Exclusive: Gareth Ellis talks to Dan Tomlinson about his latest Hull FC role, renewed hope, culture gains, and 2026 success.
Hull FC legend Gareth Ellis.(Image: SW PIX)
On the eve of the Super League season, Hull FC Director of Rugby Gareth Ellis has sat down with Hull Live. Here, he discusses his current role, culture gains, and kicking on as a club.
Dan Tomlinson: Gaz, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. First of all, how are you and how are you enjoying your current role at the club?
Gareth Ellis: It’s really good. I’m loving it. There’s a renewed hope and resurgence around the club and there’s something powerful about being a part of that.
I’ve been at the club for 13 going on 14 years now. I’ve seen the good times, and most recently, some not-so-good times, and to see us coming through that, there’s a sense of pride around the place. I certainly have a sense of pride in this team and hopefully we can have a really positive year in that building process.
DT: You were promoted to Director of Rugby last year, has much changed in your role?
GE: Not a lot has changed, to be honest. I get a bit more involved in some of the day-to-day running of the club and work alongside Tom Bennett, the Head of Performance, just to make sure things are running smoothly, but my primary role is still that of the welfare department, checking in on the boys and making sure they are all alright and planning for life after rugby – all the hard sells really for professional rugby league players when they’re at the peak of their powers.
Having experienced retirement myself, I know how difficult it can be so there’s still an element of my role that is heavily involved with the players. Obviously, I get to talk rugby with them as well, which is nice. They’ll come to me for advice, not so much the tactical and technical side, but just in terms of the mindset of the game and how to overcome certain situations.
I get my fix from the coaching side of things that way. It’s really good, nice and positive, and it’s great to be involved in the club at this moment in time.
DT: You’ve been called an aspired Hullensian by many people at the club, is Hull home to you now?
GE. It does feel like that. Someone asked me the other day what my club is and it is Hull now. I played at Wakefield, Leeds, and Wests Tigers, and I had an unbelievable time at all of them, and they all hold a special place in my heart, but I’ve been here for so long, both as a player and in the backroom staff. I know everybody; I’ve got connections with supporters and reporters. It’s just nice to be in that environment where you feel part of it, and that makes you determined to feel success with this club. There are certainly feelings involved with my association with this club.
DT: You’ve spoken a lot about culture in the past and in your book, what would you say are the biggest culture changes at Hull FC over the last year?
GE: When I went away from Hull for six or seven months and came back in, my discussions with Richie and the thing that excited me most was restoring some hope back in the club. That’s what had disappeared over the last couple of years. I don’t think anyone really knew what we were playing for or what we were trying to achieve. That’s no fault of anybody; it’s just the way the club was in that moment in time, but I think with Andrew, David and Richie all coming in, it’s restored some belief, some ambition, and some hope.
We can all feel like we’re a part of something. I said it to some of the players last year, like Jordan Rapana; he won’t experience the really good times, but we as a club need to appreciate that he was willing to come to the club at that point in time and influence the club in a really positive way. There have been a few players who have done that and hopefully when we’re celebrating and lifting trophies again, we can recognise those players, those who have not won the trophy but who have played a role in getting us to where we want to be.
Some of those players could have gone to other clubs and possibly been higher up the table, but I think there’s something powerful about being a part of something and having a positive effect on something or someone. I think that’s what those players have been able to do, not only for the club but also for individuals as well. If you ask some of the boys about the impact those players had, and of those still here, in fact, it’s massive, and it will have a positive influence on their careers.
That’s culture, isn’t it? That’s what a good culture is about. It’s about influencing people in a positive way. We’re on that course – we’re not there yet, we finished seventh last year, after all – but while it’s success in terms of improvement, it’s not success. We want to be right up there but I firmly believe we’re on the right trajectory.
DT: On that trajectory, there were still some good things happening before 2025, the youth for one. How important is it to keep building on that front?
GE: Its massive. We’ve seen the rewards of that with Lewis, Harvey and Davy. We’ve invested in the youth department for years and years and we want to bring through more. All the good Super League teams need that. The academy are going to Australia next year and it’s a huge opportunity for the club to put themselves out there, but also for those players to create memories and forge friendships that they could have for life.
DT: The collective goal at the club is to kick on now. How do you do that?
GE: It just doesn’t happen, does it, and we don’t just get the right to do that. There are 13 teams who will be competing against us week in, week out, and we’ve all got the same thoughts and ambitions.
We’ve got to keep our standards as high as possible and, as the old adage goes, work harder than anybody else. If we do that, then we’ll be on the right path and get the right results, but that’s not to say there won’t be some tough times ahead still. It won’t all be plain sailing and there will be some things that we have to work through, but again, that’s professional sport and rugby league, and the teams that do it best are the teams who are generally at the top of the table.
DT: What does success look like for Hull in 2026?
GE: I think making the play-offs is a reasonable ambition for us to have. I think, given the team we’ve got, it’s feasible to be thinking like that, but we’ve also got to remember it was only two or three years ago that we were the worst team in the competition.
That’s a reality check as well; we’re not getting carried away, but we still have that belief and ambition that we can do something special. You never know. I think back to 2016, and that team had some ups and downs within that season and some turning points and which way you react to them and how you handle them can decide what type of direction you go in. We will probably face some of them again this year – and we’ll see what will be for us.