Season Review: Hull FC
25 Oct 2021
BLACK and White could accurately be used to describe the difference between the start to Hull FC’s season and the finish.
With new coach Brett Hodgson at the helm, Hull FC looked top two contenders at the start of June, and were facing St Helens in the semi-finals of the Betfred Challenge Cup.
Their Wembley dreams were ended in Leigh that afternoon, although their performance wasn’t far off - Hodgson’s side were still fully in the contest until Regan Grace’s late interception try, despite having suffered serious injuries during a gripping cup clash.
Immediately after that defeat, the Black and Whites responded well - beating Castleford, Leigh and Huddersfield in succession to keep pace with Super League’s leading pack.
5 try contributions 🤯
Jake Connor for @hullfcofficial in round 10 👏 #SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/u9b3i0GE1G
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) June 22, 2021
But then a Covid outbreak hit the club, contributing to three straight matches being postponed, and with injuries elsewhere in the squad biting, Hull never recovered.
The warning signs were there in a televised 40-26 defeat to Huddersfield, and by the end of the season, Hodgson’s side would remarkably win just one of their final 10 matches, an incomprehensible prospect earlier in the year.
That one victory did provide supporters with an afternoon to remember, Marc Sneyd’s drop goal providing the difference in a superb Hull derby that finished 23-22.
But not even that high could mask the defeats that happened around it, as Hull lost a series of ‘must-win’ games, saw their play-off hopes evaporate, and finished the campaign with fewer wins than every club bar Salford and Leigh.
For a team that was widely tipped to challenge strongly for silverware under the respected Hodgson, that simply wasn’t a good enough return for either fans or owner Adam Pearson, who publicly expressed his frustration on more than one occasion.
“Excuses or not, the fact remains we have not performed to the standards we expect at this club or to a level at which this squad should be performing over the second half of the season, and it will be addressed,” Pearson wrote to his supporters in his programme notes in September.
“We share your disappointment and frustration in equal measure, if not even more so. There are a lot of people here that invest a huge amount of time, dedication, passion and emotion into this club, often at the detriment of their families and lives away from Hull FC.
“And it is for that reason that you can be reassured that you have our full commitment to making noticeable improvements for next season.”
All of that looked hugely unlikely at the start of the year when new recruit Josh Reynolds helped Hull to a solid start with an accomplished win over much-fancied Huddersfield.
There seemed to be more steel about the Black and Whites in those early rounds, which included Super League’s first ever draw under the golden point rule, as they and Warrington somehow missed a host of drop goal attempts en route to a 14-14 stalemate.
Dumping Wigan out of the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup after a Chris Satae inspired a dominant display up front further underlined the side’s potential, and despite that semi-final heartache to Saints, you would have got long odds on Hull dropping out of the top six altogether at the start of July.
But unfortunately for Hodgson that is what unfolded, and by the time Wakefield were running up a 44-12 win on the final weekend of the season, most fans were ready for the end of the campaign.
There were bright spots among the disappointment, most notably the form of Jake Connor, who seemed to thrive under the extra responsibility handed to him by Hodgson and finished with more try assists than any other Super League player.
In the pack, Satae had a stand-out year, at times terrorising opposition teams both with and without the ball, and he was offered consistent support from homegrown duo Jordan Lane and Brad Fash, who never wavered in their efforts.
Winger Adam Swift also emerged as a key player and the fact that fellow three-quarter Carlos Tuimavave ran for more metres than any Hull FC player shows his commitment to the cause.
But none of that was enough to help the Black and Whites fulfil their undoubted potential, and 2022 now shapes as a massive season for club and coach.
“I’m not going to separate myself from the playing group,” Hodgson said after the final day Wakefield defeat.
“I won’t do that, we’re all in this together, but it has been a very disappointing back end to the year and we need to decide as a group how much we’re willing to work for it next year.”
Star man - Jake Connor
Connor underlined his importance to Hull’s team by creating more tries than any other player in the competition despite their often difficult campaign. A utility for so much of his career, coach Brett Hodgson made it clear early on that he sees the England international as a full-back, and that confidence seemed to benefit the 26-year-old. Prop Chris Satae deserves mention here too - the pair stood out among Hull’s squad and will be key pillars for coach Hodgson next year if they are to avoid another year of underachievement.
Season highlight - Challenge Cup quarter-final victory
When Hull dumped Wigan out of the quarter-finals of the Betfred Challenge Cup in early May, they looked fully capable of living up to the hype in 2021. The match was a break-out game for prop Chris Satae, who dominated the Warriors’ forwards up front, scoring two crucial tries in a man of the match display. Dom Manfredi’s response threatened a late Wigan comeback, before Adam Swift pounced on a Willie Isa error to race away and clinch the win. At the time, almost anything seemed possible for a team growing in confidence and resolve.
Rising star - Ben McNamara
McNamara saw plenty of game time amid a season of injuries, which will undoubtedly stand the 19-year-old in good stead for the future. Playing as a young half-back in a team on the back foot is a far from easy assignment, but McNamara never shirked his responsibilities and showed glimpses of genuine class at different stages. Teenage hooker Jacob Hookem made a lively debut in the final game of the season at Wakefield, and is also being tipped for a big future.
