Hull FC complete the appointment of John Cartwright as their new manager

Hull FC have completed the appointment of John Cartwright as their new head coach. The 58-year-old Australian has signed a three-year deal with the club and will join ahead of pre-season training for the 2025 season.

Cartwright, renowned as a disciplined and defence-minded coach, has been on Hull’s radar for the past two weeks, with the club believed to have identified the Penrith-born coach after missing out on Paul Rowley. They were sold on his vision to take the club forward after holding talks with the Black and Whites over two weeks ago. He is understood to have signed the deal on Monday, with an official announcement imminent.

After a coaching career spanning over two decades, Cartwright is currently an assistant coach at NRL side Brisbane Broncos, where he helped the club as defensive coach in the Grand Final last year after joining ahead of 2020 head coach Kevin Walters and alongside up-and-coming British-born coach Lee Briers.

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Prior to that, Cartwright was also assistant coach with the North Queensland Cowboys for their premiership win in 2015, becoming the inaugural head coach of the Gold Coast Titans in 2007. He was with the Titans for eight seasons and led them to third place in 2010. their best ever finish in the NRL. He left in 2014, with Hull his first head coaching appointment in over a decade.

However, the club are confident they have the man to take them forward, with Cartwright also having coaching spells with the Penrith Panthers, Manly Sea Eagles and Sydney Roosters. He had a stellar playing and coaching career with hometown club Penrith, playing 187 games and winning the 1991 Premiership as a player. A New South Wales and Australian Test forward, he also spent a year playing for Salford Red Devils in 1997 and is now tasked with turning around Hull’s fortunes alongside director of rugby Richie Myler.

Cartwright will be Hull’s sixth manager of the 2020s, following Lee Radford, Andy Last, Brett Hodgson, Tony Smith and Simon Grix. The current interim head coach, who was a permanent candidate for the role, has been offered the chance to stay on as an assistant next season after building a strong relationship with the players this season.

Meanwhile, the club have already signed John Asiata, Oliver Holmes and Zak Hardaker for the 2025 season and expect to bring in more players both domestically and abroad as they continue their recruitment process.

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