be hoping for a better performance than what they showed in defeat to an unbeaten Warrington side , something Lam has highlighted;
“In the context of the games I felt we could have won every game. Even against Warrington we did some really silly things even though we were soundly beaten. It will take time.
Oliver Holmes makes a return to Lam’s matchday squad after only featuring in their opening round defeat to Salford on February 17th. Ben Reynolds also returns to the Leigh 21-man squad for the trip across the Pennines.
This weekend sees the two sides face off for the first time in just under six years, with Leigh winning the last encounter 26-22 in May 2017.
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Hull FC have announced the signing of Leeds Rhinos hooker Brad Dwyer, who will join the club as their fourth signing ahead of the 2023 campaign, having fought off competition from other clubs for his signature as well as extending the contracts of Danny Houghton and Joe Lovodua.
As Dwyer makes the move from West to East Yorkshire, he brings a breadth of experience and attacking quality to this Hull FC side with 211 Super League appearances to his name and 65 tries, as well as winning the Challenge Cup in 2020 with the Rhinos. The 29-year old joins fellow Leeds man Liam Sutcliffe in making the move across the M62 ahead of next season.
Dwyer spoke about what his biggest draws to Hull FC were, with his main reason being the stature of the club:
“I’m really excited to be coming over and playing for Hull next season. The biggest attraction foe me was playing in front of those fans – its an incredible fanbase, and you really get that sense of atmosphere and occasion when playing at Hull.
The hooker also explained how excited he is to show what he hopes to bring to the side:
“Playing off the back of the pack that Hull has too was a big draw for me. I think it’ll suit me down to the ground, it really excited me about what I could bring to the club and I came away from those meetings buzzing for next season.
“It’s exciting to be part of a that spine. Having a couple of other new faces in there like Jake [Trueman] and Tex [Hoy] allows us all to put our own stamp on it and I’m really looking forward to working with Danny and Joe.”
Head Coach Brett Hodgson described the signing as “Astute”, and looks forward to see the impact Dwyer can have on his side as he said:
“Brad is an astute acquisition for us for next season, and I’m already looking forward to what he can bring to the group.
“Not only does he possess the creativity and skills we want from a player in that position, he also has some attributes to make himself a leader in our group next season. He is very competitive and tenacious.”
As well as bringing one Hooker in, the club have decided to extend the contracts of Houghton and Lovodua for another 12 months. This will see Houghton continue his spell at FC for a 17th season, having already broke the record as Hull FC’s highest living appearance maker, having made over 400 for his hometown club.
“It’s an honour to represent my hometown club, so to be going around for a 17th season is something I can be really proud of.
“I feel incredibly privileged to have played so many games for the club and I’m excited to continue my journey here for another year.”
The Fijian international Lovodua has made an immediate impression in his first Super League season, and as well as being key at dummy-half has slotted in well in a number of positions when called upon throughout the season.
“I am so grateful to the club for giving me a chance to represent them in Super League and I couldn’t have asked for anything more from them in my first season here.
“I want to repay the faith that the club and the fans have shown me this year and I will be working hard to recover from my injury and come back bigger and stronger in 2023.”
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Hodgson believes the signing of Dwyer, the contract extensions of Houghton and Lovodua as well as the introduction of young Denive Balmforth gives them exciting options to have at 9.
“We have been looking to add some pace to the squad, and clearly Brad brings that in abundance. His pace out of dummy-half is his obvious asset and will help our attacking threat next season.
“He can be a good foil for someone like Danny Houghton who delivers real quality and consistency in his defensive work and distribution, whilst Brad can bring pace and flair.
“We can also utilise Joey Lovodua in there who is tough and carries a powerful running game, whilst his fantastic ability to slot into multiple positions is a genuine asset for us as we have seen this season.
“In addition to that, we also have a long-term option in Denive Balmforth from our Rising Stars programme who will be pushing for a place next season, and he now has three different styles of hooker to learn from next season, which is great.”
