Hull FC crisis deepens as four more ruled out with Simon Grix left to pick up the pieces

Simon Grix cut something of an exasperated figure as he sat down in front of the press to review Hull FC’s heavy loss to St Helens on Saturday. Despite Hull holding Saints for much of the first half, the Black and Whites couldn’t live with Paul Wellens’ side as they turned up the heat.

The likes of Daryl Clark, Harry Robertson and Lewis Dodd ran riot in East Yorkshire as the Saints touched down for eight tries, six of which came in the second half as Hull simply crumbled. Grix spoke of his disappointment then, while also pointing to the sheer number of players missing within the Hull side.

The Black and Whites had seen King Vuniyayawa, Liam Sutcliffe, Ligi Sao and Herman Ese’ese drop out of the fold leading into round 20, and their size and presence was missed at the MKM Stadium. They joined a list of absentees that already included the likes of Jed Cartwright, Danny Houghton and Jack Ashworth.

It’s hard not to look at those on the sidelines as a mitigating factor and while Grix revealed that both Ese’ese and Cartwright have an outside chance of returning to face Leigh Leopards on Sunday afternoon in their next fixture, it seems things will get worse before they get better.

Frustratingly, Hull saw two players collect head knocks in that loss, with Ed Chamberlain and youngster Matty Laidlaw leaving the action. They failed to return, giving a clear indication of the results of their head injury assessment and the Match Review Panel have landed another blow to Hull in this week’s disciplinary review.

Both Brad Fash and Jordan Lane have been handed one-match penalty notices and that means they will not travel to the Leigh Sports Village this weekend. They were two of the more senior figures in Hull’s pack against Saints and while they struggled to perform on that occasion, their presence in the side will be missed.

Hull FC have been boosted by the addition of Sam Eseh on loan from Wigan Warriors, but with the four names above ruled out and the uncertainty surrounding Ese’ese and Cartwright, Grix faces another huge selection headache as he looks to scrape together a pack line up and bench.

So how will FC’s pack look against the Leopards, who will be looking to pick up a fifth straight win on Tuesday night? Well, it’s clear that Hull will be relying on their loanees, with Eseh, Leon Ruan and Tiaki Chan all set to play big minutes. Yusuf Aydin got through a big shift against Saints and will be asked to do the same, while Will Gardiner fared relatively well in the loose-forward role.

Grix will be looking to the reserve and academy ranks to make up the rest of his 17-man squad, though, with back-rowers Will Kirby, who made his debut against Salford Red Devils last month, and Zach Jebson included in last week’s 21-man squad. That should provide enough depth to fill a bench, but an 18th man could be tricky, while naming a full 21-man squad looks extremely difficult.

There’s no doubt about it, Hull have been luckless when it comes to injuries of late and with the three suspensions to boot, they could well be without a full first choice pack this weekend. However, their lack of senior depth has been an issue that has plagued them this season and they continue to pay the price for the lack of quality recruitment, planning and squad building heading into the campaign.

Hull fans will hope to see those issues addressed in the long-term, but in the short-term Grix has a job on his hands just being able to name a team on Sunday.