John Cartwright will be watching Hull FC closely over the final 10 Super League rounds as he prepares to take over at the MKM Stadium.
The Australian is currently working as an assistant coach at Brisbane Broncos and his main focus will be on their NRL fortunes.
However, as he prepares to make the journey to East Yorkshire, he’ll be starting to make plans about how he wants his Black and Whites side to play. He’ll officially get to work at the start of pre-season and here’s a look at some of the jobs that will be in his in-tray when he arrives at the club.
Integrate new signings
Hull have announced six new recruits so far and the Black and Whites are expected to add more fresh faces for 2025 over the coming months. John Asiata is arguably the most high profile addition at this point and he’ll be joined at the club by Jordan Abdull, Zak Hardaker, Oli Holmes, Ed Chamberlain and Amir Bourouh.
It promises to be a period of huge change then and successfully managing such a turnover in personnel could be the difference between a fast start and a slow one. Most of Hull’s new signings are experienced and they shouldn’t have any problems settling in, but Cartwright will be doing all he can to accelerate the gelling process.
Before he gets to work, though, he’ll also be keeping an eye on potential recruits from Down Under. Brisbane’s Tristan Sailor has already been linked and with overseas spots to fill, a couple of signings could be made.
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Create a leadership group
Nothing has been confirmed as of yet but this season could be Danny Houghton’s last with the Black and Whites. The veteran hooker is off-contract at the end of the season and ahead of 36th birthday, retirement is a possibility. Carlos Tuimavave is coming to the end of his current deal at the MKM Stadium, too, and as key members of the leadership group at the club, their departures could leave a void.
Brad Fash and Asiata have captaincy experience and Cartwright will be leaning on them while also challenging others within the squad to step up and take on more of a senior role. It’s a young group and the advice and guidance of older, more experienced heads will be key, particularly when the going gets tough.
Build a bond
Again, with so much change in personnel on the way, it’s clear that Cartwright must dedicate a chunk of pre-season to bringing the squad together and creating connections. That fellowship could be hugely important when the Black and Whites find themselves up against it in games with a need to dig it out for one another. Hull haven’t always had that and it seemed to be visibly lacking at the start of the season under the stewardship of Tony Smith.
Connect with fanbase
The MKM Stadium faithful have been through the wringer over the last couple of seasons and some supporters may have felt their connection with the side become a little frayed in that time. Attendances have remained relatively constant, but Saturday’s attendance of 15,392 was one of the lowest ever seen for a derby at the MKM Stadium and that could be an indication of where the fanbase are currently at.
Exciting the fans with his brand of rugby is one thing then, but if Cartwright and his team can immerse themselves in the fanbase and indeed the city, it would go a long way.
Assess the youth
The Black and Whites have developed a promising crop of young talent over the last couple of seasons. The likes of Logan Moy and Lewis Martin have really looked the part over the course of the campaign, while the likes of Jack Charles, Nick Staveley and Denive Balmforth have shown promise when they’ve been called upon.
Hull have always been proud of the pathway that exists between their academy and the first-team and the club have high hopes for a few more within the youth ranks at present. Working with and developing Hull’s youngsters will be a big part of the job for Cartwright then and he’ll be keen to run the rule over those on the edge of the first-team picture as soon as possible.
Build on Grix’s fine work
There’s no doubt about it, Simon Grix has done a fine job since taking charge of Hull on an interim basis. Results haven’t exactly flowed with the 18-10 win over Leeds Rhinos being the club’s only win under Grix, but in the 10 games he has had in charge, he seems to have really made inroads.
Hull shipped 50 points or more in four of Smith’s last five games in charge, but Grix’s side have conceded more than 30 points on just one occasion. That’s a big step in the right direction and games have been tight in recent weeks with Huddersfield, Warrington and Salford all being pushed close before last weekend’s derby.
There’s work still to be done, but there’s been a visible improvement from Hull under Grix and while results will be expected of Cartwright, he’s got a decent base to build off.
