Hull FC have a plan in place.
Hull FC’s 2027 recruitment drive is up and running. Truth be told, it never stopped, with both recruitment and retention a genuine 365-day affair.
But in lining up a key target, Hull, namely head coach John Cartwright and CEO Richie Myler, have set the boat out for one position in particular: the centre spot. Long identifying the position as an area of attention for the season after next, they want Leigh Leopards star Umlya Hanley and will now look to convince the Wigan-born back that the Black and Whites are the right destination for him.
They face some competition to do that, and arguably none more so than from his current club Leigh. The Leythers, with some big names out of contract, are expecting to feel the pinch of the salary cap again this season but they are understood to be keen to retain Hanley, who they have developed into a Dream Team centre over the last three years.
Hull face a battle to lure Hanley to East Yorkshire but will be confident of producing a competitive offer to land what would a solid start to recruitment – one that would cement further depth and competition to a centre contingent already containing Davy Litten, Arthur Romano, and Ryan Westerman, not to mention Zak Hardaker, who has made no secret to Hull Live of his desire to go around again in 2027 and beyond.
Tying up Hanley, an English talent, would also allow Hull to look at overseas spots in other areas. Whether that’s at prop, back row, or even hooker, with quotas Ligi Sao, Liam Knight, and Jed Cartwright all out of contract come the end of the 2026 season, remains to be seen, but it would give the club options – and that’s always welcome.
Obviously, if they miss out on Hanley, then that changes things, but there’s no doubt Hull will have the contingency plans in place should that reality occur. That could mean looking at overseas centres, namely from the NRL, a chain effect that could trigger new domestic targets in different positions.
Whether they dip back in on that front, or look elsewhere, remains to be seen – and seemingly centres on the decision of their primary target: Umyla Hanley. An interesting few weeks await.