Hull Fc forward John Asiata is looking to open up a new dimension to his game next season.
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 Hull Live, 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.
“We will probably swap in and out, but in saying that, I would also love to be on the field at the same time with him. I can then run more and it will give Belly the licence to play.
“I normally dish the ball out, but playing with him, he can dish it out and I can run lines. I don’t mind that, but the distribution I do takes that out of my game, whereas having Belly there gives me another dimension and another way to play the game.
“I’m excited to work with him. We’ve been in chat for ages; especially when he was in negotiations with Hull, we were talking a lot. I know Belly pretty well. I’m very excited to play alongside him. It should be good.”
Opening up on his role, Asiata continued: “If I look at my game this year, I ran a handful of times, but the thing I did the most was control the middle, get people around the park, and dish the ball out so the right people get the ball, whereas having Belly there might free me up a bit. I can play a bit wider and run some lines and do some other stuff that I want to try and do.
“That is one option for us but there are loads of options going into the new season. It’s just an exciting time for the club really. The people that we’ve brought into the club – we’ve got Batch (Joe Batchelor), Jake Arthur, and those guys – they are going to bring a new dimension to the team. They are experienced players who have been in the game for quite some time. It will be good.”
As well as his role, Asiata will also drop 5 kg for the 2026 season. By his own admission, the forward played 5 kg heavier than his usual playing weight. But now the Samoan international, who played 17 games in his first season at the club, will shed that extra baggage, hopefully freeing him up to do what he wants to do.
“I felt really good going into the year,” Asiata said. “I pushed myself to play a bit heavier, which I think came back to bite me later on in the year, but I’m going back to playing at my normal weight, which is about 103 kg.
“This year, I tried to play at 108 kg, which is a lot more weight. I was still playing 70-75 minutes a game, so I think for me now at my age, I don’t think it was the smartest thing to put on 5 kg and play heavier. I’m going back to my normal game weight now and I’ll just go from there.
“But when I did play, I was happy with the way I was playing. There are probably some things I could do better, but overall I was happy with my season.”
Opening up on his rehab journey, Asiata is currently strengthening his leg after suffering a hamstring tear in August. He explained: “I’m feeling good. I’m in a very good headspace, and mentally and physically, I’m feeling great, to be honest.
“It’s just good to be back in with the boys. It feels like I haven’t stopped, really; I’ve been grafting away with my mate Herman over the last six weeks. I’ve done a fair bit of work, more rehab and strength work, and just kept moving and kept the body going. I’m feeling good and it’s good to be back.
“This is the time of the year where you can do a lot of strength stuff; especially for me, getting my hamstring right is a big one. I’m just getting everything ready for the new year. I didn’t play that much this year, so my body should be in a really good place. Once I start running, that will show me where I’m at. Hopefully, that will be soon. We’ll just keep pushing forward.”