By IAN JUDSON
I ATTENDED John Cartwright’s regular pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon where, of course, the hot topic was the fact that he is going to leave the club at the end of the season.
We were – as you know – informed of this decision by email from Hull FC media last week, in a short statement sent out by CEO Richie Myler, but with no reasoning for the shock decision.
Speaking to the press, the all-but ousted coach said: “It wasn’t mutual, put it that way.
“The club had just come to a decision that they were going to part ways at the end of my current contract, and then a six-month termination clause was exercised, so that’s pretty much how it happened.”
Asked about the reasoning behind the decision, he said: “I still haven’t been given one to be honest with you, so I can’t respond to that.
“I have asked, and I expect, I suppose I’ll be able to sit down with someone in the not too far distant future.”
Asked about how he feels, he replied: “When people know the facts they can make their own mind up. For me, I probably feel a little bit betrayed and disrespected.”
Speaking on whether there had been any disagreement between himself and the board, he said: “There’s been nothing major.
“It’s a game based on a lot of opinion, so when there’s different opinions, I’m not one to stand back and at the end of the day, the results will pretty much come down to the coach, so good results you keep your job, bad results you don’t.
“I’ve had a say on certain things, but I wouldn’t say it was anything that other coaches and CEOs and owners go through.
“It’s nothing that doesn’t go on every day in every club, because it’s opinion related, when you’re talking about recruitment you can base things on a lot of facts these days and statistics. But still there’s an opinion at the end of the day and you don’t always agree. But once you come to a decision, you do what’s best for the club and then you move on to the next one.”
With his son in the final year of his current contract, has that been a sticking point?
“No, that’s had nothing to do with it. Look the day I walked in the day, any negotitation with Jed has been with Jed and his manager and I sort of stood well clear of that.
“Jed’s known since the York game that he wasn’t going to be contracted here beyond this year. So whether that’s been out in the public, I don’t know.
“But as far as decisions made between Jed, me and the club, I couldn’t have been more clearer and they made that decision and I understand it and Jed understands it so there’s definitely been no bad blood about that.”
Speaking about whether he will see the season out, despite feeling betrayed, he replied: “I’ll do my job.
“I’m not going to do anything that will put that at risk. You ask me a question, I’ll tell you the answer, so that’s where that sits. My loyalty, my bond with the players is something that can never be taken away.”
Speaking about the story that the players refused to train after hearing the news, he said: “There was a pretty emotional meeting when I addressed the players.
“The coaches left the room and the players decided to stay, and in all honesty it just wasn’t the type of atmosphere that a training session would have been of any value.
“I decided we were going to call the day off anyway, they needed to go and chat amongst themselves.
“I haven’t asked what was said. It’s not my business to ask what was said and I think they had some grievances that they wanted to talk about and I don’t know if they’ve been addressed either.”
How have the players taken the news? “You form close bonds, a rugby league season is very emotional, there’s a lot of highs and a lot of lows and you become close, that’s just the nature of the game.
“So, yeah it was a very emotional meeting. But we got through it and the last words we said was, we’ve just got to get ready for St. Helens, that was the message.”
Next came the question about how much he knows about the impending appointment of his successor? “I believe it’s done.
“The information was leaked. The timing of that I found a little awkward as well. But I’ve got nothing against Steve McNamara at all. That’s just the business we’re in. But I thought the timing of it maybe could’ve been handled a little bit better.”
With Hull Daily Mail reporter Dan Tomlinson having already published a story about the future arrival of the former England boss to takeover, Cartwright said: “You’ll probably have to ask Dan. That’s where they leaked it to, that was in the paper, in Hull Live straight after it happened, so Dan would know more than me.”
Speaking to me about having no game after a derby defeat, he replied: “It’s been a long two weeks for us, but we’ve got everything out that we needed to get out.
“The most disappointing thing really was how we played in the derby to be honest with you, it was a game that we went into confident that we really could do well.
“We were in the game up until the no try and when John (Asiata) came off and we weren’t playing well, so it’s hard as a coach.
“You’re happy to be close on the scoreboard, even though you haven’t played well, I thought we just weren’t consistent with our footy.
