Brisbane Broncos assistant coach John Cartwright joins Hull as Parramatta lose another option

With the NRL coaching merry-go-round going into overdrive, Parramatta has missed out on another contender to replace Brad Arthur.

Broncos assistant coach John Cartwright has been signed by Hull.

Broncos assistant John Cartwright has clinched a deal with English club Hull FC as the NRL coaching merry-go-round goes into overdrive.

This masthead can reveal Cartwright is heading overseas from 2025 after agreeing terms on a three-year deal to resurrect his head-coaching career with the embattled Super League club.

Broncos coach Kevin Walters will begin the search for a new right-hand man in the coming weeks and months, although newly-sacked Eels mentor Brad Arthur is unlikely to find a lifeline at Red Hill.

Cartwright’s appointment comes amid a chaotic 24 hours in the NRL coaching world, with Arthur sacked by the Eels on Monday night and Wayne Bennett inking a three-year deal with South Sydney.

Cartwright joined the Broncos at the end of 2020 and has had four successful seasons at the Broncos, helping Walters turn Brisbane into a grand-final team.

Broncos assistant coach John Cartwright (r) is off to Hull. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Walters was keen for the 58-year-old to stay on at Red Hill but Cartwright was sounded out by Hull FC and has ousted a number of contenders for the top job.

Multiple candidates were touted as a replacement for Tony Smith for the Hull FC post, including Adrian Lam, English-born Newcastle Knights assistant coach Brian McDermott and Salford’s Paul Rowley.

Interim Hull coach Simon Grix also wanted the top job permanently.

But Cartwright has won the race and will return as a head coach for the first time since 2014, when he severed ties with the Titans after eight seasons in charge of the Gold Coast.

Following 187 games as a player, Cartwright began as an assistant coach to John Lang at Penrith in 2001 and they won the 2003 premiership together.

He has since had assistant coaching stints at the Roosters, Sea Eagles, Cowboys and Broncos, while he was the Titans’ inaugural coach in 2007 and took the club to its best result of a preliminary final in 2010.

Brad Arthur’s time with Parramatta has come to an end. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Cartwright faces a massive rebuilding task at Hull FC. They sit equal last on the Super League competition table with one win from 11 games and have lost eight successive matches, triggering the recent departure of former coach Smith.

A former NSW Origin and Test back-rower, Cartwright has been a trusted servant for Walters, overseeing the defensive structures that underpinned Brisbane’s surge to last year’s grand final.

The ex-Titans mentor has worked closely with Brisbane’s emerging forwards including Payne Haas, Pat Carrigan, Brendan Piakura, Jordan Riki, Kobe Hetherington and Xavier Willison.

Fellow Broncos assistant Lee Briers, the 425-game Warrington Wolves legend, was also linked with the Hull FC post, but is relishing his time at Brisbane and is committed to the Walters regime.