Hull FC's John Asiata capture just the start as club prepare for big recruitment drive

Hull FC made one of their biggest signings in years last Friday, with John Asiata agreeing a three-year deal to join the club ahead of the 2025 season. The club will pay £220,000 per year to lure the current Leigh Leopards captain to East Yorkshire, a move that shows the club under Richie Myler means business.

And if you think the club will stop still now, then think again. Myler, appointed Hull’s new Director of Rugby last month, is expected to oversee a flurry of activity, both for this year and the next. He has already brought in Tom Briscoe and Yusuf Aydin, with Tiaki Chan the latest loan recruit. Oliver Holmes will also join next season.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg, with Hull Live understanding that several key positions will be strengthened through a number of signings, with the half-back vacancy being the number one target. In fact, Hull Live has been told there will be at least two more big acquisitions to come, with overseas quota spots available as the club looks to bolster the first-team squad.

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Hull are not holding back, and unlike last year, they intend to get their business done early with quality recruits added to what they believe will be a competitive squad with depth and one capable of getting into the Super League play-offs once again. That is something that has escaped the club since 2020, but the new backing through external investment parties, of which Myler is linked, is set to try and break that duck.

Asiata is the first major play in that plan, with the reigning Super League Dream Team loose-forward set to add vital qualities to the side as they look to build around him. An old school ball-playing thirteen, Asiata, 31, is expected to bring both leadership and experience to the side, and in terms of skill, he will be a key attacking cog and link between the halves. He can also carry and has a reputation already as a ferocious defender.

It’s also hoped that Asiata, who will have a full off-season and pre-season to get over his current calf and hamstring injury issues, will be the statement signing to lure more talent to the club, with Hull having the necessary salary cap space available with a dozen players still out of contract. It gives the current ambition some credibility, with the club not scared of rocking a few boats as they look to get their business done, both from Super League and the NRL.

On Hull’s 2024 signings, it’s understood that Aydin has also impressed numerous club figures with his conduct and attitude. If he can kick on with the same drive after signing a two-and-a-half-year deal, then he could be a shrewd bit of business, to say the least. The prop is only 23 but is believed to have been keen to get the deal, which saw Jack Brown join Hull KR, over the line, targeting regular top-flight rugby. He has bags of energy in his locker and will now look to kick on at the Black and Whites.

As mentioned last month, Briscoe is also the experienced winger Hull needed. He will come to the fore in yardage, with the veteran giving a solid account on his second debut at Warrington last week as Lewis Martin impressed on the other flank.

It’s that balance between youth and experience that Myler will now look to level out. This is a very young team, with one or two more older heads desired. That is Hull’s current trajectory, with a key focus on bringing through young club-produced talent like Martin and Jack Charles, who have both flown into the first-team this season. Heavily active, it’s expected that more recruitment activity will now follow in the near future to compliment that youth, both for this year and for 2025 and beyond.

Read more: The Hull FC contract situation: A list of when every first-team deal expires