The latest Hull FC notebook.
Zak Hardaker was crowned Hull FC’s triple Player of the Year for 2025 on Monday night. But what else happened at the awards that went under the radar? Here, Hull Live takes a look.
Amir Bourouh nominated
Zak Hardaker won Hull FC’s POTY award after a four-player shortlist was determined by the coaching staff. The other three players were Aidan Sezer, Lewis Martin, and Amir Bourouh. And while Sezer’s leadership and Martin’s rise this year have been well documented, Bourouh, a popular member of the side, was also worthy of a nomination – certainly in the eyes of his coaches. With two years still remaining on his deal, he’ll be looking to kick on further next season, with a competitive dummy-half battle set to take place in pre-season.
Will Pryce’s tribute
Fans in attendance voted for Will Pryce’s first effort at Catalans as the Hull FC Try of the Year for 2025. But rather than focus on the try, the full-back took a different stance in his speech, praising two of Hull’s outgoing players: Jordan Rapana and Liam Watts.
“It’s been tough for me personally, getting injured,” Pryce said. “There was a lot of expectation put on by me to come here and try to do a job for everybody, but I got off a plane and got stuck in.
“It was tough to leave Australia, but I’ve found some great people here. Raps (Jordan Rapana) – he was one of my favourite players to watch when I was younger and I used to be in the car with my dad when Wattsy was here. I’ve known him for years. There are a lot of bigger things to look at this year. It was sad that I got injured, but being able to share the field with people like that was an honour. There have been some downs, but there are definitely some ups to look at as well.”
Davy Litten’s message
The young centre has had a strong season on and off the field. On it, the 22-year-old has cemented the left centre spot, and off it, he was Hull FC’s Community Player of the Year after numerous visits to hospitals, schools, and the like.
“I just love everything about this place,” Litten said. “I love all the boys and the coaching staff – and this is an award to show how much I do love this club. It means everything to me. It’s a great place to be and hopefully next year we can achieve a little bit more and do something special at the end of the year.”
Mad Monday!
Interviewing Hull FC players throughout the year, there’s no doubting one element that the side have prided themselves on this year: togetherness. No matter what, the team has been united this year, showing grit, pride, tenacity, and the like. It was all spearheaded by head coach John Cartwright in pre-season, with Richie Myler paying tribute to the Australian during the night.
“He is very calm and collected,” Myler said. “He doesn’t shout – he’s a steady hand and the boys have really bought into that. The best testament I can give him is that if I were still a player, I’d want to play for him. The group have bought into that, along with the support staff – they’ve all enjoyed each others company and they’ve made an effort to spend time together.”
And on the club’s Mad Monday plans, with the squad heading to Portugal, Myler added: “There are a lot of them going on a trip in about five hours – there’s a massive togetherness and that’s shown on the field. It’s a credit to them.”
Tie turncoat
Any rumours that All Out Rugby League editor Matt Shaw is a Rovers fan have firmly been put to bed, with Fabrizio himself sporting a Hull FC tie at the do – not to mention a wet suit.
There was one or two drink spillages on the night – one of which went right over him and on yours truly’s blazer. No dramas, it happens, although it was amusing to see some of the social media brigade completely get the wrong end of the stick.
Andrew Thirkill’s attendance challenge
The Hull FC co-owner spoke passionately once again at the dinner, opening up on the year gone by and what’s ahead for the future. And while Hull are aiming to hit the next level on the field, they want their attendances to reflect that. The club hit a 12,000 average this year, but they are now targeting an ambitious figure of ’14 to 15,000′ next year.
“We need to get the MKM Stadium rocking now like a fortress,” Thirkill said. “We want the average attendance up to 14-15,000, which is a lot easier said than done, but this is a rugby league mad city, and we want to drive that atmosphere at home.”
Memberships launched
‘Moving forward. Together.’ That’s the message of Hull FC’s membership campaign this off-season. The club has launched 2026’s passes, with all the key info found here.