Playing every week for Hunslet has been the best thing for me...

BLACK AND WHITES' YOUNG GUN KIRBY IS RELISHING MORE GAME TIME

- By DAN TOMLINSON

Hull FC forward Will Kirby is at that awkward age for a professional rugby league player.

At 19, he's one year out of the academy, meaning that, in normal circumstances, he's restricted to biweekly appearances in the reserves league.

In reality, that's no good for anyone.

The solution? A loan spell at Hunslet. Kirby has now played six times for the Parksiders - his latest game coming at Oldham on Sunday afternoon.

And for a teenager determined to make his mark, the playing experience is like a sanctuary - and one doing him the world of good.

Of course, the long-term target, with the player signed up until the end of the 2027 season, is to break into the Hull first team, but for now, and despite the Leeds-based side struggling at the foot of the Championship table, there's a clear direction with his goals: keep doing what he's doing, impress, and go again.

"I've finally found some consistent game time," Kirby told the Mail.

"I started the season off playing reserves every other week and being the 18th or 19th man for the first team, but playing every week has been the best thing for me.

"Playing against men has been a bit of a shock, but it's definitely been a learning curve.

"No matter the result, I'm learning all of the time, and I'm enjoying playing regularly.

"There are some really experienced players in the Championship.