Catalans Dragons’ loss to St Helens was ‘really, really disappointing’ according to John Cartwright, who spoke post-match in his presser to confirm that he will remain the club’s head coach beyond 2027 and that he is interested in a move to sign a Hull FC player.
The former Hull FC head coach has been in charge of Les Dracs for a few months now after being appointed as Joel Tomkins’ replacement, however, results haven’t taken a huge upturn in form with the loss to St Helens the latest in a run of poor defeats.
Leading 12-6 at half-time, Catalans were blitzed early in the second half as a youthful and resurgent Saints fought back, something that Cartwright has admitted is becoming a habit for his side.
“Really, really disappointing, it’s a habit,” he said post-match on Sky Sports.
“I think there’s been, well, four times since I’ve been here, we’ve given up three or four tries in a 10-minute period, and you’ve just got to start looking at where we are as a group.
“You can’t be doing that, it’s attitude, it’s just a will and a want, and just get through some tough periods, and like I say, it’s been there for the majority of the year. It needs to be addressed and the only way you can do it is be honest.”
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Hull FC swap deal addressed by John Cartwright
One way to address those is for Cartwright to flesh out his own squad and he’s seemingly been very involved in their 2027 recruitment with Tyson Gamble and Jesse Arthars signed for next year, and he confirmed the club are making ‘heavy moves in the recruitment market’.
Speaking in his post-match presser, he also confirmed that he will remain at the helm with future recruitment also set to target some of his former Hull FC players.
On his own future, he said: “We’ve had some really good discussions and I’m sort of committed for the next couple of years,” adding that an announcement will come soon.
He also addressed the reports that Catalans are keen on Hull FC hooker Amir Bourouh, first reported by Love Rugby League and then addressed by Andy Last during his Thursday presser.
“I’ve been in contact with Amir, I like what he brings,” Cartwright confirmed.
“We need some hard-edged players who, when games get tough, they come into the game. So, guys like Amir are certainly the type of guys that appeal to me.”
Per reports, Hull FC are happy for Bourouh to leave but they’d want centre Solomona Faataape in return, something Cartwright admitted may not necessarily work.
“It’s not a really straightforward swap,” Cartwright responded when asked about the deal.
“A hooker in for a centre, it’s tough to replace. Solomona’s had a good year here this year. So, yeah, it’s something that’s ongoing. Hopefully we can sort it out. Yeah, we’ll just have to wait and see.”
