Reaction from Smith
Hull FC coach Tony Smith admitted his side were "undercooked" after they fought back to beat Sheffield Eagles 22-20 at Olympic Legacy Park in a pre-season friendly.
In Smith's first match as Black & Whites boss, and the debut of several new signings such as Tex Hoy, Jake Clifford and Brad Dywer, the Super League side downed the Championship outfit by two points.
"It wasn't necessarily about the win, it was a good hit-out for us," he said.
"There was some cobwebs there and there was stuff we thought we'd have to look at and fix, probably expected in some ways. But you have to go through the pain of doing that sometimes in a friendly.
"I thought it was good for us in many ways and we got better as the game went on, controlled things and played the way we wanted to play. Earlier on we were blowing a little bit and not taking advantage of being in some good positions.
The Eagles started well and took a 20-12 lead in at half-time. Hull FC powered back in the second half, sparked in part by Dwyer, and tries to Danny Houghton and Cameron Scott.
"We're going into the season a bit undercooked," Smith said.
"I know some teams started before us and have probably done some harder stuff than us. I'm just wary of being overcooked. I don't want us to be overcooked.
"You can always put the cake back in the oven if it isn't quite cooked. We're probably not cooked enough but we've still got a month to go.
"If you're overcooked it's pretty hard to overcook yourself...But we showed good character. There was no panic. We were really grown up... we kept our composure."
Smith paid credit to Dywer for "speeding the game up".
"He was electric, he did a great job," he said.
"He's been terrific for us."
Hull FC started with a new spine with Hoy at fullback, Ben McNamara and Clifforfd in the halves, and Joe Lovodua. Hoy and Clifford have both joined from the Newcastle Knights.
"They were good, they showed some glimpses," Smith said.
"Baring in mind that's their first time those two Aussie boys have played in English conditions, English rugby league, English rules.
"It's a fair bit to handle in a short bit of time.
"They were not bad. Each of them showed how exciting they're going to be for us. I thought it was important those two played today.
"There were a few cobwebs, that's to expected - for all of us."
