John Cartwright has insisted that Hull FC owners Andrew Thirkill and David Hood won’t give up until the Black and Whites are a ‘top team’ once again. The duo purchased the club from long-serving chairman Adam Pearson last December, and so far, they, along with CEO Richie Myler, have not been short in their enthusiasm for all things black and white.
Ultimately, the end goal in Hull’s ongoing rebuild, with no stone left unturned as they look to improve all facets of the club, is to win silverware again, and while there is a long way still to go to make those dreams a reality, FC’s head coach believes that the club are on track this year, with a clear progress admission made.
But that’s not to say this club is sitting still—with the Hull boss, for one, offering some perspective after a miserable 2024 season and now driven to kick on and ensure a top-six finish is achieved this year. The next challenge to ensure that finish is Saturday’s home game against St Helens, with Cartwright’s message to the club’s supporters clear as the side looks to secure a first home win of the year.
“Just keep the faith,” he told Hull Live. “You want to support a side that never gives up, and they’ve got that. There have been a lot of games when we’ve been behind on the scoreboard late in the game, and we’ve kept playing until the final whistle.
“It’s not something they want to hear; they want to win, and they’ve been on the back of some heavy defeats over recent years, but if you look back at the last couple of years and results and compare that to what they watch now, I think we’d all take that, but that doesn’t mean that we’re happy with where we’re at.
“Within these four walls, we all agree that we can play in big games at the end of the year, but trying until the end isn’t good enough; we know that we have to nail things during the game. That’s what all the talk is about, but the club won’t ever give up under the current ownership until they’re a top team and a consistent top team with their results. That’s the aim, and it’s certainly something I want to be a part of, and all the players want to be a part of. We’ll just keep striving for that.”
Full of spirit and fight, Hull are satisfied with where they sit right now as they hold onto a play-off position, but they know they must keep looking for improvement with 11 rounds still to go.
“The players have kept turning up for each other defensively, and they turn up to training with the right attitude,” Cartwright continued. “They’re very honest in their appraisal of their own game, which makes all the coaches jobs a lot easier.
“I’m really pleased with how far they have come as a group. If you cast your mind back 12 months and now see where they’re at, they have come a long way. I’m super happy with the connection they have, the bond they have. We want to win every week, of course we do, but realistically, that’s not going to happen.
“We just deal with our performances, good or bad, and then we move on to next week. That’s something they’ve done—they’ve turned up and had a crack every week. We haven’t always played how we want to, but I’m happy with the effort and the way they turn up each week.”
Looking for a first home win of the year, Hull, who play eight of their last 11 games of the season at home, know what’s at stake as they prepare for the Saints, who currently sit three points ahead of them in the Super League table.
“We just need to win if we want to compete at the back end of the year,” Cartwright added. “We need to start winning. If we can turn that ground into a fortress, well, that will be great for us, but there’s no extra pressure.
“There’s already pressure when you play at this level every week, so we don’t want to add any more to it. The field is the same dimensions, and we’ve got a bigger crowd there watching us—we’ve got no excuses, but win, lose, or draw, if we play to our ability, we’ll walk off satisfied.”