HARVIE HILL admits it will be near impossible to fill the void left by Herman Ese’ese’s absence – but he’ll be doing his utmost to step up for Hull FC.
The young prop arrived from Wigan Warriors in the off-season.
And the Black and Whites need front-row enforcements after Ese’ese – in blistering form before suffering a torn Achilles tendon last August – was ruled out for up to eight months.
Hill, 22, told League Express: “He’s an unbelievable player – and thank God I won’t have to tackle him any more!
“I don’t think anyone will be able to fill his place.
“We’ll have to work overtime while he’s still injured, but with the middles we’ve got we should be looking good.
“We’ve a lot of good players in there, including impact players like Sam Lisone, who can add a lot to the team.
“And Liam Knight’s played in massive games in the NRL. I’m learning a lot from him and it’s been great to do that.”
Highly-rated Hill made his Wigan debut in 2022, featuring in the World Club Challenge win over Penrith Panthers two years later and played 17 games last term.
But he desires more involvement, which he hopes to achieve after joining John Cartwright’s side on a four-year deal.
Hill said: “I just want more minutes.
“That’s not taken for granted here; I’ve come to earn a spot.
“I played a bit more with Wigan last season but it wasn’t too much, 15 maybe 20 minutes a week and I was in and out of the team.
“A typical middle does 40 minutes, with two 20-minute spells, and hopefully I’ll push up to there and perform at a high level this season.
“I need to start delivering longer minutes but hopefully Carty can bring the best out of me.
“He’s straight to the point, says it as it is and I like that.”
Hill hopes to feature in Hull’s Challenge Cup third round tie as Hull start their bid for Wembley – after missing out when Wigan won it two years ago.
The tough Cumbrian recalled: “I was 19th man that day [against Warrington]. I was still young at the time.
“But it was a great experience to see how a team like that goes about it. I could take a lot from how they prepped, performed and went on to win.
“I did win the World Club Challenge and that will help me in the future; if and when we get into big games, I’ll know how to handle the occasion.”