Hull captain Richard Swain worked with Sharp, 51, at Melbourne, and called him "a great tactician who will gain the utmost respect from the players."

Club chairperson Kath Hetherington was delighted at Sharp's appointment.

"His reputation is enormous, everyone's anticipating his arrival. I'm sure he can take us to a new level," she said.

At Parramatta, Sharp has been assistant to former Hull coach Brian Smith, who had also been tipped to succeed Kear, who left the club last week after being told his contract would not be renewed.

As well as his time Melbourne and Parramatta, Sharp has coaching experience with Manly and Newcastle Knights, where he worked with Andrew Johns.

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"I am delighted in becoming Head Coach of Hull FC," said Sharp.

"I am looking forward to working with a very talented group of players."

Kear's former assistant Richard Agar took charge of Hull for Saturday's game with Leeds but ruled himself out of the running for the permanent post, saying he lacked experience.

"Both myself and chief executive David Plummer would like to personally thank Richard Agar and his coaching team for all their continued hard work," said Hetherington.

"We have an already very strong coaching team and the addition of Peter will certainly stand us in good stead for the remainder of the season. "