Logan Moy, Harvey Barron, Will Gardiner, Lewis Martin, Denive Balmforth, Zach Jebson, Ryan Westerman, Callum Kemp, Lennon Clark, Will Hutchinson, Lloyd Kemp, Will Kirby, Joe Ward and that’s before I even mention the currently injured Nick Staveley, Jack Charles, Matty Laidlaw and Davy Litten.

Everyone knows I’m a journalist who supports Hull FC and I just thought I would give you a look at the Hull FC world as I see it right now.

The victory over Castleford Tigers in the Joe Westerman testimonial game meant very little, or nothing on the surface.

Inevitable there were positives for the Airlie Birds to take from that game, much of them based around the bright new, young talent that was seen to take to the pitch, but if by some sort of miracle, Hull were to make the playoffs in 2025, who would actually look back at that game and say it was important in such a success?

However, when you look at the bigger picture, including years of decline since back-to-back Challenge Cup successes and Top 4 placings, before the recent takeover of Andrew Thirkill and David Hood OBE, put alongside the emergence of even more young talent, suddenly that footstep on the long road back seems to have some serious foundations on which to build.

I’ve said it before, and I will keep saying it, Hull FC will not make it into the playoffs this season, just like they haven’t for the past few seasons, however there will be a difference in how they take on this season, and indeed, I have seen first-hand, some major differences since the end of last season.

It has to be said that Castleford were the better team for the first 30 minutes of the testimonial for their popular loose-forward, having said that, they were facing a brand-new team who were in their first game of 2025, the game itself screamed pre-season kick about, trying to get certain combinations working and not always succeeding, but all very well intentioned.

Danny McGuire’s side certainly posed plenty of questions for Hull’s defence and herein lies the difference between this sort of game, and when it actually matters.

Castleford could, maybe should have scored a hat-full of tries, the reasons they didn’t varied from passes not going to hand, to dropped ball and frustrated penalties given away, like every team gets in every pre-season game, it has to be said that the Black & Whites were also guilty at times of coughing up ball when they had chances, but that is just the nature of the beast at this point.

On another day, come the real, competitive games, those passes stick, teams get into their rhythm for whatever it is worth and teams execute what they have tried in pre-season games, a whole lot better, it’s the same for every team.

At the moment, Hull FC are written off by everybody, and rightly so, but what we saw at Castleford and what is going on behind the scenes does offer genuine encouragement and, while it will take time, a return to more successful times does feel absolutely inevitable for this sleeping giant.

At the moment, everything feels possible for Hull FC, the inevitability is there for all to see in the coming years.

What Hull FC proved at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle is that their youth development goes far beyond the lads who became household names in the Betfred Super League last season, as I’m sure any player in a Castleford shirt yesterday would readily testify if they were asked right now.

Don’t get me wrong, the success that this club will enjoy in future isn’t going to happen overnight, it’s going to take time, patience and perseverance in bucketloads, make no mistake about that.

Yes, Hull FC will struggle this season, there’s absolutely no doubt about that in my mind, but it’s a struggle that I’m absolutely prepared to live with (just as long as we beat Rovers along the way).

Written by Ian Judson (site contributor & Hull FC fan)