Hull FC head coach John Cartwright reserved special praise for Zak Hardaker following his man of the match worthy performance in an unusual position against Catalans Dragons on Sunday.
The Black and Whites beat Catalans 24-20 at the MKM Stadium to claim their second win on the spin and enter derby week on the crest of a wave. Despite going in at the break with a 22-point lead, they didn’t have things all their own way in the game and found themselves clinging on for the win in the latter stages.
However, Hardaker was the man at the heart of almost everything Hull did well on the day, setting the tone on both sides of the ball and getting the home side around the park with his kicking game, too. And, he did it all while playing as a stand-off, a role he has hardly been seen in before, despite his ability and composure with the ball in hand.
It was a change that saw Logan Moy step into the full-back role for his first appearance of the season and the youngster got himself on the scoresheet while also showing off his talents under the high ball.
Both men came in for praise after the game, but it was Hardaker, who Cartwright was undoubtedly most pleased with.
“No matter where we put him,” Cartwright said on Hardaker, who can also play full-back, centre, wing and back-row. “I don’t think he’s got a favourite position, Zak. I think he just loves playing football.
“The way he moves and his energy, he chased down a winger there. He’s everywhere, he’s on the ball, it’s heart of a lion sort of stuff.”
On Moy, he added: “He was just really safe. He hasn’t had a lot of football this year. He’s played one reserve grade game and he’s missed out on all the trials.
“It’s a physically challenging position full-back and they tested him with a lot of high balls, it was never a question about Logan’s courage. There’s not much of him but he’s as courageous as anyone you’ll see. I thought our makeshift spine did a fantastic job given the preparation for the game.”
Moy was joined on the scoresheet by Arthur Romano, Lewis Martin and Sam Lisone, with the former touching down against his old side at the first time of asking. But, while Hull did pick up the victory, you wouldn’t know it in the dressing room, admitted Cartwright.
“It was a weird game, a game of two halves,” the head coach said. “All the things we spoke about before the game came to fruition in the second half. We were our own worst enemies on occasions.
“The things we did well in the first half, a good kicking game, good end of sets, pressure, it just sort of all fell away in the second half. There was a lot of emphasis placed on Toby Sexton, Charlie Staines and Kruise Leeming and it turned out that way in the second half when they got possession and momentum. Probably with about 10 minutes to go, I was starting to get worried.
“We stuck to the plan and had a lot of energy (in the first half) and it was all to do with the end of the sets. In the second half our end of sets were not up to scratch. I also said to the boys, I think it says a lot as a club and where we’ve come from in the last 12 months that we won a game there and none of us were completely satisfied with the win. Probably 12 months ago, we would have been doing cartwheels. It says a lot about where we are.”
Luke Robinson sacked, Hull KR and why it could actually be Warrington Wolves’ year? – click here to watch the latest episode of the Serious About Rugby League Show
