Agreed.

Key point for me is the bit in bold.

A few questions.

1) how do we end up signing a player for that amount which was at the club as junior ? For those in the know.

2) if we had £150,000 to spend on a transfer fee why wasn't it on an area we needed improvement on.

3) Is Westerman worth that amount considering he was out of contract at the end of the season ?

I'm a bit underwhelmed overall,I like westerman as a player but am very unsure on the amount it has cost us and whether he was a signing we needed.

A good signing for me. Good player (just how good we will find out in the coming year or so), young and english. It's nice to see we're building for the future and taking the long view.

People saying we don't need to strengthen the backrow, what about when Fitz leaves? Plus we're short of props which suggest we'll have to move a SR up to prop which then leaves our SR light. Also if we'd waited until he was available on a free you can pretty much guarantee he'd have gone elsewhere.

Whether he is worth our rumoured fee, only time will tell. If he fails to live up to expectations then Cas will be laughing but if he fulfils his undoubted potential then it'll look like a bargain. Either way it's too early to pass judgement IMO.

Well at times its who's better. For instance Joe could of been off form for a few weeks at youth level an maybe another player was in form an overtook him in terms of rank in the side the youth coaches have to make very difficult decisions and maybe he wasnt showing what the coaches wanted at that time.

Im chuffed we've signed him had a mediocre season but so did cas. The lads only 20 and has the world at his feet and like he said he's looking forward to working with fitz n ogre so maybe he's ready to really put his heart and soul into the FC cause.

This is the bit I don't get - [ihas[/i Agar completely changed his tune, despite 3 seasons of this and being adamant that 3 props is best at fan's forums etc?

If Agar is bending under the force of pressure, why haven't we seen more of Washy at 13 - or seen Whiting tried there - when the going was tough and we were screaming for another pivot?

This is a massive u-turn for Agar and I hope it's happening and we see Westerman at 13. But the fact that the Hull FC article describes him as a "loose forward, come stand off" and with the 'paper' version of the Mail stating "A loose forward who has on occasions played stand-off, where Westerman fits into Agar's plans is yet unknown, with Hull already boasting Fitzgibbon and Richard Horne in his two positions" I do wonder.

We're all expecting the signing of a "back-up half", perhaps Westerman is earmarked [ias[/i the new half with Horney becoming the back-up.

Unlikely, I know, but nothing would surprise me with Hull, and this would allow Agar to stick to his "3 prop" guns.

From a Cas point of view I wouldn't be bothered if Westerman had been released from the final year of his contract to join you, he has been very poor for the last two years. To get even 100k (let alone the 175k you have apparently paid) for a player who has be average at best for two years and could have left for nothing in a year is fantastic business.
As a Cas lad, I would love it if Joe could fulfil some of his early promise and go on to be international quality. Unfortunately, he just doesn't seem to have the work-ethic to do so.

The best thing about this signing is that we can play a 13 instead of a second rower / prop at 13. Its a great move for more positive rugby. I think 150k is quite a lot of cash, but a good investment I think.

I know that webbo has been in aus, so maybe sounding out players for this season, or even for 2012. Got to start looking at our big signings we need to make then, when Long, Berro and Fitz go. For that reason as well, its a good player to bring in now.

Good work, am feeling pretty happy now!

So isn't the next 5 or 6 years in the future then???????????

By the way, it's 175k, not 150k. Three offers were made over the last few weeks, firstly 125k+Tansey, then 150k which was rejected and then 175k which was obviously accepted.

Could we have moved Whiting to 13 and got a similar result without the spend?

You a fly on the Boardroom wall?