On these guys we place our hopes for 2017!!!

So after such an auspicious and quite spectacular start to ‘2017 The Year of Culture’ in the City of Kingston upon Hull, Hull FC yesterday did their bit towards carrying that forward and made their own bit of history as the first Club to host a game against the first truly Trans-Atlantic sports team.

To quote the rather irritating practice of local and national newspapers of late, here are the five things I learned from yesterday afternoons run out against the Toronto Wolfpack.

Firstly, we all found out I think that the RL, (in their rush to appease Bradford by re-instating the Bulls into the Championship with a team that’s still in disarray and with less than two weeks to go to the season starting) really have missed a trick. This Toronto side, with their devil may care approach, would be a real force in the Championship and would have brought a bit of real razzamatazz and a great competitive spirit to the competition. Secondly we also had it confirmed that Albert Kelly is, (providing that he keeps his ‘nose clean’), going to be a real FC star and his signing could well prove to be the best bit of business in Super League this year. Yesterday he finished brilliantly as good a try as we’ll see all season.

Thirdly, the youngsters showed in the last quarter that despite what we thought we learned about them at Castleford and against Rovers, they can tackle and for the final 22 or so minutes they defended magnificently and force the opposition to chance their arm and lose possession a time or two. Fourthly, if the Canadians wanted a run out in conditions akin to those of their country of origin, then they couldn’t have picked a better day; it was bloody perishing! However, they still played some lovely expansive rugby in that first half. And fifthly I think our attacking combinations looked really promising and if we can get them the ball early, our backs are going to be absolutely deadly this coming season.

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Welcome back to the Dentists Diary, a Happy New Year to all Hull FC Supporters and here’s to an exciting and successful 2017! If its half as good as 2016 I’ll be very happy indeed!

It’s a funny old time to be writing this weekly diatribe and one that has me a bit lost when it comes to what to make of things. I say that not because I won’t be totally immersed in Hull FC once the proper 2017 season begins, because I certainly will, I always am! However, it’s more a case for me that unlike last season when we played at Donny, took on Rovers, had a 12 day build up period and then were throw headlong into the new season and a big home clash with Salford, this year, with the first trial game being played 48 days before the first match of the season the whole pre-season process seems to be going on and on and on.

I guess however I should be grateful that is all I have to grumble about and that everything at Hull FC seems a bit mundane at times because the reality is that with relegation, departures, retirements and injuries in training at Hull KR and the absolute debacle that is Hull City at present, the state of our Club compared with the rest of those in the City of Culture 2017 is boringly stable. For us FC fans that certainly makes a change and long may it continue!

Even our coach resisted the pressure of wringing every last pound of passion out of the local Derby game by playing it down as just another trial match against Championship opposition and by fielding a team of mainly fringe players in an effort to protect our starting 13 from what will be as long and as gruelling a season as any Club has experienced in the Super League era. For me the Club have now to decide whether to stick with this fixture and take it seriously as far as putting out a competitive team is concerned in future or scrap it. The fact remains that no one likes losing to Rovers at any time, so some were a tad disgruntle last night.

I’m trying just to see the pre-season games as a means to an end, furthermore I’m doing my best to understand why it all seems to be so drawn out, but with still 35 days to go to our first game its hard! Our Club is doing well and continuing to evolve and although after two years of turmoil followed by a wonderful 2016 season things are at present progressing smoothly on the playing side. However, the administration arm of the Club continues to adjust and re-invent itself in the face of changing circumstances within the sport, as they recognise the need to capitalise on our recent success and the impact it had on the fans.

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