John Cartwright’s Hull FC future untenable after taking on placeholder role

John Cartwright’s future won’t be at Hull FC beyond the end of the 2026 season. Truthfully, it is difficult to see him lasting that long.

The club announced on Tuesday that Cartwright will leave at the end of the year, despite the fact he is contracted to the club until the end of the 2027 season.

It’s fair to say this is a club decision, not a John Cartwright one.

The club will have their reasons for making the call but with it now clear that they are well down the track in securing Steve McNamara as their new head coach, it’s obvious this has been in the pipeline for some time.

Maybe signs were already there that this was coming. The fact the Black and Whites haven’t recruited any players despite losing a string of their talent to premature departures or long-term injuries felt odd. Hull FC have been very proactive and aggressive on the recruitment front in recent years. This was a noted change of strategy and maybe knowing a change was coming meant they held back.

Again, that would be a reasonable decision to make, but with that, and the fact the club has decided to cut his contract short, it does feel like Cartwright’s position at the club is now untenable.

It’s hard to think Cartwright is happy about it. Why would he be? Guiding the club to a seventh-placed finish last year was a good return, their best league finish since 2020. The start of this year has been underwhelming but far from disastrous; they are two points off the play-offs.

You wouldn’t blame Cartwright if he felt like he was just keeping the seat warm for the person the club really wants. A placeholder.

Any recruitment decisions made between now and the end of his tenure ultimately won’t be his, certainly nothing that will impact the salary cap beyond the end of this year. That will be restrictive. And ultimately, the club’s focus will now be on putting plans in place that their next head coach wants. Inevitably, there will be differences in opinion between that person and Cartwright.

It looks and feels like a very difficult and, ultimately, impractical scenario. An early parting between club and coach seems predictable and inevitable.

Ultimately, only Cartwright himself could tell you how he feels, but you wouldn’t blame him for being deflated and questioning whether he should stay or not. All being said, it might be easier for the club if he leaves, too. It wouldn’t be a surprise if a few defeats follow, the club pull the pin anyway.

What’s certain is that it’s a strange situation, and one that feels very unlikely to last the duration of the season.