James Bell is a great signing for us, it takes the pressure off me

ASIATA ON WHY HE'S HAPPY TO HAVE COMPETITION FOR HIS HULL ROLE

- By DAN TOMLINSON

Hull FC's signing for 2026 James Bell

(ALLAN MCKENZIE/ SWPIX.COM)

Hull FC's signing of James Bell is certainly strategic. A player to spell John Asiata at loose-forward, take the pressure off, and ensure that the way that John Cartwright wants his side to play never wavers.

However, while that perception is easy to make, there's also another one to consider: the duo playing together.

For Asiata, it's very much a possibility and something he is eager to try.

Entering his second season at the club, the 31-year-old believes it could open up another dimension to his game and, rather than focusing on distributing the ball, allow him to run lines and punch holes.

It's something that could give Hull another avenue to attack from and perhaps even give them an element of surprise, with Bell dishing the ball out and Asiata running as a middle, a prop, if you like, alongside the likes of Liam Knight, Sam Lisone, Harvie Hill, and, when fit again, Herman Ese’ese. It’s an ideology Asiata, for one, is excited by.

“It’s a great signing for the club,” Asiata, speaking to the Mail, said when asked about the signing of Bell. “It takes pressure off me to push out big minutes, and now the quality of my minutes can be a lot better and more effective with Belly there too.