Glaring problem John Cartwright must fix before Hull FC truly turn new page

Despite defeat on the weekend, Hull FC still sit fourth in Super League but glaring problems face John Cartwright’s side before they can truly turn the page from their torrid 2024 season.

The Black and Whites have already surpassed expectations and they’ve set about that turnaround in public opinion far quicker than any could have imagined.

Heading into Rivals Round, a win would have taken them atop Super League but two losses later, albeit against last year’s Grand Finalists, sits them in fourth.

It’s probably a fair reflection of where Hull FC are at with the likes of Leeds, Warrington and St Helens all stuttering, as well as Catalans and Wakefield.

Losses against Hull KR and Wigan Warriors won’t define Hull FC’s season and they’re still more than capable of earning a spot in the play-offs this year, however, there are a number of issues that John Cartwright must stamp out of his side and stamp out fast.

⏱️ 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟-𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘: Hull FC 12-36 Wigan Warriors

A dominant display by the visitors.

⚫️⚪️ #COYH | @ecostrad pic.twitter.com/vD2jpf04fy

— Hull FC (@hullfcofficial) April 27, 2025

The shocking Hull FC stat from 2025

Hull FC were abysmal in 2024 with the club picking up just three wins and among a number of issues, one key one was discipline.

The Black and Whites had the most red cards in Super League (four) and the joint-most sin bins (19). They also conceded the second-most penalties (176) and missed the second-most tackles (1073).

Hull FC have vastly improved and shown that they know how to win but unfortunately, they lead the way in a lot of those metrics once again and that is one of the key factors stopping them from truly turning the corner.

Nine games in and Hull FC lead the missed tackle count with a whopping 359, an average of almost 40 missed tackles per game. Sunday’s loss to Wigan Warriors saw them miss 49 which is simply far too high.

Making matters worse in the defensive department is their tackle efficiency which is the lowest in Super League at 87.1%, even below the likes of struggles Huddersfield, Salford and Castleford.

Black and Whites’ disciplinary record laid bare

A key reason why Hull could be fatigued and missing tackles is that they concede the fourth most penalties, whilst they’ve also seen the most men sent to the sin bin with six. As such, they’re having to play more time than any other club with less players in action.

Cade Cust’s early red card (Hull being one of just three teams to see a man sent off) also ensured they played 65 minutes in that game a man down which can help skew these statistics but also feeds into the idea that last year’s discipline problem remains.

The strides taken under John Cartwright have been massive but with a run of games coming up including fellow contenders Leeds Rhinos, Leigh Leopards and Catalans Dragons, the Black and Whites must fix up their tackle efficiency and discipline.

If they do, then perhaps we can truly consider them capable of a play-off push in 2025. If not, then perhaps this early season run is a case of ‘new manager bounce’ and simply just a purple patch.

Stats sourced from Super League website