Hull FC’s 2025 season is over but the squad can take pride in what they have achieved.
Hull FC’s 2025 season may be over after a 26-22 defeat to Catalans Dragons on Thursday night, but as has been the case all year, the side, no matter the cards, gave it everything.
Of course, that is the mandatory expectation of a professional rugby league team, but considering where this club has come from, the spirit, grit, and togetherness seen this season have done nothing but put pride back into the organisation – and that was the case once again against the Dragons.
And while their play-off push ended in disappointment, with Hull failing to get the win they craved to round it all off, the result, or, for that matter, their final league standing, doesn’t take any credit away from the whole squad, who again have restored pride and rediscovered the connection with their fans this year.
United as one, Hull have exceeded expectations, at least externally, and can move forward with optimism. No matter what has been thrown at them, they have become a competitive outfit once more – a fate that looked a world away this time last year but one that, with the recruitment and retention from Richie Myler and the shaping up from John Cartwright and co., soon became a reality.
That progress has not been limited to on the field either, but off it as well. Hull are getting things right, from the way they sent retiring Kiwi star Jordan Rapana off for a lap of honour before the game to the way the players carry themselves in the community. Growth is in every facet, from youth development to their IMG score and more, but most importantly, it’s the eighty minutes of action every week that have whetted the appetite for more.
And while they won’t look for excuses at their ultimate seventh-placed finish, it shouldn’t be lost that Hull’s final push was done with a sizeable percentage of the salary cap sitting in the stands. Injuries haven’t helped Hull’s cause – a glaring fact – and while they can’t always be helped in such a physically demanding sport, the volume of them is one the powers that be will look to get to the bottom of as best as they can.
But that debrief will come. Right now, Hull, who know there is improvement in them and who will look to kick on next year, can stick their chests out and know that over the last 10 or so months, they have taken a giant step forward. They were depleted again against the Dragons – just as they have been for the final few rounds – but they, with no fewer than 11 academy products in the side, several of whom were aged 22 or younger, didn’t let that stop them.
They weren’t perfect, far from it. Playing with new combinations, there were errors in their game, and they conceded some tries where they’d love to have their time again, but even when they looked down and out, they came back swinging. Two tries from their flying wing talent Lewis Martin added to an earlier brace from another speedster gun in Harvey Barron kept Hull alive. They took it to the final 15 seconds but couldn’t come up with a decisive play.
Ultimately, a more sizeable and powerful Catalans side featuring some glimpses of the future themselves got the better of them. They deserve their credit and they played a fluent game with minimal mistakes. They got over the top of the Black and Whites, who had their captain Aidan Sezer playing with one functioning arm and others playing through the pain barrier. It was perhaps a case of one step too far.
But while their fate is now sealed for this year, Hull FC, in the midst of a long-term rebuild, are certainly on their way back, and with the hunger and drive to improve all areas of the club, the best is yet to come. Onwards and upwards.