Hull FC handed chance to exorcise demons early as quick start looks key
THOSE inside Hull FC don’t need telling how important it is that they start the 2022 Super League campaign on the right foot.
The Black and Whites ended last season miserably as a run of nine defeats in ten saw them slip out of the play-off race and into eighth place on the league ladder.
That run of form culminated in an embarrassing display against Wakefield Trinity at Belle Vue, which saw Hull ship seven tries to lose 44-12.
Fortunately for Hull, their 2022 season starts where 2021 ended and they’ve been handed the chance to exorcise some demons early.
FC travel to Wakefield on February 13 to play out their season opener in what could be challenging conditions given the time of year,
but they’ll go with a determination and desire to set the record straight.
They’ll have a point to prove against Willie Poching’s side, not only to the rest of the Super League but themselves as well.
As such, in the name of confidence and self-belief, getting out of the blocks positively and clearing the first hurdle will be absolutely pivotal for the Black and Whites and it might just allow Hodgson to sit a little more comfortably in the hotseat.
After the way Hull capitulated last season, the head coach will be under pressure to get it right this time around and get a tune out of his side once more.
He’s made the changes he felt were necessary and brought in genuine international experience and character in order to bolster his ranks and make more of a stamp on the team he inherited at the start of 2021.
As such, he’ll be confident of being able to hit the ground running in the new year, and if they do manage to rack up a few early wins over the opening weeks, it will certainly reinforce his faith that this squad can kick on and make a home for themselves in Super League’s top bracket.
FC set a tone well at the start of last season and were definitely on the right path before Covid struck and while rounds two and three will provide further tests of their mettle, Hodgson will hope for strong showings against St Helens and Salford Red Devils at the MKM Stadium.
The nature of the Super League means there are no easy games and fixtures against Lee Radford’s Castleford and Leeds Rhinos in March will give Hull another strong taste of the intensity they’ll have to match on a weekly basis if they are to nail down a spot in the top six.
The fixture list does get gruelling over the summer months, particularly when the club are forced to hit the road while the MKM turf is repaired and restoredn.
However, should Hodgson’s side find themselves chasing a play-off spot with four games to go, they’ll certainly back themselves to claim a place given their favourable, said in the loosest sense, end to the season.
The Black and Whites face Wakefield, Salford, Toulouse and
Hull KR in their final four fixtures and three of those games will be on home soil.
Of course, it’s far from straightforward and if Hull are to claim a spot in the play-offs they’ll have to perform consistently well from start to finish and make the MKM something of a fortress.
Hull have struggled at home for a few years now and just three wins came last season in East Yorkshire.
Should Hodgson find a way of turning that around, it could provide the stable footing needed to make a push.