Hull FC’s best Super League starts ranked with 2025 among finest and omen set
What a start it's been for Hull!
There is a distinct Hull feel to the Super League table at the moment: and while one half of the city were expected to be among the leading pack at this stage, one definitely wasn’t.
John Cartwright has inspired a major turnaround at Hull FC and after six games, they already have more wins than the whole of last season.
In fact, the Black and Whites have claimed more league wins in 2025 than they did in their previous 36 games, going all the way back to summer 2023.
It has been a remarkable start, and while last year, we were writing plenty of articles about where Hull’s run of form ranked among the club’s history books, it is only right we do the same when times are going so well!
In fact, only twice before have Hull started a league season before in the entire history of Super League, underlining what a brilliant turnaround this has been by Cartwright and his players.
Their haul of nine points from a possible 12 so far in 2025 is mightily good going. They did do the same in 2012, when Peter Gentle’s Black and Whites also won four, drew one and lost one of their first six league games.
That team, captained by Andy Lynch, only slipped up against Salford in a narrow two-point defeat – and they would go on to make the play-offs! Hull also matched that tally in 2001 under Shaun McRae.
And if you’re looking for an omen, Hull fans – every time they’ve performed as well as or even slightly better than this start, they have gone on to make the top six on three out of four occasions.
The one year they didn’t however, included a catastrophic mid-season collapse. That was in 2009 when after six games, Hull sat third, having won their first five before Richard Agar’s side lost at home to Castleford.
But they would only win five more matches in league and cup all season to finish 12th!
However, the second time they got 10 from 12, it was a much more enjoyable campaign.
That was in 2017 when Lee Radford had built a superb Hull squad capable of competing on all fronts. That was underlined when they won at Wembley that summer – and in the league, they arguably could have made a Grand Final, too.
They won five of their first six and finished third going into the Super 8s, when they set up a play-off semi-final against Leeds.
However, they were beaten by just two points to miss out on a Grand Final with Castleford. Can Cartwright’s side go one better this year, perhaps?
Hull FC’s best Super League starts after six games
2017: 10 points
2009: 10 points
2025: 9 points
2001: 9 points
2012: 9 points
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