Simon Grix has labelled Jordan Lane as Hull FC's 'best player' of the 2024 season and says the 27-year-old shouldn't be ruling out England honours in the future.

Lane has become Mr. Dependable for the Black and Whites this season, not only covering a number of positions across the line-up but also firming up his defence, his leadership, and his maturity as a player. He's been defensively right up there for the Hull side this year, backed up by numbers, leading the tackle count with a strong tackle efficiency posted. He's also led the side out as captain in recent weeks, missing just one game all season.

Furthermore, Lane has looked comfortable on an edge or in the middle, adding strings to his bow, something that Grix, who has challenged the local forward to go to a new level next year, believes could help make his England case in the years to come.

"Laney has been brilliant, but I do think there's still more in him," Grix told Hull Live. "It's a bit of an outside opinion, as this is my first year working with him, but he came on the scene with a lot of potential, and you could argue he's not quite achieved what people thought he possibly could.

"But as a back rower who can play in the middle, I look across the England squad, and I don't think it's a position of massive depth, particularly back row. For any young Englishmen, but Laney, at 27, he's a good age, and in his prime, it shouldn't be something that isn't on their goal list at the beginning of next year, to get involved in that conversation. I do think he's got the qualities to do that. It's over to Laney.

"A lot has happened in between him playing England Knights and now, but from what I've seen this year, he's certainly got a lot of the tools you need to get there. He needs to have a good think about that and decide what he wants out of the rest of his career. Does he want to stick international honours next to his name? I'm sure he does."

Lane, who made his first-team debut at Hull back in 2018 and is knocking on the door of 150 appearances for the club, played for the England Knights setup as recently as 2022, with the Hull-born star getting back up to the form and promise he showed when first breaking on the scene.

"He's had a right season," Grix explained "After being challenged at the beginning of the year with his number change and stuff like that. He's come through that and been our best player, for me. He is Hull through and through. He loves it. He's one of the senior players in the room now, and when we've missed Danny (Houghton) and (Brad) Fash for significant periods, he's been the logical appointment for that captain's role, if you like. It's an honourable one for him. I'm sure he's been honoured to do that, and he'll love to do it again moving forward."

Grix continued: "I think for Laney, there's a lot of unnoticed stuff in there. We've had Lewis (Martin) and Harvey (Barron) scoring some beauties, and Denive (Balmforth) jumping in, Charlesly (Jack Charles) doing bits, (Logan) Moy, and all of those young lads who have caught a lot of praise, but Laney has been a constant solid player for us.

"He's missed about three tackles all year. He's done a minimum of 40 per game, and he's left it all out there every week. He's done what we've asked. He's played centre at times when we've had to shuffle, he's played nine, he's played back row, and he's played through the middle. He's been a great teammate, and his teammates certainly appreciate him.

"Some of it does go unnoticed, but after what was probably a bit of a head rattler at the beginning of the year losing his number, they're not the be all and end all, but to some lads and the wider public, they think it means everything, but it had the desired effect to get him back to the form that we know he is capable of. Again, I think there's certainly more in there for Laney, and I'm interested to see how he goes next year with a lot more blokes, seasoned men, and consistency around him. I'd like to see him go up another level, but he's been great for us this year."

Asked if Lane is better in the middle of the park, Grix added: "He lends himself well to being a middle. Where the game is now, he's not a massive bloke, but he's strong, and he's fast across the ground. He's got a decent skill level, and his tackling level is pretty good. He gets under people, and he's forced errors this year.

"He does suit the middle, but he's a pretty good back rower as well, so it's nice for him to have that string to his bow. In this game now where you lose players for sin bins and injuries, having someone with versatility is really important. He's a proper rugby player; he's old school, he won't admit it, but I reckon he still watches quite a bit and he would have watched a lot growing up, so he knows how to play his role. That's a real benefit to his teammates."

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