Hull FC have signed former England International Joe Westerman on a deal until the season, with the loose forward returning for his second spell at the KCOM Stadium.
The ball-playing forward, who played for the club between 2011 and 2015, has signed with the Black & Whites until the end of the season, with an option for the club to extend the deal further if they wish.
The 28-year-old is no stranger to life in East Yorkshire, having made 127 appearances, scoring 29 tries and kicking over 50 goals during his first stint with Hull, where he was previously named the club’s Young Player of the Year and Supporters Player of the Year.
The 2014 England international has since gone on to represent Warrington Wolves where he won the League Leaders Shield and played in the Betfred Super League Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final.
Most recently, the former Super League Young Player of the Year, represented Toronto Wolfpack before agreeing a release to enable his return to the top flight amidst a host of interest from rival clubs.
Speaking about the move, Westerman told hullfc.com: “It’s brilliant to be back here. I loved it at Hull during my first spell and I can’t wait to get back playing in front of a massive crowd.”
“Since I left the club in 2015, the club has grown even bigger than it was before, so it was a no brainer for me when I got asked to come back.
“Radders gave me the call and it was pretty much there and then that I was able to make my decision. There were a couple of other clubs interested but like I said, I love this club and that’s why I’m happy to come back here.”
Westerman’s return to Hull FC adds another dimension to the Black & Whites’ pack, which currently contains the likes of England international Scott Taylor, Italy captain Mark Minichiello and Tonga captain Sika Manu.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldClubSeries?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldClubSeries</a>ðŸŒ<br><br>Great break from Joe Westerman, superbly finished off by the debut-man <a href="https://twitter.com/kevjonbrown?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kevjonbrown</a> <a href="https://t.co/tVjJxUwPTH">https://t.co/tVjJxUwPTH</a></p>— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/SuperLeague/status/833046683529465860?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Head coach Lee Radford is delighted to have Westerman back at the KCOM Stadium and he believes it was an opportunity that was too good to pass on.
“I’m over the moon to be able to bring in a player with Joe’s talent, he’s in a position where this has to work for him and for that reason I’m sure he is going to do everything in his power to make this a success,” he said.
“Our club has changed significantly since Joe was last here and he is coming into a professional environment where we set very high standards and have a strong culture. He understands the challenges that poses and it’s one he is relishing.
“I believe he can get back to the level of performance that saw him win our Young Player of the Year Award and get selected for England when he was last here.
“He provides us with another quality ball playing option in an already strong pack, with the versatility to play through the middle, but he’ll need to get his head down and work hard over the coming weeks to earn his chance for selection.”
Hull FC’s Executive Director, James Clark, added: “At this stage of the season, to sign a player of Joe’s obvious calibre, with over 250 Super League games under his belt and on the terms we have agreed offers exceptional value to us.
“Joe had potentially more lucrative, longer term options on the table but has opted to sign here, which shows us how eager he is to come prove himself at a club where he feels he has some unfinished business.”
Westerman will begin training with his new team mates on Monday and it is anticipated it will be a few weeks before he makes his debut as he gets up to full fitness.
He will wear the No.33 shirt.
