Hull FC game changing recruitment

Also added to that spine are Jordan Abdull, Amir Bourouh, and Hull’s first marquee addition, John Asiata. It’s easy to play down Asiata, as he signed way back in May, but what a signing he is. He will transform the way Hull attack, and give an out-and-out ball threat in the middle of the park. That’s something that this side hasn’t had in recent seasons.

nd if Cartwright can get the best out of the club’s new full-back (Rapana) and his half (Sezer), then Hull are on to a winner, with Abdull to partner Sezer, Bourouh playing at hooker, and Cust to sit on the interchange, and perhaps even force his way into the starting side dependent on form, tactics, and the like. There is something to go on there, with Rapana well-known for driving standards, cultural aspects, and being the ultimate competitor—traits that Hull desperately need. Sezer, meanwhile, brings experience and organisation to the side and is a player that already knows the Super League competition and more importantly, played together with Rapana at Canberra Raiders.

Of course, it would be naïve to say Hull’s recruitment is perfect or that this was the initial plan, with well-known moves made for both Lachlan Lam and Tristan Sailor, but it is recruitment that certainty, at least for the two newest additions, has a familiar feel, with Rapana and Sezer speaking highly of Cartwright—something that wets the appetite for next year with certain traits and foundations to be laid.

Rapana has described Cartwright as the ‘perfect bloke to lead transition’ while being massive on ‘culture, hard work and winning at all costs.’ He also said the coach installed so much ‘confidence’ in him as a young player, with the Kiwi also adding that he’s a ‘man of his word.’ Sezer meanwhile, didn’t shy away from Cartwright being the deciding factor to join Hull, with the ‘utmost respect’ given to the Aussie.

If Cartwright can instil that sort of belief and confidence into the rest of the squad, who have to buy-in to everything he and his new backroom team does, then Hull will rise again next year, with experienced players like Zak Hardaker, Ed Chamberlain, and Oliver Holmes brought in to aid up-and-coming young talent. That’s the balance Hull have gone down, with over 30 signings made to give Hull some much-needed seniority, with those younger challenged to learn, develop, and then evolve in the positions.

They are all players that will hopefully give Hull the desired qualities in terms of grit, determination, leadership, professionalism, culture, and co. They are the qualities all desired by Cartwright, who will arrive in the UK this autumn needing both trust and time as he looks to galvanise the side and move forward.

The recruitment model is that Hull’s young talent, many of which have made their mark this year, will learn from those players and their traits under a coach that prioritises hard work and toughness over everything else. And then in the years to come, they will take the torch as the leading figures of the side, one that will have hopefully climbed the Super League ladder into a more resilient and tougher outfit.

By then, Hull will hope to have earned the right to recruit a higher calibre of player, and then the process evolves once more. For now, though, the principles are based on honest hard work and nothing less, with the goal of feeling proud of performances again. And by Sezer and Rapana’s latest accounts, Hull have got the coach to do just that. The challenge for all is to buy in.