Hull FC owner Adam Pearson has branded the club’s batch of friendlies as ‘pointless’, and says the club will play only one trial match in 2016 – against bitter rivals Hull Kingston Rovers.
FC have had a mixed pre-season; losing fixtures to Super League sides such as Rovers and Wakefield ahead of their season opener at Huddersfield next Sunday.
And Pearson says that simply put, the friendlies are wasting everyone’s time, and that all they serve to do is simply lead supporters down the wrong tracks regarding the team’s progress.
“I have found pre-season a really difficult experience for the last two or three years. Judging by what other clubs are doing, I think we have to assess how many friendlies we play and who we play,” Pearson said.
“I think the Hull KR friendly is effective because it is played at an intensity that allows players to get ready for the season.
“The rest of the friendlies are a waste of time and all they seem to do is disillusion supporters when all they really are is a training exercise or a chance to look at fringe players.
“What the Wakefield game showed, and what other friendlies in recent years have shown me, the Featherstone game included, is that they are a waste of time.”
