John Cartwright's long-term Hull FC goal set as inspiration taken from familiar face

John Cartwright is taking inspiration from his hometown club Penrith Panthers as he looks to build Hull FC back into a Super League force once again. The new Black and Whites boss is Penrith born and bred and was part of their first Premiership success as a player back in 1991.

And watching on as the 'Riff clinched their fourth successful Premiership in 2024, Cartwright knows exactly what the secret ingredients are. The Panthers have built from within, taking advantage of the biggest junior rugby league system in the world to ensure the nucleus of their side is homegrown.

But it goes deeper than just fielding local players. There is a true sense of connection at the foot of the mountains, with Penrith players proud to live and represent their community. For Cartwright, the goal is to get the same feeling at Hull FC, with the 59-year-old ready to front the club for the next three years.

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For the Aussie, the similarities between the two places are there to see. For one, they are both working-class cities, and they are both rugby league mad. Hull, too, have the goal to promote from within. They know the long-term benefits, and while nothing is guaranteed, they are trying to make it all a reality.

"A lot of clubs are trying to do it, but it takes time," Cartwright told Hull Live. "What Penrith has done now started back when Nathan Cleary and Jerome Luai were 14 and 15 years of age, and Isaah Yeo was probably 16 or 17. They've all come through a system where they are mates and they know each other's football back to front.

"They also absolutely love the area where they live. They're very proud, and I'm fortunate to know a lot of those boys pretty well. When I played there, it was nearly impossible to get players to come out to Penrith and play; it was considered an outpost, but now they don't want to leave, and players want to come and play there.

"They're in a really fortunate position as well, where it is just a rugby league mad area. They have over 10,000 kids that play in the local area. If you've got that amount of players playing, you're going to produce more players, and if you look through the NRL, there'll be so many players at different clubs that have come out of the Penrith junior system.

"They've kept the very best of them, but there's also ones who have left, outstanding players, and I see Hull with a similar type feel to it, on a smaller scale. It's got a small community feel to it; it's a mad rugby league town. I've picked that up in the week that I've been here. I've had several conversations with people wishing me luck, and I can hear the passion in their voice.

"The bottom line is it takes time, and it's not just about getting the players; it's about building that foundation up right from the school visits to the junior club visits to looking after your members and performing on game day. There's a hell of a lot that goes into it."

Understanding Hull FC's stance in the community, Cartwright is eager to help the club grow, from on field performance to stature off it, while nurturing that relationship between players and supporters. In the Aussie's view, it all transpires to making a successful club.

He continued: "A big part of my job is going to be to make sure that the players are aware of the jumper that they are wearing and how important it is to play for the people where they live. I often call them the 14th player, especially when they're cheering and yelling, and nine times out of ten, things can happen during a game where you feel like you've got 14 or 15 players on the field.

"For us as a club, it's not just getting better on the field. Of course that's the by-product of everything that we do, but we've got to win community support back both on and off the field. I've always enjoyed being in areas where they have big support. I was at North Queensland Cowboys, who had a great supporter base, and the players were very active in the community, which I know Hull are as well. It goes hand in hand.

"At the end of the day, you want to be walking around the field with the fans cheering your name and the club. You don't want to be walking around getting boo'd. That's our challenge. We need to win the support of our community through winning, of course, but also in how we represent ourselves throughout the community."

Ultimately, Cartwright's ethos is on things that can make supporters proud. Putting hard work, grit, determination, and the like above everything, he knows what's needed, with the aim to restore pride and passion in Hull FC again.

"Every time our players put this jersey on, I want them to realise who they're playing for, what a famous club Hull is, and where it's been in the past," Cartwright added. "People talk about the last year or two, but there's over 100 years before that of the club achieving amazing success.

"I've been nothing but impressed by the people I've met here so far. Everyone, from the office guys to the football staff, they're all mad Hull supporters, and the pain that all the supporters felt, I can guarantee that all the players and all the staff felt that as well. That's certainly going to be a driver for us next year."

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