Andy Last’s Hull FC in-tray including galvanising squad, new blood and history repeat

Andy Last is back in interim charge at Hull FC. We’ve taken a look at what his first steps could be.

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This weekend will have a sense of déjà vu for Andy Last, tasked from Sunday morning’s session with leading Hull FC as interim coach once again. The 42-year-old, who returned to the club after a four-year absence ahead of the 2025 season, will take charge for the remaining 19 games of the Black and Whites’ season in a position he first held six seasons ago.

Ironically, that spell, the 2020 season, was the last time Hull made the Super League play-offs, and wouldn’t we all love a little history to repeat in five months’ time? That, right now, mind, seems a way away, with Last’s first task being to galvanise a group that will still be feeling the effects of John Cartwright’s departure from the club.

Let’s be frank, Thursday was an emotional night, with Cartwright, in tears post-match, bidding farewell to a group of players that have given everything, regardless of results, for him over the last 16 or so months. And replicating that level of effort, grit, and spirit is Last’s first point of call. The Hull-born coach cares deeply for this club; he has an association with the Black and Whites, after all, going back over 25 years, and his first challenge will be to get this squad to galvanise and put everything seen over the last fortnight behind them.

Last needs to see Hull rally together and move forward – and ultimately, put the club first. They need the same siege mentality and ability to come out swinging that they showed against St Helens. They need the same grit, the same fight, the same connection, and the like. Get that and there’s something to go on.

Last will then try to get Hull going with a bit of shape ahead of Friday’s round nine game at Castleford Tigers, a match that concludes the first third of the Super League season and one that already seems like a must-win contest. Games then follow against Toulouse Olympique and Bradford Bulls, not that Last will have much focus down the track right now. One game at a time and all that.

So what can we expect from Last in charge? Well, six years ago, it took a bit of time, but once Last got his selections and system tweaks into place, Hull began to get their rewards. They gradually improved before finishing the season just 80 minutes shy of a Super League Grand Final that ironically took place at the MKM Stadium.

That’s not to suggest that it’s a case of flicking the switch and going again, but Last is here for a reason – he’s a highly regarded coach, working under Shaun Wane at England and incoming Hull coach Steve McNamara at Catalans, and was brought back to the club by Richie Myler for his passion, pride, and coaching knacks.

There are few, if any, out there more passionate about Hull FC, and hopefully Last can get a tune going out of the side again, but, as has been the case for the last two months now, the need for reinforcement is clear. Hull have been looking at recruitment for several weeks and finally brought in a new recruit in Harry Newman for the Saints clash, albeit on a one-week loan deal, but in losing two more props in Sam Lisone (arm) and Matty Laidlaw (leg), and with Herman Ese’ese still another month away from returning from an Achilles injury, the need to dip back in, even if it’s the loan market again, is clear.

Hull need to bolster a squad that could be as many as 12 deep to injury. Get that reinforcement, a few injury returns, with Joe Batchelor expected to be back for the Cas game, and who knows, a history repeat may not be beyond Last’s capabilities. No pressure, then…