Crookes Signs

Former Bradford Bulls winger Jason Crookes says he can’t wait to be part of something special at the Black and Whites after signing a three-year contract with Hull FC from 2013.

The 22-year-old is the club’s seventh new player for next season and will join likes of Gareth Ellis, Daniel Holdsworth, Ben Galea and Joe Arundel at the KC Stadium in Super League XVIII, while forwards Jay Pitts and Liam Watts have already impressed since arriving midway through 2012.

And excited at the chance to line-up alongside some familiar faces for Hull in the coming years, Crookes told www.hullfc.com an ambitious move to East Yorkshire was one he couldn’t afford to turn down.

“The club have brought in some fantastic players for next year and they are really building something special. I’ve played with a few of the guys already who have joined the club and I want to be part of it,” he said.

“There are some top players already here too like Tom Briscoe. I could be up against him for a spot in the side and while it will be hard, I’m really looking forward to training with him and picking up what I can from Tom.

“Kirk Yeaman is another England international and everybody knows how good he is, while Joe Arundel is a great young player and Ben Crooks ripped us apart the other week at Odsal and looks like he will be a top player too.”

He continued, “There is going to be some competition for places and it will be hard to get a position in the side, but it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to.

“I played centre as a youngster but I see myself more as a winger now. I’m not bothered where I play though, whether it’s centre or wing, on the left or the right, I just want to play my part.”

A former England Academy international centre, Crookes switched to the wing for the Bulls this year and bagged seven tries in 13 Super League appearances for the West Yorkshire side, including in Hull’s 70-6 victory over Bradford earlier this month.

Impressing Hull coach Peter Gentle in a pre-season friendly between to two sides back in January, when he got on the scoreboard with a length-of-the-field try at the KC Stadium, Huddersfield-born Crookes will join an exciting young backline at the KC Stadium in 2013.

And having been a stand-out player in a Bradford side haunted by off-field woes for much of 2012, Crookes says he is relishing a fresh start at the Black and Whites.

He said, “It’s been a tough year at Bradford, it started really well for the team and for me personally, but towards the end the players were getting a bit frustrated about what was going on.

“It’s hard to leave after a season like that, but in some ways it’s made the decision easier. When a club like Hull come in for you, it’s not an opportunity you can afford to turn down and it was as simple as that really.

“I’m looking forward to it already, my season has finished now although Hull are still playing and I just want to get a good pre-season in at a different club. It’s really exciting for me and I can’t wait to get started.

“In the meantime, I wish the team well in the play-offs. They’ve got a hard draw against Warrington at the weekend, but if they play like they did against Huddersfield, they can definitely do it and I wish them luck.”