Tony Smith urges Hull FC to justify hype as he highlights hole in IMG plan

TONY Smith knows Hull FC have had the billing in previous years – now to live up to it in 2024.

But the Black and Whites’ boss has spotted one hole as rugby league enters the IMG era.

His current side will kick off the Super League season against his former club as they face Hull KR in a derby on Thursday, February 15.

That merely confirms what he suspects, FC are worthy of such an honour.

Now to fulfil it by producing the goods but Smith believes his current crop has the attitude to do it, as success will come off the back of hard work he feels fans deserve to see.

He said after bringing in the likes of Jayden Okunbor, Liam Tindall, Fa’amanu Brown and Herman Ese’ese: “It’s a good marketing ploy to get the season underway with a big one.

“It’s a smart move and we’ve fresh faces. We needed to freshen the place up and I absolutely get the feeling it’s changed.

“That’s nothing against those who were there last season but sometimes you can be at one place too long.

“Sometimes they need a change, sometimes the change is needed. It was time for some of that. We needed fresh people in and I’ve a good feeling about it.

“Fans would like to get back to the feeling that it’s going to be our year but I think they’ve got to a stage where they want a team that’s more competitive as a building block towards starting to expect a bit more.

“I feel they’re ready for a team that’s going to turn up and perform pretty well every week, whether they win or lose.

“They turn up every week but they deserve back from us the other way. Hopefully we can do that more this year.”

FC and KR start a season in which off field performance is arguably as important as what happens in it.

The grading system comes into full effect for the 2025 campaign – the 12 highest scorers will form Super League.

Both Hull clubs secured Grade A status when the indicative list was released – do so again and they will be guaranteed top flight status.

But while former England boss Smith can see reasons to be cheerful, he picked out one big flaw.

The fact clubs are not given points for player production lines.

He added: “Grading makes other clubs get their ducks in a row off the field as well as on it. I’m all for a licensing system as well as performance.

“In theory, I agree with IMG but until they fix a big flaw, I can’t be fully behind it – not having to produce young people as part of the criteria is a big hole in the system.

“Every club should have a responsibility of having to produce young players for their own future as well as the future of the game.

“If they had that in their remit, I’d be fully supportive. Until it is, I can’t be.

“In the last period we had licensing, I thought we produced some of the best rugby league in this country. There was less of trying not to lose and more of trying to win.

“I’m hopeful that comes through in this next phase of licensing. In that time, there was the most attractive rugby league we’ve played since I arrived in 2000.

“I hope it encourages every coach and player to try and win more games, not to not lose them.”