HULL FC head coach John Cartwright has confirmed that “most of the squad” will turn out for the Black and Whites against Castleford Tigers on Saturday 1 February.
Cartwright took charge of Hull following the exit of Simon Grix, with the former Brisbane Broncos boss signing a long-term deal with the Black and Whites.
Now, he has been tasked with inspiring change at the MKM Stadium following a number of years in the doldrums, and the team news ahead of the new season is positive – with the exception of youngster Davy Litten.
“We’ve only got a couple that aren’t in full-time training at the moment. There are a few who we’re just being a bit more cautious with than we were earlier in the pre-season,” Cartwright told the Hull FC website..
“But come the Castleford friendly, I pretty much expect most of the squad outside of Davy Litten, who’s a long-termer, to be available for that game.
“That’s what we aimed for from the very start. You can’t count on when you’re going to get injuries – they’re just a toss of the coin.
“But the ones that we can avoid, we’ve avoided since Christmas, and we’ve slowly been getting back towards a full bill of health. It’s good that it has come to fruition and when we get to the Castleford game, that’s when it counts.”
Cartwright is looking forward to finally getting his players out on the pitch after a long pre-season.
“It’s been nigh-on three months since I arrived here and it’s all gone pretty quickly. I know that’s a sign that you’re enjoying yourself and having fun,” he said.
“But it’s also been pretty tough through pre-season and I know it’s taken a toll on the players, especially leading up to Christmas. But it was a good time to get a break. They freshened up and we’ve nearly got everyone back in training, so I’m really excited and looking forward to that friendly against Cas now.
“You can finally get a bit of an idea of where you’re at. You can train as much as you like, but until you get that real full-contact for 80 minutes, you’re just sort of hoping that you’ve done everything you can.”
