Hull FC signing explains what players and fans can expect of John Cartwright

Hull FC signing Cade Cust has revealed what both fans and players can expect from John Cartwright as he recalled his time at Manly.

Making comments in a club website feature, Cust confirmed what Cartwright has recently said about pre-season being tough as he revealed: “It’s no secret that Carty’s going to be working us really hard in pre-season.”

That pre-season grind starts now for Hull FC who are one of the early returners and for Cust, that’s good news as he explained: “I’ll be working really hard to get the body ready and hopefully I can get plenty of game time this year and show what I’m all about.”

The 26-year-old has had a difficult time in Super League so far after leaving Manly at the end of the 2021 season having made 27 appearances for the club. He would join Wigan Warriors and whilst Cust played prominently in the 2022 season and featured in their Challenge Cup win, he played less and less in 2023 to the point where he didn’t feature in the Grand Final.

A move to Salford, where the careers of players like Jackson Hastings and Brodie Croft have taken off, beckoned but Cust played just 13 games with the Red Devils, however, his move to Hull FC will hopefully bring the best out of him.

After all, it’s a move that sees him reunite with a former coach given that newly-appointed Hull FC boss John Cartwright was an assistant with the Sea Eagles when Cust played for the club.

What new Hull FC boss John Cartwright will bring

In his first interview since arriving in the UK, Cartwright explained: “I made it pretty clear that we didn’t want to spend time when they got back getting players fit. We wanted them turning up (in good condition). They’re professional athletes so I’m very interested to see how they looked after themselves during their break.”

Those comments outline exactly the kind of man that Cade Cust would describe as he spoke about his experience of the new Hull FC boss, underpinning the ‘hard mindset’ that the 59-year-old has.

“I think he just has such a hard mindset. He won’t take any nonsense and that will give us a hardened edge, I think,” Cust explained.

“That mindset of just being tough will spread across the whole club, so that’s one of the key reasons why I’m looking forward to working with him again.

“When I was at Manly with him, his people management was great. You really can have a proper conversation with him, so I’m looking forward to catching up and really ripping into pre-season.”

If there is a club that need a mindset reset then Hull FC are that club with the Black and Whites rolling over far too often in 2024. The implementation of a hard-nosed coach and recruitment of senior pros such as John Asiata, Zak Hardaker, Jordan Rapana and Aiden Sezer underpins the direction that the club want to go in.

Cust putting the yard hards in for pre-season

It’s also evident that Cust has heeded the advice of Cartwright in relation to turning up to day one of pre-season in good condition with the Australian half/hooker noting the hard yards he has put in when visiting family Down Under.

“It’s been a good off-season,” Cust confirmed, adding: “I went back to Australia to see my mum, who I hadn’t seen for twelve months, so it was great to see her again, but I’ve also been hitting the gym pretty hard.

“It’s been about 30 degrees in Australia, so it’s also been a good chance to get out for a few runs as well to keep the body ticking over.”

Cust has experienced those hard and cold pre-seasons in England but for Jordan Rapana, switching those soaring temperatures Down Under to cold and wet Hull could be a shock.

Nevertheless, Cust seems more than ready for pre-season and looks to be prepping himself for his breakout year in Super League as he spoke to his training mentality and what he will bring to Hull FC.

“Wherever I’ve been during my career so far, I’ve always had the philosophy of training hard and competing as hard as possible because that transfers into your game.

“I’ve always had that mindset and that’s definitely what I’ll be bringing into day one.”

He’ll likely be competing with former Salford teammate Amir Bourouh for the starting nine position whilst also providing cover behind Aiden Sezer and Jordan Abdull.