CALLUM WALKER reviews a season of improvement at Hull FC.
The hope
2024 had been a miserable year for all concerned at Hull, with only London Broncos finishing below them in the Super League table.
They had won just three games that year, but with new head coach John Cartwright at the helm, and experienced players such as Aidan Sezer, Jordan Rapana and Zak Hardaker leading the line and complementing the plethora of young stars making their way through to the first team, there was a lot more optimism around the MKM Stadium that 2025 would be a season of improvement.
The reality
And a season of improvement it was. The Black and Whites were fighting for a play-off spot until the very end of the campaign, only to lose out to Wakefield Trinity by three points.
Hull won 13, lost 13 and drew one during the league season, but the most damning statistic to come out of the year was the fact that John Cartwright’s men won just four of 13 home fixtures – and didn’t grab their first until July in a 16-10 win over Wakefield.
There was little explanation as to why that was the case, but sometimes teams have hoodoos that they simply cannot shake.
Inconsistency was perhaps the buzzword of Hull’s 2025 campaign – sometimes brilliant but sometimes abject. Challenge Cup and Super League wins over Wigan but then two losses to Huddersfield and one to Castleford epitomised that rollercoaster nature.
To their credit, though, Hull had only one home game where the attendance was lower than 10,000 – and even then that was 9,765 when they drew 22-22 with Leigh Leopards in Round Four.
The fans had returned in their droves following a shocking 2024 and Hull were now a club suddenly on the up.
Best players
Herman Ese’ese was in absolutely destructive form before his season-ending Achilles tendon rupture in September.
His try-scoring record for a forward was ridiculous, with ten tries in 26 games, whilst he made 42 offloads and 130 tackle busts to earn a place in the Super League Dream Team.
Winger Lewis Martin also enjoyed the best season of his young career so far, registering 32 tries in 30 games in all competitions.
The 21-year-old also made the Dream Team alongside Ese’ese, with Zak Hardaker winding back the years to play in every position along the backline as well as at second row.
It’s fair to say that the signing of Aidan Sezer paid off, too, as he provided the sort of captaincy the club had sorely needed and he will still be at the MKM Stadium in 2026.
In quotes
“They’re local Hull boys. It’s a great feeling for me as a coach to watch two young boys come through the system and then play the way they are at first-team level.” John Cartwright made his feelings known about the form of Hull FC’s young wingers Lewis Martin and Harvey Barron after they started the 2025 season like a house on fire.
“There’s no such thing as a curse; we’ve just got to harden up and come here and play decent footy, which is what we practised to do.” Hull coach Cartwright dismissed any notion that his team had a home curse after they once more lost at the MKM Stadium, going down to lowly Castleford in a 22-14 defeat. They hadn’t won at home for 11 months at that point.
“This is a significant signing for the club and one that we are absolutely delighted to get over the line.” Hull FC’s chief executive Richie Myler discussing the signing of Will Pryce, whose capture was announced in late March.
In numbers
32 tries in 30 games was Lewis Martin’s try-scoring record by the end of the campaign.
21,018 was the crowd that filled the MKM Stadium when Hull KR came to town at Easter.
4 home games Hull FC won during the entire season.
Highlight
Hull scored 211 more points in 2025 than they did in 2024 and conceded 433 less with Aidan Sezer directing the Black and Whites around the park.
Lewis Martin’s obvious try-scoring record was something to shout about as well as his and Herman Ese’ese’s appearances in the Super League Dream Team.
A 26-22 win away at Wigan Warriors in the Challenge Cup was arguably Hull’s best performance in the season, with a 32-12 win the league later in the year also pushing that result close to the highlight.
Lowlight
Two defeats to Huddersfield Giants – 12-10 at the Magic Weekend and 30-14 at home in July – as well as one to Castleford Tigers in June underlined Hull FC’s inconsistency across the full Super League season.
Herman Ese’ese’s crushing injury blow – which would see him ruled out for eight months – also seemed to hurt the Black and Whites’ momentum towards the play-offs.