Hull know availability is their biggest asset in 2026.Hull FC celebrate a Lewis Martin try.

Hull FC know they must reduce their injury toll next season, with a fit and healthy squad being well served to achieve their ambitions and secure a top six position. That’s certainly the belief of full-back Will Pryce, who has fully recovered from a broken foot that ended his 2025 season and is now in full pre-season training with the team once again.

Staying fit is now the challenge for an unwanted history repeat, not just for Pryce, but for all the big guns whose seasons were cut short. Doing it tough, Hull also lost the likes of John Asiata (hamstring), Herman Ese’ese (Achilles), Liam Knight (foot), Ligi Sao (knee), Jed Cartwright (pec), and more to season-ending injuries this year.

Putting no definitive reason down to Hull’s totals, Pryce knows that the squad, who barring Ese’ese, should all be fit for the season’s start in February, must do their bit to keep themselves in check – and that starts with the hard work now.

Into week four of pre-season this Monday, Hull are putting in the hard yards at training, with the club investing in specific coaches – nutrition, wrestling, conditioning, etc. – to help them best prepare for the challenges ahead. They are also placing a focus on hamstring work, as per Harvey Barron’s interview with Hull Live this month, in an attempt to reduce soft tissue issues that several players picked up last season.

And if Hull can prepare well and field their strongest side week in, week out next year, then Pryce believes the ‘sky is the limit’ for the Black and Whites, with the confident full-back adamant they will then challenge for the top six and more.

Speaking to Hull Live, Pryce said: “No one can control injuries; it’s not anyone’s fault, and every team gets them within different parts of the season. That’s the nature of rugby league.

“We do our best to prepare well and recover well. It’s certainly something that I do a lot better now than earlier in my career, and it’s the same for the other boys.

“But injuries happen, and at times in the year, we had myself, John Asiata, Seze, Jed, and Jordan Lane; we had, like, 8-10 of the squad missing for some games. We had young boys playing, and we had players playing out of position, like Zak (Hardaker) – he played six or seven positions – but we still kept going, and we fell just short of the six.

“We showed a lot of spirit and we showed we can compete even with what we had out. That says a lot about us, and I feel like if we can limit those factors this coming season, then the sky is the limit for this group.

“That belief runs right through the team. We just need a steady run to build some combinations and confidence. If we get that, with players playing in the same positions and not in and out of the team and moved around, then we know we can fight for the play-offs.”

Gearing up for the top six, the play-offs are the minimal goal for Hull in 2026, who finished seventh after what was a much-improved campaign last season and who are targeting their first finals finish since 2020.

“They are certainly achievable for us,” Pryce added. “We all believe that. But we’re also focused on now and not getting too far ahead of ourselves. We have to put the hard work in now and we are. We’ll continue to do that until the season starts, and then we’ll see where we’re at.

“It’s exciting, though, with the new faces we’ve got and those returning to training. We’re preparing for a big year.”