Josh Reynolds has hailed the support of his new Black & White teammates and Brett Hodgson for helping him settle into life in the UK.
The former New South Wales representative arrived in the country at the start of January having signed a two-year deal with the club, and explained he is settling well despite the national lockdown and the differences to life at home in Sydney.
Reynolds caught up with members of the British Rugby League media on Thursday for the first time since arriving in Hull – to watch the full press conference, click here.
Speaking to members of the media in this week’s pre-season press conference, Reynolds said: “I’m overlooking the beautiful Queens Gardens where I’m staying now so its a bit different from Sydney, but apart from the lockdown, I’m actually really enjoying it.
“Obviously its very different from back home, but its a challenge and that’s what I want – this is probably the most I have been challenged in a pre-season to be honest. It’s just the conditions more than anything and adapting to that.
“All the boys have been great at helping me settle in. They’ve all throw their hands up to support me and give me advice. It has made everything a lot easier.
“Moving to a new club isn’t always the easiest of things, but everyone at the club have been brilliant in helping me find my feet.
“I haven’t had the chance to interact with many people away from the club, but I know the people over here are kind and accepting. I’ve seen that from the boys and they’ve made me feel at home.”
And the former Wests Tigers star gave further praise to his teammates for their work ethic during pre-season so far.
“They’re an awesome group, and one of the best things is that there is no egos here. Everyone wants to work hard and get better every day.
“Brett is bringing a big emphasis on getting better every day, and I really think we are doing that. If we do have a bad session, we can admit that and look at where we went wrong and can improve. There is a long way to go in pre-season so we are still a bit far off, but we will gel more with time.”
Reynolds followed Hodgson from NRL side Wests, and explained that the recruitment of the former Super League Man of Steel as Hull’s new head coach was a major factor in him deciding to sign for the club.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with Brett for a while – the one thing I can say from my time with him is that he cares.
“Some coaches get caught up in results, which is obviously important, but you know that he is going to look out for you on and off the field too, and him being here was one of the big reasons why I came over. All the boys have the same feeling about him.”
The 31-year old also praised Hull’s young players, adding: “We have a great crop of young players in the squad, including some guys training with us from the Academy, and those guys want to learn every day. They’re hungry and keen.
“Ben (McNamara) is a great young half and knows the game well for his age. I’ve been working a bit with him and he has a great running and kicking game, and he’s improving every day.”
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