Just over 12 hours after Jon Wilkin described John Cartwright as a ‘dead man walking’, Hull FC have confirmed the Australian has stepped down from his head coach duties.
Curiously though, Cartwright will remain an employee of the club but it’s unclear as yet what that will actually entail with assistant coach Andy Last taking on the interim head coach role for the remainder of the 2026 season.
Hull FC revealed this news as part of their big announcement that Warrington Wolves assistant coach Steve McNamara had been appointed as head coach for the 2027 season with both clubs confirming that they would work together to ensure a ‘smooth transition’ at the end of the season.
Plenty of Hull FC fans will see Steve McNamara as a brilliant appointment, which he is, however, they may also maintain their belief that John Cartwright didn’t deserve to go, which on the outside looking in would be a fair assessment.
The fan’s adoration of the Australian was evident at the MKM Stadium on Thursday night with the outpouring of love leaving Cartwright emotional, however, that only affirmed Jon Wilkin’s belief that the Australian would be leaving the club imminently.
Speaking before the match, the Sky Sports pundit said: “I think what has been said during the week, and especially in his explosive press conference, makes his position untenable.
“With 20 games to go, I can’t see John Cartwright being here for much longer than tonight, maybe imminently leaving the club.”
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Departing Hull FC coach ‘loved’ by fans
Wilkin’s belief that Cartwright would leave imminently had not changed after 80 minutes, despite them being a gritty 80 minutes, and it was actually the post-match emotion that solidified his opinion.
“Being in the stadium tonight you got a genuine feeling of warmth to John Cartwright as a man,” Wilkin explained, adding: “You can separate that from his coaching but as a man this guy has drawn on the hearts and minds of this fanbase.”
However, he quantified: “There’s no way he’s going to be dead man walking at Hull FC until the end of the year, in my eyes. I think he will move on and this has had all the hallmarks of a farewell. I’ll be surprised if he sees the month out, let alone the season.”
As it happens, Cartwright didn’t even see out the next day, with Hull FC moving swiftly to try and put this disastrous fortnight behind them by announcing a new appointment.
Whilst that will give fans certainty for next year, it won’t detract from their emotions at losing a head coach who truly transformed the club in his 18 months in charge.
Wilkin concluded: “Leadership for me is an emotional thing and Cartwright has got that right, you connect with people on an emotional level.
“Whatever the opinion is from the clubs executives about his competency as a coach, we can’t comment because we’re not in the changing room, but I can tell you this: he’s loved.”
