Hull FC begin their competitive season on Friday night.
18:49, 01 Feb 2026Updated 18:58, 01 Feb 2026
Hull FC head coach John Cartwright.
John Cartwright has confirmed he will field a ‘pretty strong’ Hull FC side at Salford RLFC on Friday night. The Black and Whites begin competitive action for the 2026 season in the Challenge Cup against Championship opposition, with the head coach set to field plenty of his first-team talent against the reformed club.
However, Cartwright won’t take any unnecessary risks with his players, who completed their second and final pre-season run out away at Wigan Warriors on Sunday afternoon.
Fielding a strong side, Hull could hand competitive debuts to the likes of Jake Arthur, Harvie Hill, Sam Lisone, Joe Batchelor, Connor Bailey, and Arthur Romano, while on the injury front, they could have Liam Knight and Matty Laidlaw to call on, with the duo missing the game against the Cherry and Whites due to head injury protocols. Laidlaw suffered his blow against Huddersfield last week with Knight copping a head knock in training.
Elsewhere, Logan Moy could be fit after a recent calf injury, with the young full-back picking up a minor tear to the muscle in pre-season. Joe Phillips also has a leg injury with James Bell (knee) and Herman Ese’ese (Achilles) out. John Asiata and Aidan Sezer continue to be monitored.
“We’re going pretty strong,” Cartwright said after Sunday’s game. “It’s an eight day turnaround on the back of it (to the Super League opener against Bradford Bulls). Last year, we only had a seven day turnaround on the back of the cup game and we were going to France, so we rested a few.
“We’ll assess them in training on Tuesday, but I think it’s good preparation for the Bradford game. It’s a game we want to go out and win.”