Options for John Cartwright’s Hull FC back row crisis, including hiring, injury hope, and temporary substitutes
John Cartwright, the head coach of Hull FC, is in a bit of a crisis about his back-row choices.
Before last week, the Black and Whites had already lost Ollie Holmes and Jed Cartwright to injuries, and Ligi Sao has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season. Due to a calf injury sustained by substitute second-rower Brad Fash on Friday, ranks were further reduced.
Additionally, Jordan Lane and Ed Chamberlain suffered problems against Hull KR on Saturday as the team was reduced to the bare minimum at the position. While Chamberlain, who was already out of position, twisted his knee and was forced off the field, Lane broke his arm during the game and will likely face a lengthy layoff.
As such, Cartwright might have to get creative this week as he strives to put together a side for this weekend’s game against Warrington Wolves.
With that in mind, we take a look at some of the head coach’s pack options for the clash at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Injury hope
The Black and Whites will assess both Fash and Chamberlain today, with Cartwright failing to rule out the pair when speaking after the game on Saturday. Fash picked up a calf problem in training last week and wasn’t able to take part in captain’s run, but could be ready to feature against the Wolves.
The club will find out more information today following another evaluation, but it was hoped that Chamberlain’s knee injury wasn’t too serious either. Naturally, both are temporary solutions because the players are accustomed to playing in different positions on the pitch, but the head coach will be crossing his fingers that their individual problems will be resolved.
If either Fash or Chamberlain aren’t fit enough, Cartwright may find himself running the rule over the remainder of his squad for fresh options in second-row. Jack Ashworth did a fine job in the role in the second half of Saturday’s clash and he will be considered for the position at Warrington.
There isn’t too much back-row experience elsewhere, but Liam Knight played in the position briefly earlier in his career. The middle has made six senior appearances in the position, according to Rugby League Project, with his last outing in the role coming for South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2020.
John Asiata has also played in the position but his last outing there was in 2019 with North Queensland Cowboys.
Will Kirby might be the most obvious option for Cartwright, should the head coach look to youth this week. The 19-year-old has featured at first-team level on three occasions and most recently stepped off the bench for a brief appearance against Castleford Tigers in Super League.
His previous outings came against Salford Red Devils and York Acorn with the former coming in July last year. Zach Jebson is another option for the head coach, with the 20-year-old making 10 appearances for the Black and Whites so far in his career. Nine of those came last season with Jebson getting over for a Hull FC try in the penultimate game of the season against Salford.
He hasn’t featured under Cartwright just yet but he’ll be one worth considering this week. Lennon Clark is another young second-rower in the reserve ranks but he appears slightly further down the pecking order.
RecruitmentÂ
Cartwright failed to rule out the possibility of recruitment when asked by Serious About RL on Saturday afternoon with the head coach suggesting it could be something worth considering. Of course permanent options could be few and far between and the club don’t have too much room left under the cap following the arrival of Will Pryce.
However, a short-term loan from another Super League team could be an option for the Black and Whites, depending on who is out there and available. Any names would purely be speculation at this point but Ben Hellewell of Salford Red Devils is in need of game time after being unable to play due to the sustainability cap imposed on the club and might be available. Leon Ruan was one brought in by Hull last year and he could have been a potential option if FC weren’t facing off against Hull KR on Good Friday.
