On Saturday morning the rugby league world was greeted by its worst kept secret though this made the news no less surprising.
Former Hull KR boss Tony Smith was appointed as Hull FC boss less than a year after guiding the Robins to the Super League semi-finals and only months after stepping down as Hull KR boss.
Smith has an amazing coaching record which should have Hull FC fans excited as they prepare for a new era following Brett Hodgson’s departure by mutual consent.
Smith became widely known in Super League after a successful stint at Huddersfield before he took on the Leeds job where he ended the 32-year wait for a title delivering two in four seasons.
He then took the Warrington job where he again excelled waking up the sleeping giant and delivering three Challenge Cups and two League Leaders’ Shields.
After that he guided Hull KR from the bottom of Super League all the way to the semi-finals.
But of course, despite his quality, the appointment was always going to be controversial after his time at Hull KR, but for Smith it was a no brainer.
Speaking on the Hull FC website, Smith revealed his reacted when owner Adam Pearson approached him for the job outlining his excitement at the potential of the club as well as the people already there.
“When the opportunity arose when Adam asked me was I interested having lived in the city and still do at the moment, I was interested straight away when I found out,” Smith said.
“I’m excited and grateful. I’m excited about the potential of the club, I’m excited about a good crew of people both on and off the field, having some influence on that and looking forward to getting back into it.
🎥 First Interview: Tony Smith
🗣️ On the first day in his new role, https://t.co/ipIxEtxU1e sat down with Hull FC head coach Tony Smith for his first full interview since joining the club…
Watch In Full 👉 https://t.co/TFouzI0Mhn
⚫️⚪️ #COYH pic.twitter.com/N0dWiEF5fx
— Hull FC (@hullfcofficial) September 12, 2022
“I’ve got some unfinished business in terms of coaching. I’ve got my mojo back for coaching, so when you’re not coaching and not getting those opportunities and twiddling your thumbs you sort of feel a little bit useless but fortunately I’m able to get back to coaching in the next few weeks.”
You can watch the full interview here.
