John Cartwright has offered a fresh insight into Hull FC's recruitment process last season, admitting that he had the say in the final three quota players to sign for the club.

The Black and Whites had already signed John Asiata before appointing Cartwright, who ironically worked with the loose forward during North Queensland Cowboys' NRL premiership-winning year of 2015. However, his relationship with the likes of Jordan Rapana and Aidan Sezer was well-known from his time at Gold Coast Titans, with the Aussie coach also knowing Cade Cust from Manly Sea Eagles.

It was those relationships that proved crucial in Hull's overseas recruitment drive. However, modest in his assessment, Cartwright, who coached in the NRL for over 20 years, admits that Hull were 'fortunate' those three players were available when they were, with the club before making high-profile moves for Leigh half-back Lachlan Lam and then Brisbane Broncos full-back Tristan Sailor, who ended up signing for St Helens.

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Commenting on that process, Cartwright talked through his involvement, with CEO Richie Myler also credited for getting early deals done, in particular Asiata, as well as the likes of Zak Hardaker and Oliver Holmes, adding the sort of experience craved by the club this season.

Speaking on Hull's recruitment, Cartwright, who outlined what the three overseas players will bring to the club, said: "A lot of it was done before I took the job. Richie came in in April; I signed in May, and most of the English players who have come on board, Richie brought them to the club.

"When I got the job, I identified that you need experienced half-backs, full-backs, hookers, and so on. On the back of that, I had a relationship with Aidan Sezer, Jordan Rapana, and Cade Cust. They were the three guys that I was involved with signing.

"Recruitment is a difficult thing to do later in the season. Most managers don't let their players come off contract, and deals are generally done 12 months before these days. There wasn't a hell of a lot available, and we were fortunate that those three were. I've worked with them before; they're super competitive boys, they're experienced, and they'll form a big part of the team this year."

Much has been made of Hull's recruitment, with the club signing five players over the age of 30 – Asiata, Rapana, Sezer, Hardaker, and Holmes. However, with only Tom Briscoe, Ligi Sao, Herman Ese'ese, and Brad Fash in or over that age bracket, it was deemed necessary to add such experience to go alongside a young-looking squad, with well over a dozen players aged 23 or under.

Cartwright, meanwhile, has no issues with age, explaining why the club opted to go down that route. He continued: "I think 10 years ago, it would have been something to be concerned about, but the more you look into players and how long they are playing into their 30s now, training methods, recovery methods, surgeries, treatments, it's all so much better now.

"Players are playing a lot longer into their careers and not losing any speed or strength that they had at their peak. But in general, we had to recruit experience. We had a really young group; it's a funny dynamic to work with. We've got a lot of guys under 21 and then a lot of guys 30 plus.

"It's working out really well at the moment; the younger boys have got plenty of guys to look up to, and the older guys are really enjoying imparting knowledge to the younger guys. We don't have a lot of players in that middle group. It'll be interesting to see how that pans out in the season, but I have no issue with the boys we've signed and their ages. They're competing at training alongside those young fellas, and they're all pushing each other on."