John Cartwright’s immediate future was ‘inevitable’.
Hull FC CEO Richie Myler with former coach John Cartwright.(Image: SW PIX)
Paul Cooke believes it was ‘inevitable’ that John Cartwright would be ‘stepped down’ as Hull FC head coach following his explosive press conference on Monday afternoon.
Cartwright stated he felt ‘betrayed and disrespected’ by the club, who announced on April 7 that he would leave the club at the end of the season. The Black and Whites exercised a six month termination clause in Cartwright’s contract, opting against a third year for 2027.
But after the Aussie’s comments, also taking aim at the lack of recruitment this season and the way he has been treated, they have moved to part ways after Thursday’s game against St Helens, with the coach placed on gardening leave. He has stepped down from all first team duties but remains an employee of the club.
Speaking on BBC Humberside, Cooke said: “There was only one outcome. When you go above and speak about owners, whoever it may be, particularly the club itself and how badly it’s been handled, then there is only one way that’a going and it ends up with you either not being at the club and moved on, or as it happens now, I think he is still employed by the club and on gardening leave.
“I’m not sure where the unfairness comes from in terms of he’s been told he’s not going to be at the club next year. He was told he was going to be in a job until the end of this year.
“He’s gone out and publicly spoken against the club and the club have moved him on or put him on gardening leave. I think that was an inevitable part of it for me.
“When you speak out of turn as much as he did, I was astounded by his honesty and what he said in his first interview after he’d been told he wasn’t going to be at the club because that’s just asking for trouble if you’re a head coach.”
Cooke, who coached Featherstone Rovers last season, also aired his sympathy for Cartwright – and explained why the club have perhaps come to their decision, with Steve McNamara appointed from the 2027 season.
He continued: “I can understand and I can sympathise with him. I can also understand it from the club’s point of view as a business that, with all due respect, the results haven’t been great this year. If somebody sat on a results-based business, then they could have been sacked on these results. He also could have been sacked because they want to move in a different direction.
“There are lots of ways that people can leave clubs and most of the time they don’t end up in the public domain, and I doubt that we will know the facts of this and it will come into the domain unless John Cartwright wants to give up his severance payment package, his financial package, which he’ll end up signing in the end with a non-disclosure agreement, which is what happens when most coaches sever from most clubs.”
Cartwright joined Hull ahead of the 2025 season and finished seventh in his first year in charge – the clubs best result since 2020.
Commenting on Cartwright’s role in charge: “I think John’s done a terrific job, by the way, of stabilising this club because this club would have been hammered most weeks when John wasn’t here and when he did come in, he makes them tough to beat. He’s instilled toughness into the club. He’s certainly taken the club forward in his tenure.”
As for McNamara’s appointment, Cooke believes the timing and availability of the Hull-born coach was crucial.
He added: “I think 60-70% of that decision will be Steve McNamara’s availability in 2027. There’s nothing to say that will be available at the end of the year if they don’t begin negotiations now.”