WHEN the 2024 Super League fixtures were released earlier this week, the mouthwatering clash between Hull FC and Hull KR scheduled for round one raised anticipation.
With no love lost on both sides of the river, FC-KR derbies are often a thing of beauty with Rovers taking the upper hand into 2024 after a 40-0 drubbing towards the back end of the year – though the Black and Whites had beaten their bitter rivals earlier in the season.
Of course, alongside the Hull derby runs the argument about it being the biggest derby in Super League, with St Helens and Wigan Warriors supporters having something to say about that.
However, there is no sitting on the fence from Hull boss Tony Smith, who cannot wait to play his former club KR in round one.
“Isn’t it exciting for the city?” I think it’s exciting for the players, it’s exciting for the supporters and it’s great for the sport as well, the biggest derby match in Super League on the first outing. It’s something that we can all look forward to and all work towards,” Smith told BBC Radio Humberside.
“It’s starting the season with a bang. That’s great for both teams. We know how much passion goes into derby matches from both sets of players. So yeah, it’s a good challenge for us.
“They did have a terrific season just gone and now we’ve got, as I said, a lot of room for improvement and we’ll be hoping to have done that by the time the season kicks off.”
FC finished in tenth in Super League 2023, whilst KR achieved the dizzy heights of fourth.
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