Andy Last: Wakefield Trinity bring long-serving Hull coach in as Chester's assistant

Hull FC say they "tailored a role to Last's skill set" in an effort to try and keep him at the club

Wakefield Trinity have appointed Hull FC's former interim head coach Andy Last as an assistant coach.

Last led Hull for much of the 2020 season following Lee Radford's sacking in March and guided the club to the Super League play-off semi-finals.

Hull FC then appointed Brett Hodgson as head coach in November and Last has opted to end his 23-year association with a side he also played for.

Trinity have also handed back-rower Jay Pitts a new two-year deal at Belle Vue.

The 31-year-old, who was born in nearby Ossett and started his career at the club before moving on, captained the side on occasions last season following his return for 2020.

Last, who joins Willie Poching as part of Chris Chester's Wakefield set-up, was part of the coaching staff when the Trinity boss was won the Challenge Cup at Hull in 2005.

"I obviously had 23 years at Hull FC and that chapter ended in a good fashion, with no bridges burnt, so to speak," Last told the Wakefield website.

"I spoke to Chris on the phone and he stressed that he wanted to get me on board which is brilliant for me.

"Chris is someone I respect and I love the project and the way he's looking to do things next year.

"It's the right time for me to spread my wings and gain some different experiences, and I don't think there's anywhere better for me to do that than at Wakefield Trinity. I'm really excited about getting started."

Last played 29 times for Hull before moving to coaching early in his career and helped the club win back-to-back Challenge Cups in 2016 and 2017.

"Andy has been the model professional at our club for over 20 years and we are grateful for his fantastic service to Hull FC," Hull FC chairman Adam Pearson said.

"He is held in the highest regard by everyone here and we were eager for him to stay, so much so that we tailored a role to his skill set that we feel there was no-one better than Andy to undertake.

"However, we appreciate the stage Andy is at in his career and understand the reasons for his decision which he has thought long and hard about. He leaves with our blessing and very best wishes for the future."