ANDY LAST insists the play-offs are still the target as Hull FC look to put a tumultuous start to the year behind them under their interim head coach.
It’s a second spell as temporary boss for Last, who led them to their last top-six finish in 2020, when Hull reached the semi-finals.
He’s back in charge after John Cartwright’s controversial departure, albeit only keeping the seat warm for Steve McNamara who will be head coach from 2027.
“It’s a strange one really,” said Last. “There’s a bit of disappointment because a colleague has lost his position, a guy I’ve got the utmost respect for.
“But when the club made the decision to appoint me as interim head coach until the end of the season, I couldn’t wait to take the challenge on.
“I’ve done it before and I did a reasonable job so I’m excited for the 19 games we’ve got.
“John is a good fella. I understand the reasons why the club made the decision, and that’s been spoken about in length by Richie (Myler, CEO).
“We’re going to miss him around the place but I’ll stay in contact with him. If I ever need to call on him I know I’ll be able to.”
With three wins from their opening eight games, Hull are four points shy of the play-offs going into Friday’s game at Castleford Tigers.
“It was a very tough situation last time (in 2020) and this is equally tough,” added Last.
“We saw the (positive) reaction of supporters towards John, but we’ve made a decision and we need to move forward with it.
“The players are fully focused on attacking these 19 games with some vigour. Some of the things that John has instilled – grit, determination, a never-say-die attitude – will be evident again on Friday night.
“I’ll make tweaks to certain things but not wholesale changes. The big thing for us is getting our best players back on the field.
“If we do that, we’ve got a squad which is capable of challenging anyone in the competition.
“I hope (to achieve) an improvement on last season (when Hull finished seventh) – more wins, strong performances. The play-offs aren’t out the picture.”
His aforementioned “tweaks” include a prominent role for Jake Arthur on the halfback’s return from a calf strain.
Last explained: “Jake will be a bit more of the lead half, and Logan (Moy) and Aidan (Sezer) will be more the creative, running halves, allowing Jake to use his strengths which are his temperament, game control and kicking.
“It doesn’t need a major shake-up. There will not be massive changes in playing style. We’ve recruited a certain type of player.
“We’ve got a big forward pack and we probably need to use them a bit more. I’ll encourage Amir (Bourouh) and Custy (Cade Cust) to play on the front foot a bit more.”
Last confirmed that Sam Lisone will be out for “between 14 and 16 weeks” with the pec injury suffered in last Thursday’s defeat to St Helens.
Fellow prop Matty Laidlaw has been ruled out of the Castleford game with a dead leg.