Hull FC took part in a contact game against York Knights on Friday night as their pre-season preparations took a step up. The session, played in North Yorkshire, wasn't an official match but a worthwhile training exercise for John Cartwright and his staff, who observed a game situation for the first time against a different opponent.

In pre-season training for the last ten weeks, Hull are itching to play, with the side seeing their first trial match against Doncaster called off due to adverse weather earlier this month. That leaves the Black and Whites with just one game against Castleford Tigers—Joe Westerman's testimonial match—before competitive action starts in the Challenge Cup next month.

Speaking to Hull Live, Cartwright outlined the players eagerness for the session, with games now on the horizon as the side gears up for a new campaign. He said: "We've been training for a long time now, and the players are now ready to play.

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"It's not becoming a drag, but you do get sick of tackling and belting each other. For nine to ten weeks now, we've been doing that, so they're really looking forward to the opportunity to play.

"We did something a little bit different on Friday; we had a contact session against York. We've now got a weekend off this week, and then we start playing the week after. I'm really excited. I think we're in a good position."

After their cup tie, Hull will begin their Super League account against Catalans Dragons in Perpignan. Cartwright, meanwhile, has a simple message for his players, and it all centres on not getting caught up in the emotion.

"There's plenty of quality there in opposition, but the players know how I like to approach a game," he added. "I don't like to worry too much about the opposition. It's about getting our stuff right. If we do that, then we'll compete."

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