Andy Last has explained his pride following last weekend’s victory over Huddersfield, while looking ahead to tonight’s clash against Warrington as he aims for back-to-back Super League wins.
Hull’s interim head coach praised the Wolves, who currently have seven players self-isolating due to the RFL’s Covid-19 Test and Trace procedure, but will still take to the field ahead of tonight’s game – however Last says the focus has been purely on his own side’s game.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, brought to you in assocation with Jacuzzi®, Last also looked back at Sunday’s win over Huddersfield, praising his side’s application in challenging circumstances.
Explaining his pride in the side following his first win as interim head coach last weekend, Last said: “I was extremely proud of the turnaround The players bought into the review from the Salford game and they applied themselves really well after coming back from isolation.
“The young blokes in particular in the likes of Jordan Lane, Jack Brown, Brad Fash and Joe Cator, all Hull-boys, gave a great account of themselves. I asked them to put some heart back into the performances and they did that, and it was infectious to the rest of the group.
“I put a lot of trust in them and they justified that trust. But it wasn’t just the youngster – our senior players in the likes of Carlos Tuimavave, Albert Kelly and Jamie Shaul all stood up. Some of the numbers were fantastic and they really put a shift in for us.”
And despite losing Marc Sneyd in the match to a lateral ligament injury, Last believes an opportunity has arisen for Jake Connor in the half-back spot.
“It is a big blow. Marc is a big game controlling, organising half-back and has been a big part of the success of our team for a number of years now, but it enables another player to come in and have a chance at playing in that position; Jake has been eager to get an opportunity to have a consistent run in that half-back role and it looks like he will get that now.
“The big thing with Jake is that he doesn’t have to overplay his hand. If he can find that balance of trying to create chances and trying to score points as well, it’ll be an important period for him.
“If he gets those basics right where he moves us around the park and shows some good game management, it could be a great opportunity for him to show a bit more of a leadership role within the team.”
Looking ahead to tonight’s clash against the Wolves, Last explained he has sympathy for the club following their recent disruption due to Covid-19 and paid credit to Steve Price’s side, but says the focus this week has been purely on what his own side must do at Emerald Headingley.
“We can’t focus on what has happened at Warrington, we need to take care of our own business. It is a dangerous game as we have been notorious for taking our foot off the gas in games we are expected to win so I have gone to the extremes of what their potential line-up will be.
“It is more about us taking control of what we can do ourselves, which includes building on the performance we put in last week.
“What is apparent is when you look at their squad, Blake Austin, Stefan Ratchford, Dayrl Clark and Gareth Widdop are still in there for them. When you have a spine with quality like that, they are going to cause you problems so you need to defend smartly and with good energy. If they’re going to score points, we need to make them work hard for it. We will not be taking them lightly.
He added: “I’ve got a lot of sympathy towards them. A lot of teams are having these challenges thrown at them now. They deserve to be applauded for allowing the game to go ahead, and lets hope that those guys that are self-isolating are safe and well.
“They’re fulfilling the fixture for the greater good of the game; we’d like to think we’d do the same in a similar situation. Obviously we had a number of players missing last week an a very short preparation time, but still played last week – that is the mentality across the competition.
“The game is showing it is robust and resilient and adaptable. If we have to end up playing different teams at short notice and have to utilise the full depth of your squad then so be it.”
STORY SPONSOR
