In today’s sports world, where fans demand instant gratification, patience and loyalty are rare commodities.
On Friday night, the away fans at Wheldon Road demonstrated both qualities even though Hull FC lost for the tenth time in a row, including consecutive defeats against the London Broncos and the struggling Castleford Tigers.
Most of the crowd crammed into the Railway End stayed to applaud the Hull players heartily at full time, maybe a bit too enthusiastically after yet another forgettable showing from their side.
The Black and Whites, who only began playing after the game had ended, were cheated by the 30-22 scoreline, which befitted the deserving winners Castleford.
It was an act of unity that Hull needed more of as they navigated a difficult road, regardless of whether the supporters are now programmed to accept defeat or they have hope for the future considering the appointment of John Cartwright days earlier.
The club is taking a long-term approach, confident that the new IMG grading system will prevent them from being demoted.
Whether they like it or not, the Airlie Birds can plan for the future and take some knocks along the way.
The game on Friday demonstrated that they are not as strong as another struggling Yorkshire club, Castleford.
Hull’s season is akin to that of the Tigers’ previous year in certain aspects: it’s a horrendous one that veers from catastrophe to catastrophe.
Even though the Black and Whites had extended losing streaks in 2023, they never really had a chance to finish last and be demoted to the Championship.
Even though there is no longer a chance of relegation, Hull should be motivated enough to avoid the wooden spoon and the shame of placing lower than a Broncos team that is made up of part-time players.
In a matter of months, Castleford went from being among the top six contenders to being in danger of relegation, while the Airlie Birds have slowly faded away after taking home consecutive Challenge Cups.
To put it mildly, they have had trouble recruiting and have adopted the appearance of a club that is stuck in between eras, struggling to find its identity.
If anything, they have developed a reputation as a team that gives up easily when things get hard; this is a serious problem that will take time to resolve.
Before Cartwright assumes control at the end of the season and is joined by seasoned new recruits led by Leigh Leopards captain John Asiata, there will be more Friday nights like this one.
Teenage backlash Fresh off a long-term contract signing, Logan Moy made clear why Hull is thrilled about the talent coming through their youth system, despite the fact that they are a timid team.
Despite going into halftime only with an 18-10 deficit thanks to some great play from Liam Sutcliffe and Harvey Barron, the Black and Whites were always playing catch-up after giving up two early tries. It seemed as though Castleford would eventually take the lead.
This was demonstrated when Hull’s hopes of winning a second title in 2024 were dashed by the goals of Jason Qareqare and Corey Hall in the span of five minutes.
The supporters had only two tries from Tiaki Chan and Jake Trueman to console them as they made their way back across the M62, but the Airlie Birds rallied to give the Tigers something to think about in the closing stages.
They tried their hardest to stay upbeat, and interim manager Simon Grix, who is making every effort to boost morale, shared that outlook.
At the news conference held after the game, he stated, “We need to be better for longer but London was the lowest point so far.”
“We didn’t appear to be a team that was dedicated to the badge or one another. Even though the outcome wasn’t what we had hoped for, it is still a step forward because they appeared committed tonight.”
Hull are at their lowest point since 1999, but Castleford, who flirted with relegation last year, are still improving under Craig Lingard.
The Tigers are building a team that the supporters of Wheldon Road can rally around by rejuvenating an ageing squad.
While their choice to sign eager, unskilled players was never going to be popular, Castleford will take heart from the early showings of players like Innes Senior, Sam Wood, and Rowan Milnes.
Tex Hoy, an Australian full-back who was rejected by Hull, took a chance on the Tigers, and the forward is paying them back with a brilliant try against his former team.
Academy products like Qareqare, Sam Hall, and George Hill are learning a lot and growing more confident at the highest level during this time.
Castleford can now look up rather than down, as they are now five points clear of the bottom two.
Three crushing home losses have shown that it won’t be easy, but their strategy is working.
Small victories are not to be taken lightly at a time when positives among Yorkshire’s Super League clubs are hard to come by.
“I’ve sat here before when we’ve lost and sulked, moaned and pretty much cried so you’ve got to enjoy these wins,” Lingard said.
Though it’s only one win, we should be careful not to get carried away because we complain and pout when we lose. Instead, let’s celebrate when we do well.
“Even though we weren’t very good the entire game, it’s encouraging to come back and win after the second half of our performance against Saints, where we were pretty awful.
As a team, that is where we are at. We won’t be flawless by any means, so there will be moments of success and moments of failure in games.
“It’s about coming through the other side which I thought we did today.”
