Hull FC have lost yet another Super League game as their second Hull derby defeat of the season in a performance that head coach Tony Smith has simply labelled as “not good enough”.
Hull KR ultimately beat FC by a score of 34-10 but it looked like it could have been much worse initially with the Robins heading into the sheds leading 28-0, only KR’s poor kicking preventing the margin from being wider.
There was somewhat of a fightback in the second half and that has maybe allayed suggestions made pre-match by Sky Sports’ pundit Sam Tomkins that Hull FC players have lacked desire.
Tony Smith has since spoken to Sky Sports in the post-match analysis and he similarly referenced the huge improvement made in the second half, attributing the improvement to the fact the players “got desperate”.
Smith said: “Oh yeah, our second half was much better. Our first half was just not good enough, just not good enough defensively and not strong enough from the start.
“We got desperate second half and started to defend like a desperate team and that’s what you’ve got to do from the start of rugby league games, otherwise you get hurt.
“Get desperate was the message. Stop watching the opposition and admiring what they can do because they’re a good team, a terrific attacking team and they can hurt you. If you stand back and watch them, they can play very good and they did.
“We had to get amongst it and earn the right to get a foothold in the game but when I saw some of that second-half effort, it’s encouraging.”
Is Tony Smith under pressure at Hull FC?
Credit: Imago Images
After the first half performance that saw the Robins run in six tries with relative ease against the lacklustre Hull FC, the attention of the Sky Sports pundits Jon Wilkin and Sam Tomkins turned to Tony Smith’s job security and how large the pressure was upon him.
Tomkins did defend Smith though as he called on the players to take action, stating: “It’s the basics that they’re getting wrong. I’m not sure what Tony can say half-time to make them change what they did in that first forty.”
When asked about the next steps with a tough run of fixtures coming up, Smith outlined the necessity for the club and players to get tough.
He said: “We’ll keep working hard and keep positive. Most people, when they get stuffed, they fold. You’ve got to be that sort of person in rugby league that you’ve got to be strong when it’s tough and it’s the only way forward.
“We’ve got to remain tough and work hard and work through it as horrible as they are. I’ve been through these times over at this place at one stage and a few others and we had some big hidings at different stages and it just means you’ve got to get back to the hard work again and that can be hard but you know that’s what we’re developing here.”
