Hull FC captaincy up for grabs as John Cartwright outlines process

Hull FC head coach John Cartwright insists he is happy with the amount of leadership within his squad as he prepares the Black and Whites for the 2025 Super League season.

Cartwright has made nine new additions to the squad he has inherited, with experience being something that most of those signings have in common. The likes of John Asiata, who captained Leigh Leopards prior to his move to East Yorkshire, Jordan Rapana, Zak Hardaker and Aidan Sezer will be considered key men next year with their experience and presence set to pivotal.

Jordan Abdull and Oliver Holmes will have plenty, too, having spent their entire careers in Super League. However, with Danny Houghton retiring at the end of last season and Carlos Tuimavave leaving the club, the new additions join a group that is without a raft of senior individuals.

Homegrown youngsters make up the bulk of the squad Cartwright is working with at present, and while the head coach is still getting to grips with many of them, he knows how pivotal those experienced heads could be as the season approaches.

“There was such a big turnover of players last year,” Cartwright said when asked by Serious About RL about the leadership at Hull FC. “Captains generally pick themselves but it won’t be a decision we make till after Christmas when we get everyone in.

“I get feedback from everyone within the club, your captain’s your figurehead and you know he’s got to be a leader in every department. So I’m not leaning one way or the other at the moment.

“I’m very happy with the leadership that’s there, there’s some fellas that have a voice and there’s more to come in. We’ve still got probably our three most experienced players to set foot at training so things are only going to get better, because they’re natural leaders, it’s only going to get better when they arrive.”