Hull FC signing Liam Watts has earned rave reviews from head coach John Cartwright following his second debut in the club’s 16-12 win over Wakefield Trinity.
The Black and Whites have also released footage of assistant coach Andy Last, who served as an assistant to Lee Radford during Watts’ first spell that saw Hull FC win back-to-back Challenge Cups, speaking about the 34-year-old prop forward ahead of the game.
That footage also showed his family present him with his shirt for his second debut and Watts certainly made good on his return as he put in a strong showing in the hard-fought win.
Hull FC’s Liam Watts set for ‘one last dance’
A special moment for Wattsy ahead of his second debut for the Black & Whites this evening 🖤
⚫️⚪️ #COYH | @ecostrad pic.twitter.com/K2eKIRjlaQ
— Hull FC (@hullfcofficial) March 21, 2025
Despite trailing 8-6 at half-time, Hull FC managed to secure the two points with that win lifting them to third in Super League and there’s certainly a good feeling about the club, something which signing Liam Watts spoke on when he addressed the team pre-match.
The veteran said: “It does mean a lot for me to come back and when the opportunity come, I think it was a bit of fate and I couldn’t turn it down.
“It’s going to be a f***ing great honour to run out with you tonight. I feel the energy and where the club is going is just something I’m glad to be a part of and contribute to getting you boys to where you need to be. I’m ready to rock and roll with you!”
Andy Last had touched on his club connections, stating: “I know that he’s going to play well tonight because he has got a connection with this club and I know how much it means to him. It’s important we make sure we go out and do a job for a milestone game, it’s his second debut and it gives me great pleasure to say that.”
Watts himself had also taken to social media prior to the game to share the media images of him in the Hull FC kit, captioned ‘One last dance’ with that post being very well-recieved by fans.
Hull FC signing Liam Watts earns rave reviews from John Cartwright
One last dance ⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/MVqOwzMe15
— Liam Watts (@WATTSY7890) March 20, 2025
Watts’ performance was well-recieved by head coach John Cartwright who spoke glowingly about the prop in his post-match press conference.
“He was great. He made a difference when he went on,” the Australian said before speaking on the huge off-field influence that Watts could have.
Cartwright added: “He’s a very popular member of the team already. He’s a bit of a character. He’s just a really good fella to have around a footy team, and he went out there and just worked himself into the ground.
“He hasn’t played a lot of footy, but he got a bit of a knock to the jaw – I hope he’s okay, but he was prepared to go back out. It wasn’t bothering him.”
Watts’ knock to the jaw paled in comparison to the injury blows suffered by Cade Cust (hip) and Jed Cartwright (hamstring) with both men leaving the field injured and potentially facing time on the sidelines in the coming weeks.
