Hull FC vice-captain John Asiata has spoken about the impact of the club’s new recruits, whilst star man Will Pryce has offered a fitness update following the Black and Whites’ training camp at Queen Ethelburga’s.
The camp in North Yorkshire has helped prepare the Black and Whites ahead of their first pre-season clash with Huddersfield Giants their opponents this coming Sunday for Brad Fash’s testimonial game.
Of course, Fash is set to feature in that game but a handful of new recruits could do as well with Hull FC making a splash in the market this off-season with a number of Super League signings as well as standout NRL recruit Jake Arthur.
The club shared footage of their recent training camp to their YouTube and within that video, vice-captain John Asiata spoke about the impact of the new signings and how they’d settled in with high praise for all.
Asiata said: “Some of them are a bit quiet but a lot have come out of their shell over the days so being able to see them step out of their shell and come into their own gives good confidence that as leaders, we’re driving that.
“Being able to get them to back themselves not just on the field but being able to speak up when things aren’t right off the field, I think that’s the key of this camp.
“The people that we’ve brought in, they’re not just talented people on the field, they’re real professionals who know how to go about their business.”
Asiata impressed by Hull FC signings
Asiata went on to name certain signings and speak to their impact with quota signings James Bell and Sam Lisone two that he claimed had lifted the camp a lot.
He said: “Belly (James Bell) and Sam Lisone bring the energy, they’re very loud and see themselves as the comedians of the group, which is great.
“They’ve settled in really well. I’m very impressed with a lot of them.”
Other pack additions were also praised with Hull FC clearly targeting forwards in their off-season recruitment as the aforementioned Bell and Lisone arrived as well as Harvie Hill, Joe Batchelor, Connor Bailey and Joe Phillips.
Two of those came in for specific praise from Asiata, as he said: “Harvie Hill has been great, Batch (Joe Batchelor) shows his leadership. He’s been around the game for a while and coming over from a great club like St Helens, he brings leadership to the young boys so it’s awesome to see that.”
Whilst forwards were prioritised in recruitment, it’s the backs at Hull FC who provide a lot of the excitement with Will Pryce being a prime example. The full-back joined early in the 2025 campaign but injuries disrupted his season.
Now back in training, he gave a fitness update, stating: “I’ve been doing my best so far this pre-season to just try and keep on top of my body, whether that be rehab or pre-hab or working with the physios.
“It’s been nice to just get an eight to twelve week block of training done and I’m looking forward to the games now.”
John Cartwright is set to name his squad for Brad Fash’s testimonial in the coming days with Pryce among those vying for a spot.
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