Cust on his first year at Hull, off-season surgery, new hungers, and holding the bragging rights.
Cade Cust in Hull FC pre-season training.
Cade Cust was one of several Hull FC players doing it tough at the back end of last season – so much so that the 27-year-old had double hernia surgery in the off-season.
One of around 13 players to have gone under the knife, Cust, back in pre-season after spending some time in his homeland, Australia, is now rejuvenated with his sights set on playing round one in a new role.
Moved to hooker after starting the year in the halves, Cust will continue in the dummy half spot, interchanging with Amir Bourouh and supporting half-backs Aidan Sezer and Jake Arthur.
It’s a role Cust, who signed a two-year extension to his contract in the summer, is looking forward to, talking it through with John Cartwright as Hull look to go one better and reach the finals in 2026 after an encouraging first campaign under their head coach.
Speaking to Hull Live, Cust said: “I had chats with Carty towards the back end of last season and the intention now is to use me off the bench and be that utility guy. I’m all for it.
“I don’t mind it. It’s a bit more tiring in the middle, but we’ve got a big pack this year and I’ll enjoy getting off from those quick play of the balls. There’s also a bit more free range at nine. You can take off a bit more. I’m looking forward to it.
“I’ve been doing a fair bit of nine in training so far. That’s the way Carty wants to go this year, with me coming off the bench and attacking the game, really. I’ve been jumping in the halves too, with Aidan not in full training yet, so I’ve just been chiming in in both positions. I’m enjoying it.”
On his surgery, Cust, who played 28 games in his first season in the black and white, continued: “I had double hernia surgery in the off-season. I’ve had some groin troubles since but like a lot of the other boys, I’ll be fine for round one.
“It’s just a monitoring thing right now. You look across every team at the moment and there’s a spark in injuries. The game is getting a lot quicker, and there’s a lot more training, Ks in your legs, and stuff like that. It’s one of those things you’ve got to adapt to.
“But pre-season has been good. I’m enjoying it. It’s been a bit different from the off-season in Australia. It’s rained pretty much every day we’ve trained, but it’s good to be back in and amongst it with the boys.
“A lot of the boys have started at different times but it’s good to have everyone back now and getting into it. This is our last week now before the Christmas break. I’m sure it will be a tough one and we’ll enjoy it.”
Finding a home at Hull, Cust impressed under Cartwright once again last season, having first worked with the coach at NRL side Manly Sea Eagles. And while there was satisfaction in his debut campaign in East Yorkshire, there’s now a hunger to cement what will be the club’s first play-off finish since 2020 – and Cust knows the key to ensuring they have the best chance to make it all a reality.
“I’ve loved it – every minute of it,” Cust said on his first year at Hull. “The coaching staff are unreal, and the boys are all really good.
“Looking back now, halfway through the season we were in a great spot. We then slipped with a period of games and that really hurt us. This year is non-negotiable; we have to play finals – we all believe we should be in there and it’s up to us to get the job done.
“There were a lot of new faces last year and now that we’ve had that year to build chemistry and get to know everyone’s game and stuff, it should be onwards and upwards.
“There are no excuses. We all know the one thing that let us down was that we got injured too much at the back end. You can’t really compete, I guess, when you have that many injuries, but everyone has been looking after their body and we are making sure we can go through the season as unscathed as possible.
“We know it’s a long season and injuries will happen, but the next person will always step up. We’ve got a young group of good players coming through so we’re very lucky they can come in and do a job for us.
“We’ve got some big boys in the pack and we’ve made some really good signings. I’m looking forward to playing off the back of them. It should be a good season if we can all stay fit and keep everyone on that paddock.”
In the meantime, Cust is enjoying pre-season training and the bragging rights. A keen cricket fan, the Aussie has been sure to remind his English teammates who’s currently leading the Ashes series Down Under.
“I’ve been getting up in the morning around 3:30 to watch the first session,” Cust added. “I’ve been giving it to a fair few of the boys, mainly the coaching staff.
“The first Test, England should have won; it slipped through their fingers, but it should be a good final three Tests.
“I love my cricket, Carty, Jed, and John – they love their cricket too, so we’ve had a few conversations and given them some stick. It’s been enjoyable.
“The one thing I keep getting back from Zak (Hardaker) is, ‘How does our football team go?’ That’s fair enough. We’re not too good at that. But the World Cup is just around the corner. It should be interesting around that time.”