Brett Hodgson emphasises the importance of “standards” ahead of Hull FC’s first game of 2022

Hull FC begin their preparations for the 2022 campaign with a match against Bradford this afternoon.

The match is for Danny Brough’s testimonial following his retirement at the end of last season which took a few by surprise. A Challenge Cup winner with Hull FC in 2005, he has also endeared himself to Bulls supporters in recent years and so this afternoon’s game should be quite the occasion as his fantastic career is celebrated.

As Hull FC look to do him proud this season, Head Coach Brett Hodgson has emphasised the importance of setting good standards in today’s fixture that they can carry throughout the season despite naming a young squad.

Building such standards will be vital after a disappointing end to 2021 in which they lost nine of their last 10 games slipping out of the play-offs. It’ll also be key to helping develop these young players as they prepare for what they hope are fantastic careers for the Black and Whites.

Speaking to the Hull FC website yesterday, Hodgson said: “This weekend ultimately is about setting the right standard for us for the season, and that all revolves around the effort areas.

“We’re going to keep it simple this weekend because of the number of young players that are coming into the squad with a couple of senior boys that can help out. For those young players it’s about taking the work we’ve put into them over the last few months and showing it out on the field.

“There are a number of Reserves and Academy boys coming up this weekend and there’s not a lot of connection in what they’ve done over the last few months but it gives a chance for one of those players to stand out and show they’ve got the effort to play at this level.”

He also stated that he believed that his side would face a better performance from the Bulls following their 28-22 defeat to Batley last week: “They’ll be tested this weekend, Bradford played okay against Batley but I’m sure we’ll see a better team this weekend.”

You can read the full interview here.