Hull FC’s ugly reality laid bare and despite pride and spirit on show, the slide could yet get worse.
12:35, 23 May 2026Updated 13:10, 23 May 2026
Hull FC were down to their bare bones at Leigh.
It sounds mad after a 42-6 defeat, but the manner of Hull FC’s latest loss at Leigh Leopards had a different feel about it.
That’s not to suggest a defeat is ever okay, but there’s certainly some context around it. After the Toulouse and Bradford defeats, there was a feeling of frustration, disappointment, and even anger. They were two games Hull had to win if they had any hope of salvaging their season. They lost both, and the manner of the performance, to put it bluntly, was rancid. It wasn’t good enough or acceptable. Hull were uninspiring, flat, sluggish, out of sync, and, to be frank, utterly clueless with the ball in hand.
Yet, those feelings weren’t the same at Leigh. The result was a foregone conclusion. Leigh, finding some form again, were always going to beat Hull given the situation at hand.
Heading over the Pennines, Hull had 15 players out through injury or suspension, and there are some big players in that list: Will Pryce, Davy Litten, Lewis Martin, Herman Ese’ese, Amir Bourouh, Jed Cartwright, John Asiata, James Bell, Sam Lisone, Ligi Sao, Connor Bailey, Arthur Romano, Brad Fash, and Joe Ward, not to mention a suspension for Yusuf Aydin.
Aidan Sezer was also dropped after a bad run of form, and you can make a fair assumption that upwards of a million pounds’ worth of salary cap was sat in the stands. Good luck battling any Super League game with that reality on your head. But Hull gave it a shot. They took the lead after Zak Hardaker’s try and were only 12-6 down at half-time before eventually succumbing to continuous Leigh possession and field position.
They showed plenty of pride, spirit, courage, grit, and heart against an opponent pushing for the top six again. They fielded two debutants in Ben Johnson and Lennon Clark, blooded the likes of Will Kirby, Will Hutchison, and Hugo Salabio, and gave the Kemp twins, Callum and Lloyd, another run out.
The twins could pass as paperboys given their youthful looks but they literally have the hearts of lions. They are fearless, with the temperament to rival much more mature and experienced heads. They played with freedom, especially in a first half that saw Hull get an even keel of possession and opportunity. There were moments there. Callum looked a threat and picked his passes well, while Lloyd, playing in the centre, made some surging runs. There were some errors, of course; they are teenagers at the end of the day, but they were never fazed.
It’s not hard to see why the club have high hopes for them – who need their young players to continue to kick on, following suit from other young prodigy’s in becoming the nucleus of the side and aiding salary cap management in years to come.
Elsewhere, Johnson had a dig and enjoyed some moments on debut, as did Clark after his introduction from the bench, and at the other end of the spectrum, veterans Zak Hardaker and Tom Briscoe, laterally playing his 200th game for Hull, went well. They never threw the towel in, no matter how hopeless the situation got.
There were some things to admire in Hull, battered, depleted, decimated, and down to their bare bones, but the reality is it’s so disheartening that this club is in this same position yet again. There has to be serious questions and answers to the injury situation, which has gone beyond ridiculous. It’s killing Hull’s season once again and while there is a next-man-up mentality, the reality, as aforementioned, is that you cannot expect to win games at this level with so much cap sat in the stands.
It’s something Hull are addressing for the future. They have been exploring alternative training venue options for the last year, training at Cottingham Tigers R.L.F.C and the Roy West Centre, home of the East Riding FC, and adjacent to their current University of Hull base. They are trying to find a solution but equally, to pin injuries solely on training venues is naïve at best.
As commented on by Andy Last this week, Hull need more investment into their performance structure, their backroom staff essentially, to give themselves the best chance to succeed. It’s imperative with Steve McNamara coming in next year as a head coach who will leave no stone unturned.
It’s hoped the money saved on not going to Las Vegas will aid that performance push – and the club has recognised that they have to put their resources and attention into it. And while bad luck plays a part, there’s also the cold hard fact that they need to sign players that are more robust and without bad injury records.
For now, they limp on, with interim coach Andy Last given a horrible hand. It’s like he’s getting punch after punch in the face and you really do feel for him. He’s a good bloke and has been asked to manage a tough situation, akin to Simon Grix in 2024, but it’s one he’ll continue to dive into headfirst.
It’s Warrington up next, but not before a welcome week of respite, rest, and recharge. Hull then go again with the fact they need troops back and fast. The reality, though, is it’s going to be August by the time Hull gets up to anything resembling a full tilt side. Sadly, and despite the pride in a group of young players on Friday night, the fear of a long summer looms. It really is the hope that kills you.
