Hull FC’s assistant coach Gareth Ellis
GARETH Ellis can already see the steps forward Hull FC have to take being made – after understanding why they flopped badly.
New coach John Cartwright may feel like he is as much of a builder as he tries to piece together the wreckage of 2024.
The Australian has made changes after finding things off the field were impacting performance on it – even something as simple as having breakfast together.
And rugby league legend Ellis, part of the backroom staff at FC, believes they are already having a desired effect.
He said: “The changes have made a big difference to coming in every day not being sure where the club’s going and things not being what you’d expect of a Super League club.
“I could see why the players didn’t have that same drive.
“When I was at Wakefield, we knew we were a survival club. We accepted that and got on with it, whereas Hull FC has always had that ambition.
“Now with that investment and the staffing in place, allowing people to just do their job, it can hopefully take the club forward.
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“It’s no secret that we were probably surviving as a club for a couple of years, that reflected in performances on the field.
“That bit of investment gives a bit of hope there’s something for the future. That’s probably down the line but for how, we’ve just got to keep building.
“But it just gives you hope there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”
Cartwright said of the changes: “We’ve made a big effort to get the building blocks back to a professional level. It goes right across the club, not just on that gameday.
“Players get checked by the physios first thing, we have breakfast together, they go to training together, get physio checks again, they have lunch together. I’m not sure those things were happening last season.”
Ellis, whose playing career saw him become an NRL superstar at Wests Tigers, showed he still has it in Sunday’s hybrid 745 Game, which saw rugby league legends take on famous faces from union to honour Ed Slater, Rob Burrow and Doddie Weir and raise funds for motor neurone disease charities.
On Monday, he was back at the day job but is thought to have already said he would do it again next year.
The 43-year-old, who looks like he could still do a job in Super League, added: “It was like a little camp. It was fantastic.
“When Wigan played Bath in 1996, there was a bit of needle, whereas in this, there was so much respect.
“It would be nice to think it could happen every year, even though my knees were swelling up when I walked off. 10,000 people came to watch!
“And if I could play once every three months, I probably still could but while I used to join running drills at Hull FC, I don’t so much anymore – your mind can do things your legs can’t.”
