Hull FC’s interim coach Andy Last conceded that their performance emphasised the job at hand after they were taken to the cleaners by Salford.
Last, a boyhood fan of the club, saw his first game as coach turn into a nightmare as the Black and Whites conceded 52 points to last year’s Grand Finalists.
The same issues – a defensive collapse saw the game blow out again – reared their head, and Last said it’s time for the players to live up their reputations.
“We’ve spoken about the potential of this team and how good the squad is,” he said.
“But the players have got to start delivering, because good players deliver on a week to week basis and unfortunately we haven’t performed consistently well for the best part of 18 months now.
“The coach has changed, the changes to training are evident, but the mentality of some of those individuals is still there and that’s a concern for us as a team, for me as a head coach and for the playing group.
“We have to show more resolve when it gets tough, because that’s the mark of a good player and that’s the mark of players I want to coach, that when it gets tough they’ll roll their sleeves up, grit their teeth and work a little bit harder to not concede. We didn’t show the pride in our defensive line that we should be doing.
“We’ve got a squad that has been recruited on talent and what we need to do is convert talent and make sure we have a bit of attitude about us. There are some guys there that are supremely talented, but we have to pay a little more attention take more pride in our work ethic.”
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