Lewis Martin airs Hull FC pride and glaring training tweaks amid big selection battle

Hull FC were always bound to do some things differently under new head coach John Cartwright. The Australian head coach is implementing his own methods into pre-season training, with one such tweak reasonating well with Lewis Martin.

The young winger, who played all but three games of the 2024 season, topping Hull's try count in the process, is flying this winter. By his own account, he's already fitter than he was this time last year, with his skills and techniques also improving, both in terms of positioning and also in the wrestling room.

Hiring a wrestle coach, Hull are putting a fair emphasis on the wrestle, with the sessions not split into forwards and backs, as is traditional, but in terms of edges. That has put Martin up against a towering presence: Jed Cartwright. But for the 20-year-old, it's exactly what he needs as he looks to test himself and impress a new coach.

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"We're building some connections on the field; I'd say training is a lot more intense than last year," Martin, speaking exclusively to Hull Live, said. "We're also a lot fitter as a team than we were this time last year, and individually as well, I feel like I'm a lot fitter.

"I'm really enjoying it. There's a lot of new faces, and I'm just getting to know some of them. It's been tough, but I feel like I'm getting a lot out of it, and I can't wait to keep going.

"We've been doing a lot of wrestling as edges, so I've got a couple of back rowers with me. I've been wrestling with Jed. It's been tough in that sense, but it's only going to benefit us. He's been good. He helps me a lot—I think he helps all the boys—he's got a lot of tips and tricks, he's a big bloke, and he's not like some of the wingers. It's only going to help me though and get me better. I love training with Jed. He's a good mate, and he's really helping me."

And as for Cartwright senior's influence, Martin is buoyed by what he's seen so far, with specific field drills also helping his development alongside in-depth video sessions.

"We're doing a lot of four-on-four drills," Martin continued. "It's all about positioning on that edge, getting up and making those decisions, and being confident. After training, we do a lot of video, and that's really helping us out. We go through training, and we look at the little things, especially as a group, and that's important. We get a lot out of that, and we can see what we need to improve on. John will go through it with us, and we then try to put it right when we train next.

"Lasty too is great. He has got a lot of passion. He'll tell us when we're doing stuff wrong, but on the other end, he'll also praise us when we're doing it right. There's a great balance and a good partnership with the staff, and it's feeding down to us players."

Aiming to kick on after a 'crazy' first full season at this level, Martin got the nod for the Super League opener earlier this year and didn't look back. He only missed three games, and for two of them, he was the 18th man. For a player who only debuted in the final round of 2023, it was a whirlwind.

"Looking back even now, it was a mad year, a crazy year, to play all of those games, but I learned loads," Martin explained. "It will be massive for me in my career going forward, but it's still mad to think now that I played 25 games of Super League.

"If you said I'd do that at the start of the year, I'd have laughed. It wasn't good in the sense of getting results, but for my development and a couple of the other young boys as well, it was really good. We got a lot of really good things out of it."

He continued: "I remember going into round one, and I was probably the most nervous I've ever been—a derby, playing in front of 20,000 people—it was mad, but towards the end of the season, I felt more comfortable and that I could play at this level and have bigger impacts on the games.

"I was definitely more confident. The more you play, the more you feel like it's normal. When you first come into the team, you feel that pressure; you've got to impress and get that trust from your teammates, but after you get a good run, you feel like you get that, and you start building those combinations. It just gets better the more games you play. I got a good run last season, so it was good."

Now hellbent to tie down his spot once more, Martin is taking nothing for granted. He knows he faces a battle with Tom Brisoce and Harvey Barron, laterally another local winger who also excelled in the second half of last season with some strong displays. That hometown pride hits strong.

"It's brilliant," Martin said. "It doesn't get much better, especially when you play in those big derby games, they're the ones you want to be in. The intensity on the field goes up another level, but being from Hull, it doesn't really get much better than playing for Hull FC.

"It's great that the club are still backing me and Harvs. I'd love in the future for me to be on one wing and Harvey to be on the other, but Brisc helps us out loads. It's good competition. We all push and help each other. It's going to be interesting to see who gets the spots, but we're all good mates, and we all help each other.

"Last year there was a lot of us together at once, and it will be good to see what we can do now we have more experience around us. I think we've got a lot to give, we've got a lot of energy, and we've got a buzz. It's good to see the club are backing us, and we think we can have a really good impact on the team."

And as for improvement, the confidence is there in Martin to get even better. "The more games I play, hopefully the better I get," he added. "The likes of Jed are helping me out in training, teaching me things, principles, and how to implement them. Lasty is there too; he's been great, and it's the same with Grixy.

"We've got a couple of months left of pre-season, and it's important for me to knuckle down, and whatever the coaches tell me to do, try and do it as much as I can in training. Hopefully then, as the season comes, I'll be playing and I keep my spot. I'm really looking forward to it."

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