Hull coach Lee Radford admits it would be a fitting tribute to former coach Arthur Bunting if they could move back into Super League’s top four this evening with victory over Salford.
It will be an emotional night for the Black and Whites following the passing of Bunting at the age of 80 on Wednesday.
Hull will plan their own tributes in the weeks ahead to remember Bunting, but Radford says his players will do all they can to pay tribute to him with victory at second-placed Salford tonight.
“The club will pay their respects in so many ways over the next weeks and months but it’d be great to get a win for Arthur,” Radford said.
“For me, what stood out having spoken to him – just in general, not a great deal about rugby – was he was just a gentleman. You get some ex-players who say you should do this and and say ‘we didn’t do that in my day’.
“But he wasn’t like that,” he added. “He was always very gracious about the club and very complimentary.”
Radford is also confident his side will continue to improve as the season goes on – and he says that Hull are determined to right the wrongs of their heavy home defeat to the Red Devils earlier in the season at the KCOM Stadium.
“We have a very tough match ahead of us and the 2017 season to date has, rightly so, been about Salford and Castleford,” he said.
“They are where they are for a reason. But we have played Salford twice, once in pre-season and another time just before the Easter period. The performance at home was not good enough. It’s safe to say they haven’t seen the best of us this season.
“That’s a focus from us and hopefully what we want to try achieve Friday. I wouldn’t call it revenge but they haven’t seen our potential.”
