Hull FC are set to lose Jack Charles to Hull KR at the end of the season. Hull Live understands that the Robins have launched a move for the under-contract half-back and are confident of striking a deal, with the expectation being that the Black and Whites will allow the teenager to ply his trade in the red and white next year.
The understanding is Charles will join the Robins on a lucrative contract – certainly the biggest of his young career to date – and on that front alone, it’s hard to blame the player for taking that and opening a move that allows him to follow his dad’s – Chris Charles – footsteps and play for the Robins.
Hopefully, he will get the opportunities to continue to develop, as he deserves nothing less. I’ve interviewed Charles over a dozen times, and he’s always struck me as a down-to-earth young lad who lives and breathes rugby league. You can only wish him well, and being under contract for another season, Hull will at least get a fee for the player.
Back to Hull, and ultimately, the biggest reality in this situation is that of the salary cap and the constraints it brings. It’s impossible to keep everyone, and as every club looks to squeeze every last drop out of the cap, the reality is you’re going to be left making some tough decisions as you carefully manage and maximise every pound spent. That is thought to be part of the case in point here, and while it may be frustrating to lose a player the club has nurtured and developed for the last four years, they have to move on.
In fact, Hull Live’s understanding is there is every confidence in the growing number of young players coming through the system – one Hull believes is bringing through a higher calibre of player. The club has heavily invested in their youth infrastructure in recent years with the establishment of a Centre of Excellence. They are now starting to bear the fruit of that, with the likes of Harvey Barron, Lewis Martin, and Davy Litten impressing in the Super League this year.
The hope now is that more young talent will follow, with Callum Kemp, along with twin brother Lloyd Kemp, at the forefront of the club’s long-term hopes. But they are joined by the likes of Josh Horne, son of club legend Richard Horne, who is currently playing in the academy, not to mention scholarship talent Kingsley Sharpe, who has signed a long-term deal at the club.
Hull, from Caleb Paleaaesina, Jon Turner, Elliot Middlemas, and Will Kirby, just to name a few, are blessed with promising talent coming through – a credit to the production line they have nurtured over the last few years. Unfortunately, the reality again dictates, as the likes of Wigan Warriors face every year, that you can’t keep them all. But the key is ensuring that the right ones are kept.
The fact that Hull KR went in for the Kemp twins last year says something. That’s not to discredit Charles, far from it, but more to back up that the twins are highly regarded, with John Cartwright singing their praises after a pre-season game at Castleford Tigers back in February and tipped for a big future – hence their new deals last year.
The hope is there’s more where they came from, with Hull, led by Head of Youth Richard Tate and coached by Francis Cummins, having options in abundance. They hold the ambition to bring through their own and nurture their own. They believe they have the tools and resources to do it, backed by Tate, Cummins, Cartwright and Richie Myler.
Hull KR don’t have that luxury. They know that, and they’ve openly admitted they are doing something about it – from works at Craven Park to their infrastructure.
That’s why they will continue to buy from other clubs, from Charles to Connor Wynne, Arthur Mourgue, Jack Broadbent, Bill Leyland, etc. But on the other side of the river, the trust needs to be there that those calling Hull’s shots will get these decisions right. On that front, time will tell.