Steve McNamara hailed the bravery of his players after they valiantly battled illness to provide a whole-hearted display in defeat at Hull FC.

Matt Orford missed out with the same bug that had laid Jamie Langley low the previous week, while several other players had been doubts for the trip to the KC Stadium.

Brett Kearney stepped into Orford’s shoes at scrum half, despite missing much of the week’s training, and James Donaldson was only just passed fit.

The Bulls eventually succumbed to an 18-6 loss but McNamara remained pleased with the workrate and application of his players.

“Quite a few of the boys have been pretty ill all week, so we knew it was going to be particularly tough coming here and I’m really proud of the boys,” he said.

“We nearly lost Brett Kearney and we nearly lost James Donaldson before the game, so it’s been a pretty tough period for the group.

“To put the amount of effort they put in, I’m disappointed they didn’t come out with anything from that game. To do what they’ve done is a pretty brave effort.”

McNamara also believes his team remain well placed for a run at the top end of the Super League table despite failing to pick up the points, citing the fact his side have already played all of the league’s top five.

“We’ve had, without doubt, the toughest seven fixtures the competition has dished out to any team,” he said.

“Some of the fixtures we’ve had, we’ve hit some of the top teams straight up.

“We’re disappointed we haven’t got a few more points on the board but certainly very confident with what we can do throughout the rest of the season.”

Due to the circumstances, Michael Platt stepped in for his first appearance of the campaign after just 40 minutes of reserve-grade rugby and earned praise from his boss.

“It’s Platty’s first game back and we had to throw him in there,” said McNamara.

“He’s come out of it looking good and it reflects the way he’s conducted himself.”