“You’ve got to be at your best, regardless of what happened in the lead up to the game, I really was still confident going into that game.
“We did show some good signs in that with that try and Johnny (Asiata) coming off, that was a big turning point, you know? We hit the front there, who knows what could have happened?
“If we had strung our best 20 minutes in that last 20, I’m confident we could win the game, I was confident going in and I was confident at that point too, that we could still win the game.
“So that was the disappointing thing for me, we just didn’t play near our best, which we had to be.”
As regards the controversially disallowed try for Lewis Martin, I asked if he could understand now, why it was chalked off? “Not with the rules as they are.
“Once it was ruled a try, it’s got to be definitive. Now which angle’s definitive? The one where he’s got his finger on it, or the one, well I didn’t really see one where he didn’t, so I don’t know.
“I didn’t get an explanation. Once the rule’s made I can’t change it and, to be honest, that decision, the same thing could happen next week and they give the try.
“So, you know, it depends on the opinion of the person in the box, you know, opinion related.”
Regarding Brad Fash and his 200th appearance, I asked is he, rather than a match winner, more a person to make sure you don’t lose a game?
“He’s in the opposition’s face, he’s annoying, he loves putting pressure on the opposition halves and hookers, he’s a pain in the butt, to be honest with you, to the opposition.
“But he’s made a career on it and he’s very good at it and it works for him. Like I say, he’s a competitor and he knows how to really get under the opposition’s skin and it plays into our hands, more of then than not.”
With Will Pryce gone for the season, I asked if Logan Moy has made the fullback position his to lose with his recent performances? “Yeah, he’s been really good.
“He plays to his strengths, he’s different to Will, you know? Will’s got that blinding speed, which is really hard to defend.
“Logan’s not slow, but he doesn’t have that turn of foot, so it’s a different way for him and he’s only young and he hasn’t had a lot of Super League.
“His last two games last year that he played at fullback were his best that I’ve seen. And his two games that he’s had so far this year he’s really played at a higher standard.
“We all want them to be at their best at 18 or 19-years-old. But the reality is sometimes it takes a few years.”
Speaking about his future departure, I asked if this could galvanise the team to send him out on the sort of high that I personally think he deserves?
“Yeah, that’s the fairytale, I’d love to go out winning the Grand Final and I really believe we’re capable of it, but that’s words.
“We need to make sure that when things get really tough on the field that resolve that you build and the brotherhood you build is still there.
“That can sometimes be a hard thing to do but, time will, like I said, time will give us that answer.”
Referring back to history in 2025 the only teams Hull didn’t beat were Leeds, who Hull defeated a few weeks ago, Hull KR and this week’s opponents, does that add some emphasis to Thursday night in HU3?
“Yeah, I know we haven’t beat KR because I get reminded about that all the time, but I didn’t realise that about Saints.
“But, from where the club come from, it would be a huge achievement if, in the space of 12-months if we could have knocked every team over, starting with Saints this Thursday.”
How important, in context, is it also to get one over on his great friend Willie Peters before they both head back down under? “I know how important it is to the people of Hull, that’s the key to it.
“Yeah, I sometimes think it’s more important than a grand final to be honest with you, everyone lives for the derby.
“We’ve got three this year, so that gives us an extra chance to get one back on them.”
Finally, I ask him how far has the club come from the car crash it was when he walked through the door in October 2024, to where it is now?
“The brief I had was, first year if we won five plus games that would be a positive, second year 10-plus and third year be competing for finals.
“As far as the brief I was given, I think we’ve over-achieved there, but this year is so early, there’s 20 games to go.
“We’ve had a couple of good wins recently. We’re not in bad form, we played with energy against KR, but just class wasn’t there and skill wasn’t there.
“But if we keep turning up with energy, I’m sure we can go a long way into this season.”
Having got to know this man, speaking to him regularly over the last 18-months, despite his current situation, for what my opinion is worth, I absolutely believe he will see out this season.
John Cartwright has been a genuine pleasure to deal with right from the first time I met him and has always had time for everybody.
Steve McNamara has a very hard act to follow at his hometown club, make no mistake.