Hull FC Academy graduate Sully Medforth is no stranger to hard work, and he is eager to knuckle down in his first pre-season as a senior Black & White.
The 18-year-old halfback was in the club’s youth system for three years, helping the Academy reach the play-off semi-finals in both of the last two years.
Now he is a part of Tony Smith’s first-team squad, with his hard work over the last 36 months paying dividends.
“I certainly wasn’t the greatest player growing up, so I’ve had to really dig in and work hard to get to this stage,” he told hullfc.com.
“Initially, I wasn’t picked up by the Scholarship, so when I joined the system it was like being a year behind a lot of the other lads. The last three years have been all about hard work. I’ve pushed myself so hard and I can be proud of that.
“I’m happy to be a part of the first-team squad now, but I’m not ready to stand still. I want to keep pushing on and working my way up the pecking order now.”
Medforth is one of a handful of youngsters making the step up to the full-time first-team environment ahead of the 2024 Betfred Super League campaign.
The squad returned to the University of Hull training base on Monday morning for the start of their pre-season campaign, as they were put through their paces by the club’s Strength & Conditioning team.
Medforth says he has enjoyed the challenge so far, also explaining how discussions with Head Coach Tony Smith have inspired him to challenge others in the squad this pre-season.
“The first couple of days have been solid. Tony has spoken to the group about the standards that he expects, and he also mentioned he doesn’t want us young lads just making up the numbers,” he explained.
“It’s about pushing those above you in the squad in a respectful manner. Age is just a number to Tony. As long as he sees you giving it your all in training, you’ll go a long way in his estimations and I’m going to be pushing myself as hard as I can to try and make a mark on the squad.
“I’d love to be able to feature in the pre-season friendlies, but I know I’ve got to put a lot of graft in this pre-season to make sure I get up to the right fitness levels to compete in those games.”
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