WELL it’s been quite the baptism of fire for Richie Myler in his new role at Hull FC.
The director of rugby has tried – and failed – to tempt Paul Rowley into leaving Salford to become Tony Smith’s successor as coach.
And in the wake of that 58-0 trouncing at St Helens, he made his first new player signings in Leigh pair Tom Briscoe, on an 18-month contract, and Ed Chamberlain, on loan, with Darnell McIntosh going in the other direction, on two-and-a-half year terms.
Obviously there are limitations on the immediate deals which can be done at this stage of the season because so few are easily available.
All three of these lads can do a job, but with due respect to Tom, a very decent winger who knows Hull, having started his career there before moving on to Leeds, where he played alongside Richie, he’s now 34, and it’s going to take a lot more strengthening to get Hull anywhere near where they want to be.
But I guess it’s a start, and now as well as looking at the make-up of next season’s squad, Richie has to carry on his search for a new coach following Paul’s decision to stick with Salford – at least for the time being.
His ‘thanks, but no thanks’ response to Hull maybe suggests they are in an even bigger mess than people already think, or that he wants to push Salford on that bit further, having done such a good job so far.
It’s said he didn’t want to uproot his family, which is fair enough, but I still fancy him as coach of Leeds, obviously closer to home, whether that’s sooner (preferably) or later.
Unfortunate as it is, Salford’s financial situation still seems to be tight, and while they won’t want to lose Paul, a sizeable fee could be appealing, as it was with Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers.
As I also said last week, I think Lee Briers would be a great choice for Hull, and if I was Richie, I’d be flying over to Brisbane and doing a hard sell to tempt him away from the Broncos face to face.
Being turned down by their first choice isn’t the best, but even if a major rebuild is required from the bottom up – because it has to be on strong foundations – Hull remain an appealing option for coaches, especially when so few jobs are available.
Hull have to think big, and the absence of on-field relegation means they can, at least to a degree, bide their time to get the right man.
Realistically, this season is about damage limitation, and if the coach they want can’t come on board until next, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
First published in League Express newspaper, Issue 3,428 (April 29, 2024)
Click here to purchase a digital edition of League Express.
Click here to purchase an online edition of League Express through pocketmags.com.
Click here to listen to our new League Express Podcast.
League Express is widely available from local newsagents across the north of England.
