John Cartwright’s exit from Hull FC has become more than a routine coaching change. The outgoing head coach says he was not given a reason for the club’s decision to end his contract at the season’s close, and that absence of explanation has sharpened the sense of rupture. What should have been a planned transition now looks like a public split, with Cartwright saying he feels “betrayed and disrespected” after last week’s announcement. The language matters because it points to a breakdown in trust, not just performance.
Why John Cartwright’s exit matters now
Hull FC said last week that Cartwright will leave at the end of the season, ending a two-year deal that began after the 2024 campaign. That season had left the club with only three wins from 27 matches, and Cartwright’s first full year in charge lifted them to seventh in 2025. On paper, that is a measurable improvement. Yet the decision not to renew his contract suggests the club is looking beyond the final league position and toward a different direction for the next stage. For supporters, the immediate issue is not only who comes next, but why the change was made before the process had reached a natural public explanation.
John Cartwright says the decision was not mutual
Cartwright has made clear that he did not view the departure as a shared decision. “It wasn’t mutual, put it that way, ” he said, adding that he still had not been given a reason and expected to sit down with someone in the not too distant future. He also said there had not been a “major” fallout with the board before the call was made. That detail narrows the picture: this was not presented as an obvious collapse in relationships, but rather as a unilateral move that left the coach seeking answers after the fact.
The emotional weight of that break became visible in the aftermath of his team talk. Cartwright said there was a “pretty emotional meeting” when he addressed the players, and that training on Tuesday was cancelled after the squad was told of his exit. He described a room in which the coaches left and the players stayed behind to talk among themselves. His decision to call the day off suggests the issue had moved beyond routine preparation and into a moment of internal reflection. In that sense, John Cartwright’s departure is not only administrative; it has already altered the club’s daily rhythm.
Steve McNamara and the likely next step
Attention has now shifted to the expected replacement. Cartwright said he believes former England and Catalans Dragons head coach Steve McNamara is set to take over at MKM Stadium at the end of the year. He added that he has “nothing against Steve McNamara, ” but felt the timing of the leak was awkward and could have been handled better. That comment is important because it shows the issue is not only the choice of successor, but the manner in which the transition has unfolded.
Paul Cooke has also publicly backed McNamara as the right fit, arguing that his career has been underestimated. Cooke pointed to McNamara’s work in France with Catalans Dragons, his time as an assistant with the Sydney Roosters and New Zealand Warriors, and his current role with Warrington. In Cooke’s view, those experiences have value that is easy to overlook. He also said John Cartwright had done a “really good job” stabilising a club that was “all over the place” when he arrived, moving it from heavy defeats to a team that was difficult to beat. That endorsement creates a wider contrast: one coach credited with stabilising Hull FC, another framed as a potential cultural fit for the next phase.
What the fallout could mean for Hull FC
The immediate sporting impact is limited because the current season is still unfolding, but the longer-term effect may be more significant. Cartwright’s comments suggest unresolved tension around communication, timing, and accountability. If a coach who improved the team’s results still leaves feeling blindsided, that raises questions about how the club manages major decisions internally. It also places pressure on the eventual handover, because any new appointment will arrive amid scrutiny over process as well as performance.
At a broader level, John Cartwright’s exit underlines how quickly a club’s narrative can change once a public decision is made without a clear explanation. Hull FC now face the challenge of moving from a season of progress to a transition clouded by dissatisfaction. The football side can be reset, but the human side may take longer. How smoothly can Hull FC move forward if the final chapter of Cartwright’s tenure remains unsettled?
