JOE Westerman says the secret to Hull climbing the table and achieving their targets this season is to get their away form right.
Hull were virtually imperious at home last season, beaten only once in Super League by table toppers Wigan, but that was in stark contrast to their away form, which proved erratic.
Picking up only 10 points from the 28 on offer, Hull's away results ultimately cost them a top-four finish. It is a fact not lost on the players, who have set their stall out to be more consistent away from home in 2013.
Following a strong recruitment and the addition of several new faces, Westerman is confident the Black and Whites can climb the ladder this year and finish in a lofty position.
The back-rower admits, however, that to do so they need to see a big points return away from home.
"The squad is bigger this year. There are more senior players in the squad too and we are confident we can get up there," he told the Mail.
"But to improve, our away record has to be better this year. We turned four victories into defeats by losing late on in games away from home and that is the difference between being a sixth-place side and a top-two side.
"If we can improve on that and not lose games like against Wakefield, Salford and Hull KR where we lost out late on, those extra points will lift us right up there."
Hull dropped points five times in 2012 from a winning position late in games, a fact that still niggles away at Westerman.
The addition of players such as Gareth Ellis and Ben Galea has added a much-needed steel and determination to the squad, a point Westerman is keen to stress.
"The new guys who have come in have lots of experience and that will help," he added. "They are great players to have around the place and that extra experience is great when it gets tight in games."
