Hull FC winger Lewis Martin says missing out on Super League play-offs again would be a 'failure' | Rugby League News

Young Hull FC winger Lewis Martin has had a forgettable year in 2025 – but he is already focused on reaching new heights in the new Super League season.

Martin scored a remarkable 25 tries in 27 rounds for the Black and Whites, which saw him crowned Super League's top try scorer for the season and nominated for Young Player of the Season.

Despite many improvements from the Black and Whites under John Cartwright, they narrowly missed out on the play-offs in 2025 as Wakefield landed in sixth place.

Now, with teams that know what Hull FC is all about and strong new signings including James Bell, Sam Lisone, Joe Batchelor and Jake Arthur, they know this season will be full of expectations.

Which is why, for Martin, being in contention to head to Old Trafford in October has to be an absolute minimum.

“Massively. I think anything but the playoffs will be a failure,” Lewis said Aerial sports.

“We want to win it and there's no point playing in it if you don't think you have a chance of winning. That belief is also part of it.

“So if we don’t make the playoffs, it will be a failure of the season.

“This year it’s about the team, and it’s always about the team, but also making the play-offs and hopefully making finals.

“I think we had a good balance last year and Zak (Hardaker), he probably led us last season as well, but I think we added more to that this year as well.”

“It’s good for the young guys to have the leaders on the field, but we also want to prove ourselves.”

And after a year of individual summits, what is Martin aiming for in 2026?

Simply, more of the same but with a longer season as he looks to turn an exceptional season into an exceptional career.

“At the start of last year I probably didn't expect to play the first round and then play every minute of every game, it was crazy,” he added.

“It’s good to score tries and be first at the end of the year, but I think now it’s about making the playoffs.

“We've been working a lot on connection, building that connection. We've got a lot of new players and I think that's been a big part of it.

“We want to be a united group and I think we have achieved that very well.

“I just want to start playing now. I'm just taking it season by season. I can't anticipate, it was only a year.

“You don’t make a career after one good season, so I have to continue to play well and improve.”

Aerial sports will once again broadcast all Super League matches live this season – including two matches from each round exclusively live, with the remaining five matches each week being broadcast on Sky Sports+