Andy Last shares greatest John Cartwright wish as Hull FC head coach desire aired

Hull FC assistant coach Andy Last still holds the desire to be a head coach one day. However, his primary focus right now is helping John Cartwright be the best 'version' of himself and create a 'dynasty' at the Black and Whites.

Last has signed a three-year deal at Hull, with Cartwright on the same contract length. And Last, who first appeared for the Airlie Birds as a player in 1999, believes he is now a 'better' coach after experiencing the head coach hotseat, with the 43-year-old taking charge of Castleford Tigers in 2023. He also had assistant coach roles at Wakefield Trinity and Catalans Dragons, as well as Castleford, and also assists Shaun Wane in the England fold.

Bringing that experience back to Hull, Last is keen to support Cartwright and make a fist of turning Hull around to be a competitive Super League force once again, having finished in the bottom four over the last three seasons.

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"In the long run, I'd love to have another crack at being a head coach," Last told Hull Live. "I know I am capable of being a head coach. I've been in the game a long time, and I know what my strengths are and what my weaknesses are.

"I feel as though that's maybe my next path, but in the short term, it's not something I'm focusing on. I just want to be the best version of an assistant coach that I can be and support Carty as best as I possibly can.

"I think I'm a better coach now after understanding the pressures that come with being a head coach. You can help Carty and get certain things done without having to worry about things not being done. I've only learned that from being a head coach, and if I can help John to be the best version of himself every day, come with energy and good ideas, and do my job the best I can, then that will help Carty be the best version of himself too.

"I'm really excited and looking forward to seeing what Carty can do over the next three years. Hopefully, we're successful, and he gets a couple more years at this club, and we create a dynasty in the future."

Of course, Last, who was interim coach at the time, went for the Hull head coach job back in 2020, with the club instead going down a different route, hiring Brett Hodgson, who was then replaced by Tony Smith two years later. However, Last, a boyhood Black and White, then cut his teeth on other projects, something he believes has helped develop his coaching arsenal, in particular his head coach spell at Castleford.

He continued: "It's a strange one—after the experience and disappointment of not getting the job in 2020, that hurt. It was like, 'What more could we have done?' We played a good brand of rugby; team spirit was good, cohesion was good, and we were 80 minutes from a Grand Final.

"For reasons that I don't fully know why, Adam (Pearson) made the decision to go with Brett, and I was then thinking what I didn't do or was there something that didn't tick the boxes. I then got the opportunity at Castleford, and that was a really, really tough job. I couldn't have worked any harder at Castleford, but unfortunately we had some issues with players and getting their best form; we then got into a rut and in a losing cycle, and it's hard to break.

"I was hoping to get the opportunity to make some recruitment decisions at Castleford and attack a full pre-season. I never got that chance to set my own standards; I had to pick it up midway through the season, and sometimes the rot has already set in. It's very difficult to set your standards mid-flow.

"I'd have loved the opportunity at Castleford to have a full season and make my own decisions, but that wasn't the case. They then made the decision to part ways and bring someone else in to try and spark a couple of results and keep their place in the competition. Ultimately, they did that, so it was right for them, but it was difficult for me."

Last added: "That's been and gone now, though, and it's about Hull FC and what we can do here. I'm really excited to work with John over the next three years and see how far we can go."

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