Smith excited to work with Wolves loan duo
TONY Smith is excited to work with Hull FC loan duo Joe Bullock and Matty Russell. The Warrington Wolves duo will be at the Black and Whites for the next two weeks, with Smith reacquainting himself with Russell, whom he coached back in his Wire days.
Without at least 13 players for Sunday’s clash against London Broncos, Smith is buoyed by the arrivals of both players, who took part in their first training session at the club on Wednesday.
Set to be included in Friday’s 21-man squad, Smith is counting on them to add experience to the Hull side.
“They turned up on Wednesday for their first training run,” Smith explained. “They came over last night and stayed in a hotel so they could be nice and early for training.
“It was great to link up again with Matty Russell. I’ve coached him before and got on well with him. I know many aspects of Matty can do on the rugby league field. He’s whole-hearted, experienced and he’s going to add a whole heap to us.
“I haven’t worked with Joe before but I’ve seen a lot of what he’s all about. He’s big and he’s no-nonsense. He’s got some size, which we’re missing at the moment.
“I also want to thank Warrington, in particular Sam Burgess and Gary Chambers, who have made these guys available. It’s a great approach too. I know they’ve let Brad Dwyer out too. They want their players getting better and the fact that they’ve let them come out on loan, I tip my hat to them.
“They’re doing the right thing by their players. For us to give Joe and Matty some game time, will only benefit us right now, and Warrington in the long run, so thanks to both of those guys and the Warrington club.”
As well as debuting both loan signings against London, Smith is also set to call on sections of his youth once again. The likes of Lewis Martin, Harvey Barron, Nick Staveley, Will Gardiner, Davy Litten, Denive Balmforth, and Charlie Severs all played against Warrington last week, and some of those players will feature again.
However, for Smith, it’s a balancing act with the head coach aiming to get the right blend of youth and experience as they target a first win of the Super League season.