It feels so good to be back playing again, says FC’S Trueman
HALF-BACK HOPES INJURY PROBLEMS ARE BEHIND HIM
Jake Trueman is back doing what he does best: playing rugby league. The Hull FC half-back had to show a lot of patience in completing a gruelling rehab process, but now there’s an optimistic look towards the future.
Returning to Super League action against Wigan, Trueman played his part off the bench and has now started the last two games.
Getting to grips with a new team, the 24-year-old is beginning to open up, assisting two tries in Sunday’s Challenge Cup win and clicking with his fellow spine players.
Defeating Trueman’s old club, Castleford Tigers, Hull’s creative outlets had some class about them, but for the talented half, who is over his ACL rupture and ready to do his bit for Tony Smith’s side, there is still plenty more to come.
“I’m enjoying playing with the boys, and my body is feeling pretty good,” Trueman told the Mail. “I’m just trying to build every week with fitness and sharpness, but it feels good to get back into it. I hadn’t played in ten months, so it’s nice to see things coming together a bit on the field.
“It’s slowly getting there, and it felt pretty good on Sunday playing with Jake Clifford and with Tex (Hoy) back as well. It’s going to take a little bit of time just to get into our roles, find out what each other likes, where we like to play, and which side of the field we’re going to pick up, but it feels pretty natural at the moment. I think the three of us can have a good combination together.
“We’ve got a base structure to go off, and I think we can each play a key role. We saw that with how we scored most of the tries. Tex took control sometimes, then Cliff, then me. It’s just getting that go-forward and then getting our hands on the ball. We’ve got some real creativity there to score some points, and defensively too we want to play our part. I’ve always tried to be a strong defender, but it’s hard when you’ve got bigger bodies coming at you. This year coming back, I’ve put a real big emphasis on my defence, and I’m trying to be as strong as I can on that edge on both sides of the ball.”
Opting for a three-year deal at Hull, Trueman was the club’s first major signing for the 2023 season.
He was also one of the best halves in the competition last year prior to his injury, with the goal naturally being to pick up that form again. But there’s no rush and certainly no pressure. A relaxed character, Trueman is just doing his thing, building by the week at his new club, having been inspired by the direction they want to go in.
“I just felt like the club could go somewhere,” Trueman continued.
“The players they were talking about bringing in, the calibre, could compete for trophies. When you sign at a new club, you look at the team and who they’ve got, who they’re letting go, and who they’re bringing in. Speaking to Adam Pearson and the CEO, James Clark, I just felt like it was going somewhere. That’s a good squad here, with a good blend of players that can really compete.
“I’ve loved my time here so far. It was a little bit frustrating at the start. You just want to get straight into it and get training with the boys, but you’re inside doing rehab and not with the group. All the boys and the coaching staff have been great, and when I got back to training, it was all about building bonds and combinations, so it’s a lot better now.
“The physio team put no pressure on me. I probably could have played a couple of weeks earlier, but they were making sure I ticked all the boxes and got my knee 100% right. That’s what I needed as it was a pretty big injury, but I’m looking forward to the rest of the year now, just building and seeing the team grow week by week.”
After winning their last four games, there’s a positive atmosphere around Hull again. There is plenty still to go in the way of redemption, but players, fans, and coaches have responded to the effort levels of recent weeks. For Trueman, though, there is still loads of improvement in
Hull as they look to find their feet in the second half of the season.
“You look at the teams that have won Super League over the last few years; they peak at the right time,” Trueman added. “It’s hard to be a top team throughout the whole season, especially for us being a new team with new coaching staff, and Tony coming in. It’s not going to gel straight away, and it’s going to be a long process, but as long as we’re good to go when the big games come up at the back end of the year, that’s all that matters.
“We didn’t have a great start; we know that, but things can turn pretty quickly. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s a long season, and if you put three or four wins together, then everything changes. The mood changes, and the fans are back on side. I think we’ve got that at the minute. We’ve got some real momentum going forward, but I don’t think we’ve been brilliant over the last couple of weeks. We’ve just been working really hard and defending strong.
“There are still loads of improvements in us, and we’re going to need them over the next couple of weeks. We’ve got some tough games coming up to see where we’re really at. They’ll be a good test.
“It’s exciting we’re picking up wins, but there are loads of things we can improve on.”