Leigh Leopards • 2025 Hull FC
Hull FC are the only team in more turmoil than Salford. The last 3 seasons have witnessed a 9th, 10th and 11th finish. The trend would suggest a 12th-place finish, however a radical overhaul of the entire club with Richie Myler at the centre of the entire revolution.
2024 Season Review
The 2024 season was a disaster for Hull FC.
The club finished in eleventh position in the Super League table and were only ahead of bottom-placed London Broncos on points difference.
The season had begun with Tony Smith as Hull’s head coach but he was sacked in April after his side lost six of its first seven games.
Richie Myler retired from playing to take up the post of Director of Rugby. First steps involved cancelling most of the overseas contracts, and vastly reducing the salary cap. Early mistakes avoiding established protocol would get him in hot water, but he still successfully managed to poach several Leigh players in the process.
51 players used throughout the season, this was a club in disarray.
Transfers Out
Jack Brown, Cameron Scott, Jake Trueman, Danny Houghton, Liam Sutcliffe, Carlos Tuimavave et al.
Transfers In
John Asiata, Zak Hardaker, Ed Chamberlain, Oliver Holmes, Yusuf Aydin, Jordan Abdull, Amir Buorouh, Jordan Rapana, Aidan Sezer, Cade Cust, Hugo Salabio
Transfer Analysis
Huge numbers in and huge numbers out.
Four players are coming from Leigh. When announced John Asiata was leaving there was uproar, but with time to reflect a 3 year deal for a 31 year old who had only managed 8 games in the 2024 seems totally reckless. On his day he is a top Loose forward, who dominates attacking play, but Leigh have seen the fitness reports and 1 season was ok, 2 was a push with the injury situation. He could be a catalyst for Hull but, he will need a pack going forward to make a difference.
Zak Hardaker a full bloodied player at the back end of an illustrious and controversial career. The 2024 season ended with Zak struggling to make the starting 13 and playing in makeshift positions in the pack and on the wing. It appeared that Zak was slipping down the pecking order.
Oliver Holmes suffered injuries and a lack of game time, with only 6 appearances in 2024 at 32, he is well past his peak. Ed Chamberlain a player that most people were happy to see leave the club. Limited skills, not a strong tackler and lacking pace, he is not of Super League calibre.
Jordan Abdull, Aidan Sezer and Cade Cust, have all struggled in recent seasons. Abdull has fitness issues, Sezer is talented but can be anonymous on the field, which is not a good trait for a creative player. Cust appears to be a makeshift hooker, due to not being good enough in the halves.
Jordan Rapana, is in my opinion the star signing. At 35 he may be losing a yard of pace, but he is certainly one to watch.
2025 Predictions
Hull FC have been on the decline for a number of years, and even with a new Head Coach in John Cartwright a change in culture and momentum will be hard to achieve in a few weeks of pre-season. The squad is positively Dad’s Army with a few Pikes thrown in from the academy. It is difficult to see how this team will gel quickly enough into a cohesive unit. Hull fans are predicting a top 6 finish or at least a 50% win ratio, this seems highly unlikely and I predict a 10th place finish which under the circumstances would be an improvement on joint bottom.
Statistics: Posted by Septimius Severus — Wed Jan 01, 2025 2:16 am