Andy Last's Hull FC passion has instant impact with tears shed in team meetings

If restoring pride in the jersey is Hull FC's top priority, the capture of Andy Last may prove to be the most important of the lot. Last, Hull through and through, is back at the back after a few years away and it hasn't taken long for his passion for the club to rub off on the players.

Last has spent the last four seasons away from the MKM Stadium, continuing his coaching career at Wakefield Trinity, Castleford Tigers and Catalans Dragons. However, the 43-year-old has returned to the club he committed 23 years of his life to previously.

John Cartwright described his return as a coup for the club and it's not hard to see why. Within the first few days of his return to the club, Last has shown the type of commitment and passion for the club that supporters have been crying out for from the team during what has been a miserable period for the club.

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It hasn't gone unnoticed either.

"I've only just met him but I can tell how much this club means to him," Prop Herman Ese'ese said.

"He wasn't supposed to be in for the rest of this week because he's only just finished with England. When I saw him I asked him why he wasn't having the time off he just looked at me, showed me the Hull FC badge and said that's why.

"When we signed him, the boys were saying how much he cares about the club. In one of our meetings, he spoke about having pride in the jersey and the community. The way he was speaking, he looked to be getting a little bit teary and it's good to see, how much passion he has for this club."

Cartwright echoed those views after revealing he had received good feedback from Lee Briers, who has worked with Last in the England setup.

"Rich mentioned Andy to me, I did a bit of homework and spoke to Lee and he was nothing but positive and gave good comments not only on him as a coach but how passionate a Hull man he is.

"We've been together two weeks now with the players, we've had open discussions with the players about the club, where we want it to be and how we're going to get there. To see him talk about Hull and where it got to last year, I think he did have tears rolling down his face.

"Sometimes it's hard to know what the younger generations are feeling when that's happening, but I was totally engrossed in what he was saying about how happy he was to be back."

He added: "To hear him address the group and talk with such intensity, it meant a lot to me and looking around the place you could see every eye was totally focused on him. Without having a game yet or seeing him in action too much, we've hit a winner getting him back to the club, it's a massive coup."

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