Yahoo News Jack Charles' Hull FC path compared to Mikey Lewis at KR as similarities shown
Tony Smith has compared Hull FC's situation with Jack Charles to the one he faced with Mikey Lewis at Hull KR. The current Airlie Birds boss was at the Robins when Lewis burst onto the scene, giving the half-back his debut as well as overseeing a move to York on loan.
Lewis is now one of the best players in Super League, flourishing at Hull KR with over 70 appearances to his name. And for Smith, managing the Black and Whites young gun Charles is one of his most important tasks, with the head coach suggesting there are a lot of similarities now with his current club from his time at the Robins.
Charles, meanwhile, impressed off the bench in his third senior appearance and first derby, adding some composure and direction to Hull. Unfazed by Super League, the teenager has shown glimpses of promise, with Smith aiming to protect the player as he nurtures his skills at the club.
Asked if Charles' path compares to Lewis' at Hull KR, Smith said: "There are a lot of similarities with a lot of things, where we were at different stages and some of the holes that we were fighting through to become a more resilient, tougher, and smarter team. There are loads of those things. We forget about all of those things, and everybody just thinks it's happened overnight here.
"You go through a whole lot of pain to get there and sometimes it's protecting those young guys by dropping them because you don't want to overexpose them too soon. You want them to develop and you don't want them to get bashed around and be on the bad scorelines that you're going through.
"There are all sorts of reasons why you protect young players. We've got some more young guys who we'd like to introduce as well but I'd like us to be travelling a bit better before we do that, but Jack has handled it pretty well."
One of eight academy promotions to the first-team squad this season, Charles will get more opportunities this season, with Smith looking to blood the player in the right scenarios and situations.
Commenting on Charles' performance in the derby, which saw Fa'amanu Brown moved to hooker after Danny Houghton's rib injury, Smith added: "He gave us some energy. I wasn't sure whether to throw him into that sort of match. We tried to look after him. He's only young and he's not the biggest, young man, but he plays tough. I wasn't sure if it was fair on him to throw him in but he more than held his own. I thought he gave us some energy.
"We've got to look after Jack. He is young and we've got to pick and choose when to use him and when to protect him. I'd like to throw him into a team that is in good form rather than a team that's not in good form and finding their way at the moment, but he's handled the challenges we've thrown at him so far."
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