Lewis Martin crossed over for his first senior hat-trick in the Challenge Cup on Saturday afternoon, but for the 20-year-old winger, it wasn't the tries that were his biggest takeaway.

Instead, it was the carries, the energy, and the enthusiasm he played with in the backfield, knuckling down, running hard, making no errors, and getting Hull's sets moving forward. The Hull-born talent, one of the shining lights of a disappointing 2024 season, knows that's what will impress John Cartwright, who has given simple but effective instructions to his three-quarter line this year.

And against York Acorn, with Hull winning the tie 52-6 against an opponent who showed a lot of heart, Martin delivered. He was the Black and Whites' best on the day and is now gearing up for the year ahead, knowing full well he has to keep on top of his game as he competes with Harvey Barron and Tom Briscoe to gain entry into Cartwright's side – starting in Perpignan as Hull begin their Super League season against Catalans Dragons on Friday night.

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Speaking to Hull Live after Saturday's tie, Martin said: "It's not my job to pick the team, but every time I go on to the field, I try to put my best foot forward to get picked. If I don't get picked, it is what it is, and I've just got to keep working hard and get myself in the team.

"I just love playing rugby. Every game I play, I always enjoy it. The competition is good. Every game you play, you have to kill it and put into John's mind who he's going to pick. Competition is really healthy; it gets the best out of all three of us: me, Harvey and Briscy.

"That's how it should be; there should be competition for spots, it brings the best out of players. Last year, I played a lot of games; I thought I played well, and I kept my spot. I'm just looking to do that again this season.

"Scoring three tries, that's a good start, but that's the biggest thing for me (backfield carries); that's what Carty is looking out for the most. He gets into our backs all of the time about metres, yardage carries, and no errors. That's the best thing to take out of the game."

With 27 senior appearances under his belt now, Martin is ready to take the next step alongside a crop of young up-and-coming players. By his own account, he learnt a lot last year, with the young gun now ready to turn the team's hardships last season into a brighter future.

"Compared to where I was at the start of last year, I've grown a lot from the experiences I got last season," Martin said. "It put me in good stead going into this year, but we all learnt so much last year even though we didn't get the results. For our development going forward, it was really important.

"It's a fresh start for all of us this year. It's a new group of lads and a new setting, but we've had a really good pre-season. We're all ready to go in France now, but we go into the season with high hopes. It should be a good season, and I'm really looking forward to it. We can't wait to get started."

And as for York Acorn, Martin paid tribute to the National Conference League outfit, who got stuck in throughout the tie and never backed down.

"They started really well," he added. "We played into their hands a little bit, but once we got going and once we played simple and to our game plan, we rolled them, and the tries kept coming from there. It was good.

"It was one of their biggest ever games; some of those lads will have dreamed to play against Super League teams, so we knew they would start fast. They came at us really well. After 25 minutes it was only 12-6. They did well; they grew into the game, and the challenge kept coming.

"The main aim was just to get into the next round, but it puts us in good stead for this week. All the boys are ready to go."