Hull FC closing in on major signing

The likes of Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors, Warrington Wolves and Hull FC have completed major signings for next year and Hull FC are set to sign another.

The Black and Whites have already signed Franklin Pele, Herman Ese’ese and Liam Tindall.

But another signing is set to be confirmed in the shape of an overseas halfback to replace the departed Jake Clifford who after one year has joined North Queensland Cowboys.

This was confirmed by Adam Pearson on the club’s website:

“I think it’s six Academy players stepping up and I think it’ll be nine coming in. We’ve obviously got one more quota spot to fill at half back which will come in within the next seven days.

“We potentially may have one more outside back as well so there’s a couple more to come in that’ll be nine in, six up, so 15 different personalities, a couple of new faces in the backroom team in physio and conditioning and coaching so it’ll feel like a new energy in a new environment and I’m really excited about it.

“I think that if we can hold our fan base together for one big push this spring and hit the ground running, I think we’ll surprise quite a lot of teams next season.”

Pearson has also spoken about building a team recently:

“Obviously, it’s been a difficult season to say the least. We knew it was going to be a transitionary season and that’s the way it’s felt within the club, obviously it’s shown on performances.

“We had a middle part of the season where we all started to get a little bit excited because we put some very good results together, particularly when we beat St Helens down here, but in the end, I think it was a squad that’s in transition and that showed right at the end in the last few games.

“Obviously the surgery to the squad is being undertaken now and it is quite radical. Again we’re in sort of second transfer window as you would like to call it or the second recruitment period and we hope to good squad at the end of it.

“Tony’s trying to build a team of his own culture and his own identity. Certainly we wanted a younger team, we definitely wanted a bigger team. We felt from 2017, where we had the largest pack in Super League, we’ve probably become the smallest.

“I think we’ve made six or seven signings so far, there’s nine to come in in total. All the forwards that we’ve brought in are 6’2″, 6’3”, 6’4″powerhouses who can play a bit and we hope to start to be able to dominate other teams again in the Super League. So that was a definite strategic identity aim.