Hull FC have turned over a new leaf following a 2024 Super League campaign that can only be described as disastrous. The Black and Whites won just three games all season and finished the year level on points with bottom of the table London Broncos.
Tony Smith was dismissed to leave the club without a permanent head coach for much of the season, while a raft of first-team players also departed before the end of their contracts. It was a turbulent and testing campaign at the MKM Stadium, but the hope is that they can make strides forward next year under the guidance of John Cartwright.
The new head coach has been backed with nine new signings to give the club’s senior group a fresh feel, with the likes of John Asiata and Jordan Rapana among the high profile names arriving in west Hull. They’ll be expected to play leading roles in black and white, while it’s fair to say a host of other players will be approaching the season with something of a point to prove. Here’s a look at some of those names.
Jordan Abdull
Abdull may have picked up a knee injury in pre-season training, but he enters the new season on the back of a difficult period in Super League. The half-back struggled with injuries last season after being allowed to leave Hull KR to join Catalans Dragons on a season-long loan.
He was a Man of Steel contender in the not too distant past, but the England international has struggled to string form and performances together of late and he makes the move back to Hull after being deemed to be surplus to requirements at Craven Park 12 months ago.
He outlined his desire to prove his doubters wrong when speaking to Serious About RL last month and he’ll be given the chance to do exactly that at Hull FC.
Amir Bourouh
Bourouh has big boots to fill as he prepares to replace Danny Houghton as the club’s first choice hooker. Houghton retired at the end of the 2024 season and Bourouh has been drafted in to make the position his own under Cartwright.
However, the 23-year-old arrives in East Yorkshire after struggling to nail down consistent minutes at Salford Red Devils last season, making just 13 appearances under Paul Rowley, with just eight of those being starts. As such, Bourouh will be determined to show he is capable of nailing down a leading number nine spot in Super League and repay the Black and Whites for their faith.
Cade Cust
It’s fair to say Cust has struggled to showcase his best on a consistent basis since arriving in Super League with Wigan Warriors in 2022. He scored five tries and played a leading role under Matt Peet in his first season, but he played little more than a bit part role in 2023 and he struggled for traction at Salford last year, too.
Cust made just 13 appearances for Salford with the club allowing him to leave after just one year. He adds depth to Hull’s spine and is expected to come off the bench under Cartwright to spell Bourouh at hooker.
Jack Ashworth
Ashworth’s first season in black and white did not go to plan, it’s fair to say. The prop made 14 appearances over the course of the campaign, but he found himself on the sidelines through injury for large periods and struggling for traction.
He’ll be eager to find consistency in the Hull side and showcase why the Black and Whites made the decision to sign him in the first place ahead of the 2024 season.
Harvey Barron
It came as something of a surprise to supporters given the form of Lewis Martin last year, but Barron has been handed the number two shirt this season, suggesting he could be in line to start the season as Cartwright’s first-choice on the flank. That’s despite making just 19 senior appearances for the Black and Whites in Super League.
His shirt number will come as a huge confidence boost for the 21-year-old, though, and if he is to start the season on the Hull FC wing, he’ll be determined to prove himself and showcase the potential he possesses to nail down the role.
