Outgoing Hull FC coach John Cartwright hinted ahead of Betfred Super League defeat to St Helens that he wants to stay on until the end of the season, despite the “uproar” caused by the club’s recent decision to replace him.
The Black and Whites announced last week that they would not renew Cartwright’s contract at the end of the season, a move that appears to have taken the 60-year-old Australian by surprise.
Cartwright said on Monday he felt “betrayed and disrespected” amid widespread reports that Hull FC had brought in former England international and Catalans Dragons head coach Steve McNamara to replace him.
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Hull FC fans and players have shown their support for John Cartwright following the surprise news that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season.
Despite losing 24-14 to St Helens in the Super League, Cartwright was cheered on by Hull’s home fans, who even chanted his name towards the end of the defeat.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the game, Cartwright said the exact reason for his dismissal had not yet been revealed, but said he was still in the early stages and wanted to continue watching the season, which doesn’t end until October.
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John Cartwright reacts to news of being sacked by Hull FC, reveals what’s going on behind the scenes
Asked if he expected the game against St Helens to be his last as manager, Cartwright said: “Not at the moment, not as I stand here.”
“Two weeks ago I never thought I’d be in this position, so you never know what’s going to happen.
“But for me, I love the group of players we have here. We have a really good bond and I think we’re progressing. I think we have a chance to have a great year.”
“We’ll get through tonight, and then hopefully it’ll be business as usual.”
Asked again after the game about his future, Cartwright became emotional and added: “Honestly, I don’t know. I’m going to let that settle down. We’re going to have some meetings early next week, and then we’ll see.”
Mr Cartwright said he had had further discussions with Hull FC owner Andrew Thirkill since his last comments and said he expected further discussions to continue.
When asked if he was told why his contract was not renewed, he answered, “Not really.”
“I’ve had some discussions with Andrew and we’ll meet again next week. However, there are some minor issues at the moment that we hope to resolve next week.”
Cartwright received warm applause from home fans Thursday.
Coach Cartwright joined the team after the 2024 season on a two-year contract and oversaw a significant turnaround in the team’s record, going from just three wins the previous year to 13 wins in 2025.
When asked how the players took the news of his impending departure, Cartwright said their reaction left him “confused”.
“That’s a funny thing for me to answer,” Cartwright said. “At one point, I was confused.
“We were lucky to have two weeks to prepare for the game.
“Once the players found out, we had three really great sessions and no one said anything about it anymore.”
St Helens come from behind to win
Hull FC led by six points at the end of the first half, and late tries from Kyle Felts and Harry Robertson sealed victory for the visitors, who made a comeback.
The hosts were not helped by a disparate build-up as the news permeated and they missed a day of training, but they responded well to the Saints trip to East Yorkshire with a dramatic win over Wigan on Good Friday and a win over Catalans Dragons in the Challenge Cup.
It was hardly an environment in which to recover from the disappointing derby loss to Hull KR two weeks ago, but Cartwright will have been proud of his players’ early performance and Logan Moy’s 12th-minute opener.
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Logan Moy takes Hull FC ahead of St Helens
Zak Hardaker added to FC’s lead by scoring the first two of his six goals on the Spike, but Saints responded well and capped off their spell of pressure with an equalizer when Jake Davies broke through the home defense with some ease.
Tristan Sailor’s first of four kicks was successful to bring the side level, but FC responded again, with Sam Risonne in hot pursuit and Amir Boulou finding a gap to push in from dummy half.
Hull went into half-time with a six-point lead, but Saints showed a different look after the interval, rattling closer after Noah Stevens equalized. After an exchange of penalties for a high tackle, both teams were tied 14-14.
Still, it looked like there could only be one winner and Saints stepped on the gas, Sailor scoring a Felt into the right corner to quickly put the visitors back in the lead, before Robertson waved off Moy to wrap up the points.
2026 Super League – Important dates and highlights
Paris Super League: Saturday 6 June: Catalans Dragons v Wigan Warriors (Paris), 6:30 UK (Sky Sports) Magic Weekend: 4 July – 5 July Rivals Round Reversal: 23 July – 26 July Elimination Play-offs: 19 September – 20 September Play-off Semi-Finals: 26 September – 27 September Grand Final: October 3rd, Old Trafford.
Sky Sports will continue to broadcast every Super League match live this season. Exclusively live, including two matches from each round, the remaining five matches will be shown weekly on Sky Sports+.