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Hull FC will look to back up last weekend’s win in a pulsating derby against Hull KR at Magic Weekend as they face a very stern test at the DW Stadium against a bang in-form Wigan side.
Head Coach Brett Hodgson was absent from the pre-match press conference due to illness, however Assistant Coach Kieron Purtill confirmed that he will more than likely be in attendance at the DW.
“Brett just has a bit of a sickness bug at the moment. It’s only a 24-48 hour one but yesterday he was pretty rough. We decided not to take any risks and pass it into the group.”
The Black and Whites’ derby triumph has left them in a confident mood as they look for another win against the Warriors, who ironically last suffered defeat in a 31-22 score in May at the MKM Stadium. However, Hull will also be looking to address a run of winless Super League away matches which goes back to March 10th.
“I’m not sure why we’ve not done as well away from home. But its something we’ve spoke about.”
“Its a quick turnaround and we know it’ll be tough. They’re all about being physical and we need to match the energy and effort.
“I expect a typical Wigan mood. They won’t give much away, they’ve got a good balance within the squad.”
Bevan French and Jai Field have been key in particular in Wigan’s pursuit of St Helens at the top of the table, and FC will have to pay close attention to the pair if they are to get any result on Friday night.
“They’ve been a threat all year. They’ve got pure speed and we have to be diligent against them.”
With only nine matches left, Purtill also touched on the importance of the squad as a whole as FC look to push on from an already encouraging position.
“We’re getting towards the business end of the season. We’re in a decent position but we want to stay in the play-offs. Every game is important.
“To win games, we need our best players on the field but when they come back (from injury or suspension), they won’t get in the side automatically.”
A similar mood was shared by Brad Fash, who was quick to highlight those who made their debuts for the club at St James’ Park.
“They’ve all brought loads of energy and they’re very keen and also very good players. The rest of the group has bounced off that energy and hopefully that makes us perform better.”
The 26-year old who has only missed the last encounter between Hull and Wigan this season, was also in a confident mood ahead of the game.
“The saying is if you beat them once, you can beat them again, and that’s the mood in training.
“It’ll be a tough match and a tough battle. It probably won’t be as high scoring as last week.”
When discussing the end of season play-off chase, the 26 year old believes the Black and Whites are firmly in with a chance.
“We’ve got to win the games that we should be winning, and win those games you’d like to think you can win as well.
“If we win as many games as possible then we’ll make the play-offs. We’ve got to play well and train well.
The only change to Brett Hodgson’s squad this week sees Mitieli Vulikijapani return from suspension and replacing Connor Wynne, who is suspended for this game.
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There are positive signs for Hull FC fans as we hit the midseason mark
Throughout this season so far, Hull FC have had a mixed bag of results on paper. However, in comparison to last season, they show the steady improvement which has been made after a horrendous end to the 2021 campaign and one which took many by surprise.
At the start of the season, Head Coach Brett Hodgson pinpointed consistency and discipline as two key areas that his side needed to improve on if they were to have a successful season this time around. Despite the occasional blip, they have shown a major improvement in their performances across the season, with eight wins from the first fourteen matches and some impressive showings against the top sides in the division.
After a very poor performance against cross-city rivals Hull KR, recent results and performances have shown that FC are very adaptable to their style of play, with a mixture of flair and grit which has seen a major upturn in fortunes.
One thing is for sure, fans will be hoping that after Sunday’s surprise defeat against struggling Wakefield, with the hosts coming from 18-0 down to win on Golden point, this team will show its resilience and determination to react to those setbacks, which was evident after their last defeat as they bounced back with a superb victory against Wigan.
There is no doubting the quality that Hodgson has at his disposal, as a mix of experience and youth has been deployed in team selection throughout the course of the season to date. New additions such as Joe Lovodua have come to the MKM Stadium and have hit the ground running. Those in the infancy of their professional careers have also impressed so far in the shape of Connor Wynne and Denive Balmforth, who scored within 90 seconds of his debut against Toulouse in April.
