HULL FC forward Joe Westerman has said he would like to extend his stay with the club long-term, but will first focus on his return to the side from injury.
The 29-year-old signed a one-year contract extension last September, after joining from Toronto Wolfpack mid-season. He is now in his second spell with the club after spending 2011 to 2015 with the Black and Whites.
Westerman had made a £150,000 move to the Canadian club prior to the 2018 season, but was released shortly afterwards after failing to cement his place in the side. Now back with Hull, he reaffirmed his commitment to the club when asked whether he is eyeing a longer contract.
“Yeah I am,” he confirmed. “I enjoyed it almost instantly when I came back. I really enjoyed the five games I played last season. We’ve had a little boy recently and I’m just looking forward to getting back out there. “You look back now at Toronto, I have some good mates over there now but, sadly, I didn’t make it out there.
It was a big move, it really was. I thought I’d be there a few years but obviously it came to an end quickly. Luckily Hull came back in for me and I’m grateful for that.”
The former England international made six appearances last season for Lee Radford’s side, and started to show shades of the form that earned him a big money move to Warrington in 2016.
But the 29-year-old suffered a knee injury against Salford Red Devils that required surgery in June, before returning against Wakefield just a month later, where he limped off the field again. He admitted that it was too early to return to the field, and he will now wait to make a more measured decision to come back as the new season beckons.
“I started running properly in training a couple of weeks ago,” he added.
“Just now I want to get fit and get back out there so that I can play plenty of rugby. I know that if I’m fit and everything is feeling fine then I can perform at the very top level.
“I’m not going to come back until I’m fit. If it’s round one, two, three or four, I don’t want to be out there until I’m fully fit and flying. If you come back too early it shows. I did that last season, played five games, and then it happened again. It’s just a matter of making sure I don’t make the same mistake again.”