Head coach Brett Hodgson has spoken of his delight at the Black & Whites defensive intent after opening the 2021 Betfred Super League season with a convincing victory over Huddersfield Giants.
Hodgson got a first win as Hull’s new head coach under his belt at Emerald Headingley as FC ran our 22-10 winners over the West Yorkshire side.
Tries from Jake Connor, Josh Griffin and debutante Josh Reynolds saw the Airlie Birds control the match throughout, claiming their seventh opening round win in eight.
Speaking to hullfc.com after the match, Hodgson said: “I’m delighted that the players put their best foot forward.
“There was a lot of scrambling for each other today, it was never going to be pretty but early games aren’t. So I’m really pleased with the intent we showed for round one.
He added: “I was really pleased with the way we defended. I thought Huddersfield threw plenty at us and the way we continued to turn up for one another and dealt with that was really pleasing.”
Speaking on the performance of half-back pairing Josh Reynolds and Marc Sneyd, who controlled the game despite blustery conditions in West Yorkshire, he continued: “I’ve said all along that I expect Marc Sneyd and Josh Reynolds to really complement each other, and they did that today.
“You throw in the way that Danny Houghton and Jake Connor played too and I think that for a day one performance that was good. As they build a better connection and understanding that can only benefit us going forward.
Hodgson also praised try-scorer Josh Griffin on his 100th appearance, adding: “Josh Griffin was in doubt of playing this week after having food poisoning, so for him to stand up and perform the way that he did is something for him to be proud of and I’m really happy for him.”
Hodgson is now keen to see his side back up the performance in the coming weeks.
“One of the big challenges for us now is to back this up. Last season we struggled with consistency a little bit and backing up.
“It’s something we’ve spoken about and will continue to speak about is to not win a game and drop our intent and instensity. We now have to strive to be a team that competes like that all of the time. That’s our challenge now, and one I’m sure we’ll meet.”
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