Sky Sports pundit likens Chris Satae to St Helens' Alex Walmsley as Hull FC 'find identity'

Sky Sports pundit Phil Clarke likened star Chris Satae to St Helens’ Alex Walmsley after the Black and Whites' tough win over Catalans Dragons. Satae was one of FC’s star performers at the MKM Stadium, crashing over for a try in the first half of the contest and bullying the Dragons’ middle unit with the ball in hand.

It wasn’t a one-off performance for the club’s reigning player of the year either, having started the Super League season superbly alongside his front-row partner Ligi Sao. Danny Houghton claimed Sky’s man of the match after the game, but Clarke was singing the praises of FC’s big man and the impact he regularly makes for Brett Hodgson.

“If you look at St Helens, who have been the best team for the last few years, they’ve got the best prop and the most dominant player in the middle of the field in Alex Walmsley,” Clarke said. “If you want to get to the Grand Final then you need a player who is comparable in nature and I would say Chris Satae has an impact similar to Alex Walmsley in the centre of the field.

“The rest of the team needs to complement his strengths to the fullest and take full advantage of the opportunities he provides with a quick play the ball or an offload. If they do that it might just be something for the Hull side to build off and push them into that top four permanently.”

Satae was one of a host of forwards who excelled against the Dragons and Scott Taylor was another as he made his first appearance of the season after missing the first nine rounds through injury. Jamie Jones-Buchanan saluted the experienced prop’s effort on his return while also declaring that FC are starting to find their ‘identity’ after entering the top four.

“It must have been painful for him to sit on the