TALKING about bursting the bubble – at least on the black and white side of Hull.
Judging by the big Super League opener at a noisy MKM Stadium on Thursday, it’s going to be a long old season for Hull FC fans.
I’d hoped for far better from Tony Smith’s side against Hull KR, and tipped them to win by seven, but they offered nothing – and got nothing.
The pundits kept saying it’s the opening game, and it’s too early to judge teams.
But I say that in any walk of life, first impressions are important – and while Rovers showed they will again be a force to be reckoned with under Willie Peters, I’d have given more than a penny for the thoughts of Hull owner Adam Pearson, whose expression as he watched was one of a concerned man.
I’m not sure it would have made that much difference if Hull had kept all their players on the pitch, because Rovers were better all over it as they eased to their 22-0 win.
But for Franklin Pele, that was very much a debut to forget – a stupid sending-off for a player who looked sluggish.
The Kiwi doesn’t appear to be in the right shape for a long campaign, and you have to question the decision to bring him here from Canterbury Bulldogs and play him at the expense of an English prop.
Quite simply, Hull just weren’t good enough, and when your biggest rivals nil you on your own pitch for two seasons in a row, it’s quite clearly not good news.
As for Rovers – a great performance and a great start to the campaign.
Peters’ new assistant Danny Ward seems to have settled in pretty seamlessly, and they showed they can push on and build on a bright season last time around.
Behind closed doors, Peters might well have told his team that perhaps they could have turned the screw even more, but they are up and running.
On that evidence, the only real area for concern is their lack of a reliable goalkicker, because neither Peta Hiku nor James Batchelor looked capable from the tee.
It’s so important to turn four points into six, and also to be able to take advantage of penalties when the need arises, and it’s certainly something Peters will want to address.
