When Hull FC winger Lewis Martin came off the pitch at St Helens after his senior debut at the end of 2023, his goals were clear: kick on.

And now, 25 appearances later, the same message resonates with the Hull-born winger. Despite missing just three games in the whole of last season, Martin knows nothing is guaranteed, but that drives him on.

In fact, the 20-year-old flyer is determined to nail down his place, competing with Harvey Barron and Tom Briscoe for a wing spot in John Cartwright’s Hull side. Taking nothing for granted, he knows he has to impress and take every opportunity that comes his way.

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"I just want to kick on," Martin told Hull Live ahead of the new season. "I don't think my position is guaranteed off last year. I couldn't even tell you what the team's going to be.

"For me, it's just about playing as many games as I can, but I know I need to put myself out there and keep improving. This year has been a fresh start for everyone, and we've been working hard, but no matter what happens, I know I have to keep working hard.

"There's that much competition in the team now, but it's really good, so when I get my opportunities, I know I need to kill it and hopefully keep my spot."

Working hard in pre-season, Martin is the fittest he’s ever been—a fair comment from a speedster winger who was once on the academy books of Hull City A.F.C. Knuckling down, he’s bought into Cartwright’s gruelling pre-season, with the squad now on the other side as they prepare for competitive action in the Challenge Cup this weekend.

"There's a lot of depth to us now, but it keeps you on your toes," Martin continued. "Competition brings the best out of you, and if you don't play well, there's someone else ready to take your spot. It's what we need.

"With Harvey, I’ve got that. We work well together. We are really good mates, too, and we know each other's games. There's always that competition for us both, but that will only help us get better. It's the same with Brisc as well. He helps us and pushes us to get better.

"We're all just raring to go now, and if I play, I just want to show what I can do. I'm looking forward to it. The full pre-season is about getting you ready for the season ahead, so we can't wait.

"It's been tough—it's the toughest one I've done—but it's also the fittest I've been. It's the same with the whole team. We're all a lot fitter compared to last year.

“It shows on the pitch when we've been training; I've really enjoyed it; it's been hard work, it's been longer, and it's been tougher. We’ve done a lot more wrestling and conditioning, and it takes its toll—you go home and you're knackered, but it’s been what we’ve needed."

Resonating with Cartwright’s methods, the team hopes their new approach to hard work and effort-based rugby league will pay dividends this year. The first signs were there last Saturday, with Hull digging deep in defence to run out 16-10 winners at Castleford Tigers, playing much more directly in the second half.

"We just want to win," Martin, who explained some of Cartwright’s instructions this year, said. "You shouldn't be in the competition if you don't want to win. When it comes to playing those cup games and those league games, we're going there to win. That's what every team thinks. We're no different.

"The biggest thing is effort. If we get our effort-based areas right, especially in yardage, with no errors and complete, then we'll be in games. Last year, we got 20 minutes in, and we were out of games, so we need to stay in that grind and make sure those effort areas are right. If we do that, we'll be okay.

"But the big one for John is yardage. He wants us to carry hard and direct and make minimal errors. He wants big metres from us backs. We've got some big, tall backs, and it suits us. That's what John wants: 100 metres plus a game and plenty of carries, but good, smart carries.

"John and his staff have all been brilliant. They're more old school, and they'll say it how it is, but that's good. It keeps us on our toes."

Backed by the fans, Martin is now a popular player on the terraces and also in the street, getting recognised more as his stature at the club grows and grows.

"I get fans coming up to me more now, but it's good," Martin added. "I enjoy it, and I embrace it. It's a good thing. The fans have been great with me, even Rovers fans; there's a bit of banter there.

"But the Hull fans are always there. Even last year, they got behind us in games even though it was a really tough season for us. I saw it, even towards the end of last year, they were still turning up to away games. Credit to them. Hopefully, we can give them something to cheer about this year."