Scott Taylor on the changes at Hull FC under Tony Smith after ‘very similar eight years’

There’s been plenty of change in Hull during this past season with Tony Smith making the decision to leave KR in July before signing on as head coach of rivals Hull FC just two months later.

Smith will be the third coach that the Black and Whites have had since Lee Radford departed and FC fans will be hoping he can last as long and be even more successful than Radford was.

Under Radford, FC won the Challenge Cup twice, even beating Smith’s Warrington in the 2016 final at Wembley to end the club’s hoodoo at the country’s national stadium.

Now, more than six years later, Smith is in the Hull FC hot seat with aims of returning them to the play-offs, something they’ve not done since Radford was sacked in 2020.

Speaking on the changes at the club to ‘The Punt‘ via SMTMTV, long-serving forward Scott Taylor has revealed there is a feel-good factor within the camp that has been brought about by the fresh coaching appointments.

“It’s going really well, it’s been a sort of refresh,” Taylor said. “We’ve moved training facilities for the first time in eight years. We’ve brought in a new head physio, new head conditioner, new head coach and new assistant coach.”

Taylor himself is a former Hull KR player having started his career on the east side of Hull in 2008, before he evetually ended up on the west side of the city via Wigan Warriors.

Speaking more about the influence of Smith, boyhood Hull fan Taylor, who has been at the MKM Stadium since 2016, went into detail on how it has also felt like a fresh start for himself under the new head coach.

He added: “Obviously it’s been very similar for eight years for me at Hull FC and then bringing in Tony and his staff and moving training facilities has been a real good fresh start I’d say.

“You’ve got Tony come in with lots of experience and lots of ideas. We’re gelling and we’re learning what Tony wants to do but I feel like I’m building a really good relationship with him already.”