These factors alongside the magic of Jake Connor with 24 assists and three tries of his own so far this season will give Black And Whites supporters real optimism as the season nears its conclusion.
It is clear to see that this FC side isn’t the finished article just yet, but there is some real promise for the future, even though it may take some stopping to knock the top two off their perch, there could be a cause for Hull to become one of the best of the rest if they are able to get rid of the “inconsistent” label from seasons gone by, as they continue to try and prove the outsiders wrong.
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]]>Hull FC welcome Toulouse Olimpique to the MKM Stadium on Saturday afternoon, looking for their fifth successive home victory, and second in a row against French opponents after a resolute display saw off Catalan Dragons 14-8 last Sunday.
An upturn in the club’s home form and only two league defeats since February has seen the Black and Whites rise to the top four, and a win on Saturday could see them move as high as third, depending on Catalans’ result against Castleford on Friday night.
Head coach Brett Hodgson is pleased with the upturn in fortunes regarding FC’s results at the MKM, but has stated that they must continue in this fashion if they are to be serious contenders.
“I know that has plagued us as a club over a number of years,”
“A part of our pre-season conversation was about performing well at home and giving the supporters something to cheer about and giving them something to watch.
Hodgson knows his side won’t have things their own way this weekend either, as they face a Toulouse side, who despite being bottom of the table, have given a number of sides a tough encounter in their maiden Super League season.
“We’ve been happy in large elements in the last two weeks in particular but you’re only as good as your next game and we need to make sure that’s another successful event for us.”
“They’ve had some really close results against some big teams, and have played well in a number of those games.
“We know we’ll be in a game. Our standards needs to remain or improve and that’s been the message throughout the week.”
This message was echoed by Jordan Johnstone, as the Cumbrian has also been impressed by their latest opponents despite their lowly position
“We’ll be going into this game with the same mindset as last week.
“They’re a good side who’ve been unlucky at times. They’ve got some maverick players as well so we need to focus properly for the full 80 minutes.”
Johnstone is out of contract at the end of this season, however he remains fully focused on showing his worth as he continues to play a regular role.
“Going forward, I think I’ve shown my capabilities to help the team.
“I must be doing something right for Brett to keep picking me.”
For this game, FC will be without Josh Reynolds after a suspension following last week’s victory as well as Mitieli Vulikijapani who will represent the British Army against the Navy for the Babcock Trophy, Aidan Burrell will also miss out. However, Connor Wynne returns to the squad following head assessment protocols alongside the return of Davy Litten from his loan spell at Whitehaven and Denive Balmforth, who could make his FC debut.
For Toulouse, they will see Chris Hankinson back for this fixture. However, Mitch Garbutt will be absent due to injury, and new signing Corey Norman remains unavailable.
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Photo credit: Wigantoday.net
Hull FC make the trip west to take on Huddersfield Giants in Saturday evening’s Betfred Challenge Cup quarter-final.
Both sides saw off Championship opponents in round five, with Huddersfield beating Barrow 30-16 whilst Hull FC managed 10 tries in a dominant 58-12 success against Sheffield Eagles.
Black and Whites head coach Brett Hodgson will travel to his old stomping ground to take on the Giants, buoyed by the return of key man Josh Reynolds, as well as late fitness checks on Carlos Tuimavave and Kane Evans. With Tuimavave only at Hodgson’s disposal once so far this season, his absence has been noteworthy, whilst Reynolds’ return sees the potential opportunity of a half-back pairing of the 32-year old and captain Luke Gale.
Hodgson, who won the competition once as a player with Warrington, will look to guide FC to their fifth semi-final in seven years.
“I love the competition for the reason that you have to leave everything you have out on the field or else you could find yourself out,”
“Every game is almost a mini cup final because there are no second chances.
