Hull FC set to enter transfer market as John Cartwright confirms recruitment stance

Hull FC are in the market to add to their squad but they aren’t about to rush into any major transfer decisions.

That’s according to head coach John Cartwright, who has seen a sizeable chunk of his salary cap freed up in the last week or so due to the loss of Will Pryce and Liam Knight.

Pryce ruptured his ACL in the final moments of the clash with Wigan Warriors last month and  he has been ruled out for the remainder of the season at the very least as he prepares to undergo surgery. Hull have successfully secured salary cap dispensation for Pryce then, allowing them to go out and bring in another player should they see fit.

And, with Knight being released from his contract over the weekend due to homesickness, the Black and Whites have a quota spot to play with, too, not to mention Knight’s salary.

FC are mulling over their options then as they decide where to add to their squad and while Cartwright has suggested that at least one new addition could be on the cards, there is nothing imminent.

“We won’t rush,” Cartwright told the press on Monday afternoon. “There’s a lot of things you have to weigh up. How much there is to spend, who’s available, do you use it on an import, do you look for English? There’s a lot of things.

“The worst thing you can do is jump in and we’ve still got Herman [Ese’ese] on the sideline who is probably medium term still a fair way to go. Ligi [Sao] is back this week and James Bell we won’t know until the end of the week. It saves us from making a rushed decision.”

The Hull FC boss added: “At this time of the year there’s not a lot on the market for this season. You’ve got to look at clubs who are willing to release players, or now that we have a quota spot, players that are in the systems over there (in the NRL) who don’t feel like they’re going to get an opportunity. There’s a lot to weigh up. That process has already started but I’m more concerned at the moment about how we get through this week.”