Hull FC boss John Cartwright was quick to praise his side’s defensive efforts on a warm spring day in Perpignan as they ran in six tries in a 34-0 victory over Catalans Dragons.
Whilst Hull FC probably could’ve scored more points, Cartwright was more impressed with the duck egg against the opposing team’s name.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, he empathised with his players playing under such warm conditions and was proud of the entire team’s efforts.
He said: “To keep our scoreline from being crossed, it was really warm. I don’t know if it came across on the cameras, but the first half, especially, it was really warm conditions.
“Our boys are not overly used to it; I don’t know what the temperature was, but it must’ve been well over 30 degrees. They had to work pretty hard.
“Defensively, I thought they really covered us hard, Catalans, we’ve got a lot of injuries, and to grind through and come up with a few tries was pleasing. I was a little bit more comfortable up in the stands!”
When asked about what changes he’s made since arriving at the club, Cartwright said it’s been a whole host of changes across the board.
He added: “There are a million things. Recruitment was a big one, new ownership coming in has been a massive one, and new staff too.
“The thing I’m most pleased about is that no one’s comfortable about where we are now. They went through a hell of a lot last year.”
Looking ahead to their next game, at home against Castleford, in a fortnight’s time, the Hull FC coach is happy for his side to get some downtime.
He said: “We’ve got a week off now so we can reassess a little bit, nurse a few injuries, and then we’ve got a home game against Castleford on the Friday night.
“We’ll relax for a couple of days, and we’ll get back into it next week and look forward to a home game.”
John Cartwright praises Hull FC youngster following player of the match performance
Youngster Davy Litten was awarded player of the match, and Cartwright was quick to praise the 22-year-old.
He said: “You can’t teach that confidence, you love to take credit for it, but it’s something he’s born with.
“He’s a joy to have around, I don’t say it too often because you have to keep him in check as he’s a pretty excitable young man.
“He’s full of energy, he can take criticism, he encourages his teammates, and he does the hard work.
“Everyone was out on their feet there at different stages, but he was always around the ball.”
However, Hull FC need to find a way to start winning at home to stand any chance of competing in the top four in the league.
The Hull boss isn’t too worried about that and is hoping, with some bodies back, they can back up a couple of good away wins with a decent performance in front of their home support, as well as giving an update on John Asiata’s injury.
He finished: “It’s something that I don’t read a lot into, I think our home games have been Wigan and Hull KR, and we had a draw against Leigh, an unlucky one, so we won’t be reading into any sort of hoo-doos.
“Injuries are really starting to bite. I thought we looked a little bit clunky with the ball today, but we’ll have a couple of weeks without Johnny (Asiata), and hopefully, he’s a little bit better for Cas.”
⏱️ 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟-𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘: Catalans Dragons 0-34 Hull FC
Absolute dominance – what a performance in Perpignan 🔥
⚫️⚪️ #COYH | @seafishukltd pic.twitter.com/1PYI4JBwVJ
— Hull FC (@hullfcofficial) May 31, 2025
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