“There’s always just a different feel to the Challenge Cup, as well. There’s an upbeat mood around the place and it’s becoming exciting now we’re moving towards the pointy-end of the competition.”
And whilst he believes there is still more to come from his side, he refuses to be overly concerned by it.
“I think we have been travelling OK, but I still think that there is some improvement in us,”
““But I won’t be too hasty about it. We’re seven Super League games in and we’re into the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup, so it’s been a good start and I feel that we can keep improving every week.”
Huddersfield come into this tie after an impressive 28-12 victory against Catalans Dragons, but will be without Oliver Russell this weekend as he follows concussion protocols whilst Theo Fages and ex FC man Josh Jones remain in the squad after coming through last weekend’s fixture.
Head Coach Ian Watson believes his pack will play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of this quarter-final.
“There’s good decisions to be made in and around our pack, and its an area we are going to need to be good in.”
With players coming back into the selection fold, Watson has also highlighted how he is relishing the challenge of a selection headache despite those “good decisions”.
“That’s the hard bit, but you’d rather have these questions or challenges as you go forward rather than struggling to select players. Especially when some are playing well.”
“It obviously comes down to your opinion for the game that’s coming up on who you pick and choose, and hopefully you’re right on those decisions.”
This will be the second meeting in just three weeks for these two sides, having met in the Super League on March 20th which saw Hull FC win 14-6.
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Hull FC travel to the Mend-A-Hose Jungle this weekend to take on former boss Lee Radford’s Castleford Tigers, with Radford facing his former club for the first time since his dismissal two years ago.
The Tigers have got off to the worst possible start under Radford, and the Black and Whites will hope to inflict a fourth straight defeat after they got back to winning ways with a dominant 48-16 win against Salford last weekend.
FC are also boosted this weekend with the return of Andre Savelio, plus Kane Evans is in contention to make his debut for the club with his NRL ban now behind him.
Despite Castleford’s poor start, Brett Hodgson hasn’t underestimated the problems they will pose to his side.
“We’re playing against a team that will be desperate to win, there’s no doubt about that.
“They’ll be desperate, probably more so than they have been in previous weeks with the obvious reason of who their coach is and some recent players.”
“We’re going to have to look at the good things from this week and learn some stuff from this week and make sure that we’re ready to go because we know they’ll come firing.
In the Castleford camp, Radford has revealed that key man Danny Richardson will be sidelined for a lengthy period, starting with Sunday’s game after a neck injury initially sustained in Round One.
“I think Danny is going to be 11-12 weeks,”
“He is in a neck brace at the moment, so it is pretty long term. There is a bone fracture in there and it is eight weeks with a brace on then, past that, you’ve got to strengthen everything up in and around there.
“In round one, it wasn’t the news Danny or the club wanted, but it’s the cards we’ve been dealt and we’ll have to be more reliant on Jake Trueman and Gaz O’Brien to grab the team by the horns and get us around the field.”
Leading up to the contest against his former employers, Radford has stated his sole focus has been on his current side and hasn’t been drawn in by the hype surrounding it.
“I saw the scoreline and some of the highlights from last week, but I haven’t watched a lot of them,”
“I’m concentrating on what we need to get right rather than what they’re throwing at us at this moment in time.”
“We desperately need a win for between our ears,”
“There are things we can do in our performance that will enable us to get a result. I’d love to get both, that’s the perfect scenario for me.
In FC’s win last week against Salford, it was Jake Connor who stood out with a number of assists, but Radford insists that the Black and Whites’ star man will only cause his side problems defensively.
“Down our end a lot; down the other end, not too much.”
When questioned about these comments from his predecessor, Hodgson stated that he hasn’t read anything into them whatsoever.
“I don’t worry about it but the players were talking about it.
“We’ll see what happens at the weekend. I’m happy that Jake’s on our team, put it that way.”
The Black and Whites will look to extend an impressive record against Castleford, losing just one of the last five meetings.
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