“I’m not making excuses” – Tony Smith responds to another Hull FC hammering

Huddersfield Giants romped home to victory against Hull FC for the second time in three weeks as they piled up the points and consequently the pressure on Tony Smith today at the MKM Stadium.

Having been defeated 50-6 in the Challenge Cup by Ian Watson’s side in the middle of March, there was cause for concern for Hull FC and that was confirmed just 55 seconds into the game when former Black and White Adam Swift opened the scoring.

Whilst FC did respond through Liam Sutcliffe, who scored a first-half brace, the floodgates quickly opened as Huddersfield ran in seven tries to lead 40-10 by the time the teams separated to the sheds.

The boos were loud then but they rang out even louder around the MKM at the final hooter with Huddersfield condemning Hull FC to a 56-22 hammering having ran in ten tries, marking a total of 36 conceded in the last four games for Tony Smith’s side.

Tony Smith has since spoken to BBC Humberside and was asked about throwing in young talents such as Jack Charles and debutant Logan Moy, who both gave good accounts of themselves despite being thrust into an incredibly difficult situation.

The Hull FC boss argued that their selection was partly through necessity, but was keen to stress that it wasn’t an excuse for the lop-sided scoreline.

He said: “I’m not making excuses but we had three changes again from last week, three injuries. So we already had nine heading into this week. So it wasn’t purely a choice. It was somewhat a choice to bring on young guys, but we’re also forced into that as well.”

Why Hull FC blooded so many young players

Smith had confirmed mid-week that the club were now at around ten injuries with recent additions to the injured list being Danny Houghton (ribs), Jack Ashworth (thumb) and Nick Staveley who suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

As such, Smith is right that he’s been somewhat forced to play the youngsters but when asked if it could be to their detriment, he reasoned that balance was the key noting: “I think it’s probably the best way to go if we can manage not to have too many at one time.”

One problem with blending the balance of youth and experience is when the experienced players don’t set the standards, as seen when senior star Ligi Sao found himself sin-binned twice after two late shots, one involving Jake Connor.

The Hull FC boss recognised that, explaining: “I think that’s the obstacle at the moment. I think we might pick up another possible judiciary case this week.

“We’ve been tested a fair bit in terms of personnel. We’ve got to dip into the young guys and maybe they’re some of the answers for us because, in the long term, they are. That’s what we’ve got to be doing. We’ve got to be bringing these young guys through and getting them ready to be first graders.”

Smith was also keen to highlight the performances of the duo, perhaps one of the few saving graces from the lacklustre effort overall.

On Jack Charles, he explained: “He had a tough day and we knew he was going to cop some attention in defence and I expect people to get there and help him and get around him. I was pleased with what Jack did in attack and he gave us some real good energy there.

“I thought Logan Moy gave us some energy when he came on as well and young Matty Laidlaw didn’t look out of place there either.”