John Cartwright made a promise last May that his Hull FC squad would be 'fit and hungry' going into 2025, with the head coach now believing that his players are at an NRL standard level of fitness ahead of the new season.

The Black and Whites' first team squad has been put through a gruelling pre-season campaign over the last three months, with training beginning on November 5 last year. In for longer and more intense days, Cartwright has put a hefty physical demand on his squad, with the club comparing player data with other NRL clubs and getting very similar results—in fact, sitting 'side by side' with their Australian counterparts.

Putting an onus down on strength and conditioning consultant Jon Clarke, Hull planned a full-on programme, with that programme coming to its conclusion at the start of this month. Content with where his side is at, Cartwright, who most recently worked at Brisbane Broncos but who has been at several different NRL clubs over the course of his career, is now excited for the start of competitive action, with his side beginning the year against York Acorn in the Challenge Cup this Saturday afternoon.

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Speaking ahead of the new season, Cartwright told the BBC: "I can't talk about where they (the players) were in the past, but I know this year we've been fortunate to measure ourselves against some NRL standards, and we're right in the mix.

"When we talk about the testing we do physically, strength testing, there's no difference between us and the NRL clubs we've been able to get some figures around. We sit side by side with them.

"I've worked in the NRL for the last 20 years, and I didn't really know what to expect fitness-wise from the players, but I was pleasantly surprised on that first week. We gave them a few days of hard training, and then we did some testing. They were in really good shape for that time of the year. They were a lot better than I thought they would be."

Coming to the club with an open mind, Cartwright was keen to put his own methods into practice, not judging what went on before. He continued: "I didn't enquire about last year, really. I didn't want to know.

"I had my own ideas on the pre-season that I wanted to have. I worked with some really good clubs back home and good S&C people. We were really fortunate to have Jonny Clarke as a consultant in that department; he's head of performance at Manly at the moment, and he's been consulting with our people.

"It's been very tough at times; you've got to be careful when you come in; you can't just go flat out and keep it going for long weeks. We went hard for three or four weeks, and then we started getting a few injuries, so we had to back off a little bit and let things change on the run.

"In general, it's been tough physically but also tough in the length of time. The players have been there a lot longer than I think they have in the past. The days have been a lot fuller. By the time they leave training, they go home and sleep well."

Outlining the importance of pre-season, Cartwright has been pleased with the effort of his players over the winter months, with a strong buy-in delivered at their new University of Hull base.

He explained: "The pre-season is the most important part of the year. It's the only real chance you get to physically improve your squad. No matter what stage of your career you're at, you can improve in different areas.

"When the season starts, and unless you get the odd week when you've got a large turnaround and you get some work into them, it's generally about maintenance. If you miss that window through the pre-season, sometimes you can be playing a lot of catch-up when the season starts. When the season starts, you just want to be playing as hard as you possibly can and then recover and get ready for the next game."

Hull will now hope their newfound level of fitness will pay dividends with the season unfolding. After cup action, they begin their Super League campaign at Catalans Dragons before hosting Wigan Warriors in round two. Placing an emphasis on growing their backroom staff, they've taken every step to look after players and attempt to prevent injury as much as possible.

"We've added to our medical staff," Cartwright added. "We've brought in a new physio, and our training has been geared to toughen their bodies up for a long season. Sometimes that can take a few pre-seasons to get that right, but we're certainly going in the right direction with the way we're training.

"We did pick up a lot of niggles through the pre-season, but the best thing was that there was nothing major. They'll all be pretty much close to full health come the first game, which is great for us coaches.

"We've got a squad of 30 to pick from, but there are loads of little things—there's no magic wand, but it's the preparation for training, the recovery afterwards, coming in the next day and doing it over and over again and being consistent with everything—it all helps you stay injury-free and helps you get ready for the year ahead."