Under new manager Tony Smith, Hull FC had a season of ups and downs, but it concluded in a way that was comfortable for the Black and White armyLosing streaks of seven and six games at the end of the season shaped their campaign and prevented them from making the Play-Off push that their mid-season form should have suggested.
Smith was brought in with a long-term plan centred on nurturing the team’s young players in order to bring the team back to its glory days of winning trophies.”I see that as a real strength at the club, and we’re looking to create some heroes of the future here over the next few years.””I see that as a real strength at the club, and we’re looking to create some heroes of the future here over the next few years.”Though Davy Litten was the best of a promising crop of young players, there were definitely encouraging signs there as well. However, an overall transformation was never going to happen quickly, especially following a significant change in personnel in critical positionsA thrilling season featured a record derby day loss at Easter, a win in the rematch at Hull KR, 60 points conceded at home to Salford and a convincing victory over St Helens.It began with two consecutiv”The main feeling is disappointment,” Smith thought after the 40-0 loss on Good Friday”I?m sure everybody who’s a black and white is disappointed, down-hearted and downbeat after that.”Better times were soon to come, though, as close season addition Jake Clifford and Jake Trueman—the latter having recovered from a long-term injury—became more and more prominent.Hull returned to Play-Off contention with back-to-back victories over Huddersfield, Wigan, Wakefield, and Castleford. Josh Griffin’s hat-trick sealed an outstanding Magic Weekend victory over Warrington, making it five wins from six.
However, Griffin’s subseuent personal fortunes likely reflected the team’s dramatic swings in luck
In the Challenge Cup match against St Helens, with the scores tied at the half, Gryphon was dismissed for disobedience. Hull lost 32–18, and the centre would never return to the field for the team after receiving a protracted suspension and joining Wakefield.
But there was still life in the Black and Whites, and after a convincing league victory over the Saints the following week, they momentarily moved up to eighth place with six games left after four wins out of six.
One of those wins was a 16–6 victory for Smith’s team over Hull KR on the other side of the city, with winger Adam Swift scoring twice.
