Hull FC aren’t dwelling on their pre-season cancellation at Doncaster due to adverse weather this Sunday, with the squad already focused on February’s trial match at Castleford Tigers.
The game, also former player Joe Westerman’s testimonial match, now carries extra weight, being the only chance for John Cartwright to look at his squad in a game capacity. Set to go all out for the clash, the new head coach will be looking to see in action the shape, plays, and styles practiced this pre-season with selections up for grabs ahead of the Challenge Cup and Super League openers.
For newly appointed captain Aidan Sezer, those factors are crucial, with players aiming to ‘replicate’ what they’ve done in trainings in build on their growing combinations. It’s also a chance to lay down the standard in terms of effort, with Cartwright demanding certain standards from the squad this year.
“We’ll be trying to replicate what we’ve been doing throughout the whole pre-season,” Sezer, speaking about the Castleford game, said. “We’re working on those effort areas, and we’ll look to work hard for one another.
“It’s very early on in the piece with friendlies, but you want to make sure that you’re fit and ready to go for round one. It’s probably more one for the coaches to focus on, but for us boys, we’re just trying to get the next block of training done in a positive way, work as hard as we can, and get ready for the start of the season.”
Hull still have three weeks of training before the February 1 clash, with the cup tie against lower league opposition, drawn on Tuesday 14 January, coming one week later before the league kick-off against Catalans Dragons in Perpignan. The side then host Wigan Warriors at the MKM Stadium in round two.
And for Sezer, who will lead out the Black and Whites as captain, there’s already a growing anticipation. He added: “We’re looking forward to that, and we’re looking forward to going down to Catalans in round one as well.
“Being back at home in round two against the back-to-back champs and the best team in the world is also something you look forward to and something you pencil in. You want to put down a marker, as we would like to do the week before.
“We’re looking forward to that, and we know a lot of fans will get down and support us. We want to make sure that we’re putting in performances that they can be proud of on a week-to-week basis.”
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