Hull FC have made no secret that their long-term rebuild centres around youth development. But while that youth is expected to grow the club into the future, it's experience that was craved for the here and now, with seasoned players brought to the club and expected to help nurture up-and-coming talent.

The plan is not to put long-term roadblocks in front of youth, with seasoned professionals signed now to offer that needed experience on the side for the next year or two. The hope then is that the club's young players will be good enough to stake their own claim.

That process has been in the works for years and is one fully backed by club CEO Richie Myler. Since joining the Black and Whites last April, Myler has overseen an environment and professionalism boost at the club's University of Hull training ground to aid the club's plan, recruiting the necessary experience to boost the average age of the side.

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For new marquee signing John Asiata, it's an exciting process, with the loose-forward knowing exactly what he was coming into. Already becoming an experienced and key leader of the squad, Asiata, who put pen to paper on a three-year deal, is determined to help bring on the new crop of youngsters, many of whom emerged on the first-team scene last season.

"It’s probably the youngest group that I’ve worked with in my whole career," Asiata, who has won trophies in both Australia and England and has over 250 career appearances to his name, told Hull Live. "But I knew that; I knew the club had many young players that were coming through. For me, it's about being able to make a difference in their careers and in their lives. I'm excited to try and do that.

"I’ve been there as a junior at the (North Queensland) Cowboys, and I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with some great players such as Jonathan Thurston. They helped me with my game and taught me many things along the way, not just as a player, but also as a person. That's what I want to do now: give back. There are a lot of youngsters here who are very talented, and I’m hoping that I can play a role in taking their careers to the next level."

Reporting to pre-season training earlier than scheduled after his post-international break, Asiata has been impressed with what he's seen so far. Winning the NRL competition with the Cowboys and the Challenge Cup with Leigh, the 31-year-old knows what it takes, with a certain crop catching his eye having approached the vice-captain for tips and tricks this winter.

"There are a lot of boys there, and everyone is working hard this pre-season," he explained. "Obviously, the outside backs, they're probably the ones that I've been most impressed with.

"Logan (Moy), Lewis (Martin), and Harvey (Barron); those guys have really put themselves in the frame for selection. They've been training the house down. There are some forwards, too: young Matty Laidlaw and Yusuf Aydin. They're working as hard as they can, and they both talk to me about different things that we can do to improve as a team.

"Those young people are all going to get better in time, and so long as we keep building those relationships as a team, then we can build trust so no matter what happens on the field, we can keep helping each other out and have those conversations to improve."

And as well as youth, Asiata is getting acquainted with senior players at Hull FC. While he already knows the likes of Zak Hardaker and Oliver Holmes from his time at Leigh, he is now teammates with Jordan Rapana and Aidan Sezer, two players he played against in the NRL, and two more members of Hull's new spine, for the first time.

"It's been easy to build a relationship with them," Asiata added. "I think more because they are experienced. I've played against them a few times back in Australia, and there's a bit of banter there and memories that we've shared from our experiences in the NRL and our careers.

"The challenge has been to build relationships with other players and understand them both as players and people, and then help out when I can. That's an ongoing process, and we want to keep developing through the year.

"We're hopeful that we'll do that. We've got a lot of experience and a lot of young boys who have now experienced what it's like to play in the Super League. That will put us in good stead."

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