Agar lauds Long influence

Richard Agar hailed the return of star signings Sean Long and Craig Fitzgibbon as Hull got back to winning ways with a 28-14 victory against Catalans Dragons in Perpignan.

Hull climbed to sixth in the Super League table, while their opponents were left to rue a result which leaves them stranded at the bottom of the table and looking increasingly unlikely to be involved in the play-offs.

"There is a long way to go, but without doubt the return of Craig Fitzgibbon and Sean Long has helped us this week. They have spread a lot of confidence throughout the team and they've been very good for us," said Agar.

"It goes without saying that having our scrum-half back made the difference as it would to most sides.

"We hit our regions well, everyone was in the right position on the field and doing the right things.

"The fact that Sean was in there controlling things allowed players like Danny Washbrook and Jordan Tansey the chance to play with more freedom and concentrate on their roles."

Long did not get on the score sheet but was at the heart of almost every Hull attack as Agar's side scored four first-half tries to give the Dragons too big a hurdle to climb.

A second-half try for Tansey put the game to bed before Catalans gave the scoreline a more positive reflection with late tries for Sebastien Raguin and Steven Bell.