Hull FC coach Simon Grix vows to stay on following John Cartwright appointment

Grix stepped up from his role as an assistant last month to lead the Black and Whites on an interim basis, a position he will hold until the end of the season.

The former Halifax Panthers boss was in the running to replace Tony Smith permanently but the club opted for experienced Australian coach Cartwright, who is currently an assistant at Brisbane Broncos.

Despite missing out on the top job, Grix plans to honour the two-year contract he signed ahead of the 2024 campaign.

"I signed for two years and I'll still be here," he said.

"We'll see how everything plays out. The coach is over the line and there's a lot of track still to go but I don't expect to be going anywhere soon.

"I came to Hull to work with an experienced coach. That didn't pan out but not everything goes to plan, does it?

"The opportunity to work with an experienced head coach is what I came for in the first place to prepare me for hopefully one day doing the job here or somewhere else.

"Just learning, watching someone in close quarters and having that day-to-day critique and effort to get better, I'll definitely tap into all that in the off-season. I picked up plenty from Tony in a short period of time and I'll pick up plenty from John as well."

The Halifax native led his hometown club to 1895 Cup success and a Challenge Cup semi-final during his five years in charge, as well as back-to-back third-place finishes in the Championship in 2021 and 2022.

Grix is happy to bide his time in his bid to return to head coaching.

"I've got a desire to be a head coach and we have had those conversations," he added.

"The hands-on bit, I still really want to do that. When you get older and more senior, it becomes more about the leadership and management side of things.

"I'm enjoying what I'm doing. Nothing has really changed too much apart from having a stronger say in the team.

"I'm not disappointed. I hope to be a head coach at some point in the future. I want to be in the game for a long time and I just need to get on with my job as I have been doing."

Cartwright has a wealth of experience both as a player and a coach.

The former second-rower represented Australia and New South Wales during his playing career, which featured a title success with Penrith Panthers.

Cartwright led Gold Coast Titans from 2007 to 2014 and has also coached at Penrith, Sydney Roosters, North Queensland Cowboys, Manly Sea Eagles and current club Brisbane.

He was Paul Green's assistant when the Cowboys won the NRL title in 2015 and helped Brisbane reach last year's Grand Final.

Grix believes the 58-year-old could be just the man to arrest Hull's slide down Super League.

"It's positive," said Grix.

"John has got a wealth of experience behind him. The thought from the off was to get an experienced coach in and they've landed that.

"His leadership is something that will help a young and changing squad. He's coached at a lot of clubs and has sampled a lot of different ways of doing things. He'd have picked up loads on that journey.

"Brisbane are also one of the strongest clubs in that competition at the moment so all those experiences and connections around the game over there will be beneficial for us."