Hull FC boss John Cartwright gives his take on Cade Cust red card

Hull FC head coach John Cartwright has given his take on the incident that saw Cade Cust sent off in 16 minutes into the Hull derby. The Black and Whites were already 4-0 down when Cust could be seen attempting to latch onto a Will Pryce kick through the line.

That was before the stand off clattered into Arthur Mourgue, with the full-back left in a crumpled heap on the floor. While a melee ensued on the field, replays showed Cust’s shoulder connecting with Mourgue’s head.

Mourgue eventually left the field for a HIA but not before Cust was shown a red, with any mitigation being ruled out. It was a decision that left the Black and Whites with 12 men for 64 minutes and while the Black and Whites impressed with a man down, they ultimately fell to a 28-14 loss on home soil.

It was a major talking point after the game and as Cartwright sat down with the press after, the first question asked was about his thoughts on the incident.

“I haven’t had a good view of it so I don’t really want to comment other than there was nothing deliberate,” Cartwright said. “There was no swinging arm, no knee, no elbow, no malicious intent. He chased the kick very hard and got close and there was a big collision.

“It’s different rules these days I suppose. If you touch the head, the mitigating circumstances don’t seem to matter that much but I didn’t think there was anything. I thought it was a bloke chasing a kick very hard and couldn’t pull out of the collision and the collision happened. That’s what happens in our game.”

The Hull FC coach continued: “Just in general, it’s nearly impossible to win with 12 men. You could feel the air come of the stadium when it happened, it’s nearly impossible to win with 12 men on 13. But our boys did what they’ve been doing all year, just because they had 12 men doesn’t mean that they’re not going to try and fight, and they did that.

“To get back within two points with not all that long to go, it was one of the better performances I’ve seen from any side I’ve been involved with.”