Hull FC are delighted to announce that Brett Hodgson has been appointed as the club’s new head coach.
The former Super League Man of Steel joins the club from NRL side Wests Tigers, where he has held the position as assistant coach since 2018, as well as head coach of feeder side Western Suburb Magpies.
Perhaps best known to Black & White fans for his stellar spell in the UK with both Huddersfield Giants and Warrington Wolves, in which he played in both Super League and Challenge Cup finals, won the Lance Todd Trophy and captained the Exiles, the Australian retired in 2013 to embark on a career in coaching.
A former captain and NRL Grand Final winner with Wests Tigers, the 42-year old also represented Western Suburbs and Parramatta Eels, as well as New South Wales in State of Origin in his playing days.
Hodgson has been learning the ropes as a coach since retirement, both in the UK and Australia.
A former assistant coach at Widnes Vikings, the Australian returns to Hull FC where he was previously a coaching consultant, working specifically with the club’s pivots, including full back Jamie Shaul.
He has also spent time with Sale Sharks in rugby union, as well as periods with a number of NRL clubs and coaches as he continued his development as a coach.
Hodgson returned home to Wests Tigers as assistant coach to Ivan Cleary in 2017, before working under former Super League winning coach Michael Maguire when he joined the club twelve months later.
He will arrive in December and will commence pre-season training with the squad in January.
Speaking to hullfc.com Hodgson said: “I’m very excited – I spent nine years over in England playing in Super League and then moving into coaching, with one of those years as a consultant at Hull FC so I know some of the people at the club already.
“It is a fantastic club with real pedigree and ambition, so I’m excited to be heading back and hopefully helping such a prestigious club to achieve some success.
“To come back to Super League where I spent a large chunk of my career and join a high-profile side was too good to turn down – I really enjoy the style of football over there.
“Hull demands success, and that’s what I’m about. With the staff and players we have, and the support of the great fans there, I’m really excited about what we can achieve together over the next couple of years.”
He continued, “I have had opportunities at other clubs but have been waiting for the right option, but with the experience of the club and Super League previously, Hull FC is just a too good opportunity to turn down.
“There are some areas of the team we can strengthen, but on the whole I think that the squad is good and we have some real depth, with some very exciting players I’m looking forward to working with.
“Hull FC have probably the most passionate fan-base in the game, and we’re hoping to have some real success for them.”
Hodgson will join the club from the Tigers with immediate effect and will arrive at the club in early December, being joined on the coaching staff by assistant coaches Kieron Purtill and Gareth Ellis.
Interim coach Andy Last will step down from his position within the first-team and has been offered an alternative position within the club.
Commenting on the appointment, Hull FC Chairman Adam Pearson, said: “Brett is recognised in Australia as one of the brightest, up and coming coaches in the NRL and having turned down other opportunities we are privileged to get him at this point in his career.
“We had an extensive list of applications from varying backgrounds, but Brett has emerged from a thorough process as the stand out candidate for what we were looking for, in particular his passion for the sport, his ideas and aspirations in the role and what he feels we can achieve as a club.
“He made a fantastic impression during his time with us previously and he is held in very high regards at Wests Tigers, so we are delighted to have secured his services.”
He added, “We are pleased to be heading into a new chapter for the club with Brett at the helm and we are excited about the direction he wants to take us in.
“We will be looking to work with Brett and our talented group of staff to create the best possible environment for the team to be successful and this may include some further additions to our staff in the future.”
Paying tribute to Andy Last, Hull FC’s Chairman also added: “I’d like to put on record our thanks to Andy for the extremely professional manner in which he has handled the second half of our season.
“He has done a diligent job in very challenging circumstances.
“Following discussions, we feel it is appropriate for Andy to step down from his position within the first-team staff, but we have offered him an alternative position within the organisation, such is the high regard we have for him within our club.
“We will continue to discuss Andy’s future over the coming days and he should be commended for the work he has done this season.”
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