Yahoo News Recalling the three Hull FC Academy players singled out by club owner Adam Pearson
Hull FC have a big emphasis on youth development. Keen to bring through their own players, a lot of time and energy has been put into the academy, who the club hopes will make up the majority of their first-team squad in years to come.
Adam Pearson shares that ideology. The club owner is right behind the youth programmes, singling out three current players in Hull Live's exclusive interview last month.
Those players were Jack Charles, Cobie Wainhouse, and Roman Dawson, with the trio set for their second year of Academy rugby league under new Emerging Talent Coach Francis Cummins in 2024.
"Jack Charles is someone who particularly excites me," Pearson said. "It's always good to see a young half-back come through, and he's secured on a long-term contract.
"There's Cobie Wainhouse too, who played for England, and there's also a young centre called Roman Dawson, who looks like a real prospect. It's exciting talent, and they certainly have the right culture to step up into the first-team environment."
Of course, Charles and Wainhouse are two of eight academy promotions to the first-team squad, despite being just 17 years of age. On the other hand, Dawson took to the under-18s setup after playing for the scholarship side in 2022.
The centre, who also played on the wing and in the back row, scored 20 tries last season, with 18 coming in the academy and two in the reserves. In fact, he scored in seven consecutive games at the start of the year, crossing over 12 times. In total, he played just 15 games, making him an ever-present in the academy with two reserves appearances to boot.
Charles and Wainhouse also represented both Yorkshire and England last season, with Charles playing in all three games against Lancashire, scoring one try. For the final Roses clash, nine Black and Whites started in the Yorkshire side.
Hull, meanwhile, will be looking to build on two consecutive top-four finishes in the Academy Championship next season, with semi-final play-off defeats coming to St Helens over the last two seasons. You can read Pearson's full Q&A with Hull Live here.
