Hull FC suffered their tenth consecutive defeat on Friday night, losing 30-22 to Castleford Tigers. The result pretty much confirms a two-way battle with London Broncos for the Super League wooden spoon, with the Black and Whites potentially finishing at the bottom of the pile for the first time in 60 years.
That’s the reality staring them in the face now, with the side only above London on points difference. It’s a grim situation, with Hull winning just one of their last 19 games going back to last August. They are on track for their worst ever Super League season, with just one win coming all year compared to five in the 1999 campaign from 30 league games. They could also yet set an unwanted club record with their longest ever losing streak currently standing at 13 games, first set in the 1963/64 season and then equalled over the back end of 2018 and start of 2019, dangerously under threat.
That’s where Hull are at now. They are a bottom two team, a reality that was confirmed by Castleford, who fully deserved their win. In fact, the final score flattered Hull. For sixty or so minutes, Castleford were far the better team, with the away side only turning up for the last 20 minutes.
That coincided with Morgan Smith entering the field, but it was also a last throw of the dice situation, with Hull showing the sort of urgency and desperation into their play that was severely lacking for the previous three quarters of the game. It was last-chance saloon territory, but it takes nothing away from Smith, whose introduction certainly upped the tempo. It was also little too late, with Hull adding a couple of scores to make the end result look more respectable.
However, that flurry didn’t dilute the fact that this side were way off. They were improved on their London showing, but that’s like saying a relay team is better off after swapping a sumo wrestler for another sprinter. They are just not good enough to pick up points in this league. It’s a sorry state of affairs. For large periods of that game, Castleford showed more intent, energy, urgency, desire, and attitude. They had more about them, and in truth, only two gifts, first a knock on and then an intercept, kept Hull in check.
They were way off the pace, as they have been for the large majority of this season. It’s just not good enough, with issues that have hindered the club for years all coming on top of each other. Hull deserve to be where they are. There’s no getting away from that.
Yet, amongst the doom and gloom, there was one or two sparks in West Yorkshire. The one who shined the brightest was Logan Moy, with the teenage full-back holding his own. He never threw the towel in, followed the play all game, returned well, and tried to cut into the line. He was full of energy, he was brave, and he showed just why he’s been rewarded with a new three-year deal.
That’s the biggest positive for Hull. It’s a shame Moy’s emergence is coming under these circumstances but from an individual standpoint, he can hold his head high. He, and the same goes for many more of Hull’s young guns, especially Jack Charles, need to be managed properly now with a clear future path into the first-team.
Hull cannot block that path. That’s something Richie Myler has spoken of in recent times and also explains why the club’s recruitment policy is now what it is. For the majority, they are looking at some much-needed experience to complement that youth and bring them on, with the hope that when said experience moves on in a couple of years time, that they will be ready to take on the torch.
That sort of planning is something Hull just haven’t done in their recent history. There’s been no plan to who takes the seven spot – as explained with the mess since Jake Clifford left the club – but that worry applies more to Danny Houghton and the hooker role with the lack of clarity in what comes next being a real issue for years. It’s something Hull need to get to the bottom of, with Houghton, now at the grand old age of 35, still flogged to death virtually every week.
Hopefully, they’ll do just that for next season, and give incoming coach John Cartwright the best chance of succeeding at this club. Watching on in Australia, he’ll know exactly how big this job is. Luckily, though, he’s got some thick skin, as that’s exactly what Hull need as they look to turn this situation around.
The reality, as has been the case for three long months of a disappointing season, is that there is a long, long road ahead. Hull have some youth sparks, that is without question, but collectively they are miles behind competing with the rest of Super League, with the tag of being labelled, at least statistically, the worst ever, looking more like a formality after each passing defeat.