He's still got a long road back to fitness but new signing Jake Trueman reckons Hull’s the ideal place for him to come of age as a Super League star.
The prodigiously talented stand-off is one of the big movers ahead of the 2023 campaign following his switch from Castleford. But he’s been crocked since rupturing an ACL with the Tigers in July meaning he will miss the start of the new season. Trueman was the 2018 Super League Young Player of the Year and went on tour with Great Britain the following year but, for a variety of reasons, has struggled to kick on since.
Major back surgery sidelined him for a long spell but he feels confident the Black and Whites can bring the best out of him. Trueman explained: “I felt like I was going to kick on last year when I’d come back from my back injury only for my knee to go. I’m 23 now and I do feel I have to step up now. I need to put some back to back seasons together, some good performances and I think Hull is the right place for me to do that.”
Trueman is likely to sit out the opening two months of the campaign. But he insisted: “I can’t wait to get out there with a new club. It’s been a tough couple of years with injuries but I shouldn’t miss too much of the new season. The knee’s coming along well. I’ve just started running again on Alt G so I’m hoping to be back at the end of April or early May.”
Since Trueman signed, Hull head coach Brett Hodgson has been sacked following a dismal 2022 season with ex-Leeds, Hull KR and England boss Tony Smith taking over. Renowned for bringing the best out of his players, the Australian has quickly made his mark on the gifted half-back. Trueman added: “I’ve spoken with Tony and he wants to make all the players comfortable and excited for the year. He really looks after us and hopefully that transfers into good performances. He’s great at creating tight-knit teams and hopefully that will help us.”
With Luke Gale and Josh Reynolds ditched, it’ll be a tale of The Two Jakes at Hull next term with Aussie half-back Jake Clifford also on board from Newcastle Knights to form a new half-back pairing. Trueman said: “I watched bits of him last year. He looks a good player and an organiser who can get the boys around the field and dominate. Hopefully I can play off the back of that when I’m back fit and we can work well together. And hopefully I’ve got all my injuries now out of the way.”
