Last night Hull FC confirmed that homegrown trio Joe Cator, Cam Scott, and Jack Brown will remain with the Black & Whites until at least the end of the 2024 Betfred Super League campaign.
The club have activated the one-year contract extension options of three of the club’s brightest young talents as head coach Tony Smith continues to shape his squad for the coming seasons.
What is interesting is that the trio were not the only homegrown players with this option in their contracts.
Connor Wynne also had this option and the Black and Whites have not taken it and won’t be doing as things stand with Tony Smith said the back hasn’t done enough “to interest me” yet.
This came as Smith acknowledged his struggles at Newcastle Thunder on loan prior to joining Bradford Bulls on loan.
Thus, it seems as he was left out of this move to activate these extensions that Wynne is set for the exit door.
Where he will end up remains a mystery but this trio will be at the MKM Stadium in 2024.
The trio are the latest names to commit their future to the club, with Ligi Sao and Brad Fash both also signing long-term deals in recent weeks.
Brown, the youngest of the trio at 22, came through the club’s ever-developing youth ranks and has become one of the competition’s brightest young props in recent seasons, and is the club’s reigning Young Player of the Season.
The bullish forward has 50 club appearances to his name after making his debut for his hometown club back in 2019.
Fellow forward Cator is similarly one of Super League’s best youthful players in his own position of loose-forward, and continues to impress week-to-week at his boyhood club.
Having joined the club from Leigh ahead of the 2020 season making 37 appearances to date, the 24 year old has recovered from cruel back-to-back ruptured Achillies injuries in 2021 and 2022, and has found himself as one of Tony Smith’s most consistent performers in the pack so far this season, rediscovering the form displayed before his 18-month layoff, which saw him claim Supporters Player of the Season.
Scott meanwhile will enter his seventh season with the Black & Whites in 2024 – the former England Academy captain made his senior debut at Magic Weekend in 2018 and now has 45 appearances under his belt.
The 23-year old three-quarter continues to develop after an injury hit campaign in 2022 – as a strong line-runner with pace and athleticism, Scott has shown plenty of adaptability with his ability to feature at both wing and centre displayed across his eight appearances so far this year.
Hull FC Head Coach Tony Smith, said: “Joe has gotten himself into a position where he’s getting plenty of game time and has got his fitness levels back up to where they’re capable of being after his injuries.
“He is showing what is able to do on the field each week and there is plenty more to come from him – he has been consistent this season and has earnt the right for an extension.
“He’s had to work hard to get over those injuries so it’s a credit to him to be in this position.”
On Brown, he continued: “Jack works really hard in training. He is a young man who has things to work on in his game, which he knows, and he is prepared to do that.
“That’s going to be beneficial to him in both the short term and the long term, and he has the right attitude to develop here at this club.”
And on Scott, Smith added: “Cam is a very mature young man who has also had to overcome some big injuries to get into a position of confidence and earning regular game time. He has a bright future in the game and he’s keen for that to be here with us.
“All three players have the right attitude for them to progress and develop at this club.”