Youngster Denive Balmforth is under no illusions that 2024 is a big year, as he plots making an impact on Hull FC’s first-team squad.
The 20-year-old recently penned a one-year contract extension with the Black & Whites, after impressing on loan with Newcastle Thunder in the Betfred Championship in 2023.
Able to operate at hooker, halfback and loose forward, Balmforth is hopeful he can put his experience to the test at Super League level on a more regular basis.
“The time I spent at Newcastle was really beneficial. I learnt a lot, and more importantly, I was getting consistent game time under my belt,” he said.
“But now my priorities lie wholly with Hull FC and trying to make my mark on the first-team.
“This year is a big year for me, personally. It’s my last year under contract with the club, so I’m working really hard to be able to extend my time here.
“I’m in a good place at the moment but there’s still a lot of work to be done. We’re just over three weeks into pre-season training now. It’s good but it’s tough at the same time.”
Balmforth’s strong start to pre-season training ahead of the 2024 campaign has been helped by the extra work the youngster has put in during the off-season.
He explained to hullfc.com how a month spent overseas is giving him the best opportunity to impress Head Coach Tony Smith.
“Most off-seasons, I’ve got into a bad habit of letting myself go. I’ve struggled to go out and do stuff off my own back, so I wanted to do something about that this year,” he explained.
“I thought, ‘let’s make something of this time off’. So I went to Phuket in Thailand and I did Muay Thai training twice a day for 29 days.
“It was a really good balance of training, getting in good shape and also seeing some really beautiful places early in the off-season.
“It was brilliant and I’m going to try and make that a regular thing every year. I’ve probably come into a pre-season in the best shape I’ve ever come back in, so it’s about capitalising on that for me now.”
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