Hull FC director of rugby Richie Myler has stressed the importance of not over-exposing the club’s talented youngsters to Super League. The comments come as the club reveal the 13 players that will make up their Elite Talent Group in 2025.
The Black and Whites have a proud tradition of bringing homegrown talent through their youth ranks and into the first-team, with a healthy chunk of their current senior squad coming from their academy. However, with injuries striking and key players leaving mid-season, the club were forced to dig deep in order to field a team at times in 2024, with a raft of youngsters getting a chance.
The likes of Logan Moy and Jack Charles have debuted this season, while Will Kirby, Callum Kemp and Ryan Westerman have been given chances they may not have got if the senior group had been at full strength. The five names above are all supremely talented and the hope is that they will be able to become regulars in the fold down the line under incoming boss John Cartwright.
Myler is more than aware of the potential consequences of looking to such youngsters before they are necessarily ready, though, with the director of rugby underlining the club’s recruitment strategy of adding experienced, senior names to the fold, such as John Asiata, Jordan Rapana, Aidan Sezer and Zak Hardaker.
The aforementioned Charles, Kirby, Kemp and Westerman are all included in the club’s Elite Talent Group who will be pushing to catch Cartwright’s eye next season in order to link up with the first-team squad on a full-time basis.
“Having spoken at length with our Head of Youth, Richard Tate, and Franny [Francis Cummins], we have identified this as being a very talented group of young players who have bright futures ahead of them,” Myler said.
“These young men are going to have to earn their stripes before they become regular first-team players, but by fostering that competitive spirit to keep improving, I am confident that it will bring out the best in each individual. All 13 players are part of the Elite Talent Group for the hard work and dedication that they have shown during their time in our youth system, but also because of the quality they have.
“We have seen glimpses of that quality when some have featured for the first-team squad this season. As I have said before, it is key not to over-expose our youngsters as it can have damaging effects longer-term. But we are putting a strategy in place to ensure that any youngster that comes into the first-team environment will be surrounded by quality experience.”
The Hull FC Elite Talent Group is: Jordon Baker, Jack Charles, Lennon Clark, Roman Dawson, Owen Haldenby, Will Hutchinson, Ben Johnson, Callum Kemp, Lloyd Kemp, Will Kirby, Cobie Wainhouse, Joe Ward, Ryan Westerman.
