PETER Gentle insists his Hull FC side will be bigger, faster and smarter than ever before in Super League this season.
Led by the key additions of Gareth Ellis, Ben Galea, Daniel Holdsworth and Shannon McDonnell, Gentle is delighted with the experience in his ranks.
And pointing to promising progress from those already at the club, he is confident Hull can deliver on their promise to fans of a big improvement on last year's sixth place finish.
"We are a lot bigger side than we were last year, we are a quicker side than last year and we are a lot smarter side too," Gentle told the Mail.
"The guys who were here last year are a year wiser also with regard to what I want, but the new players coming in like Daniel Holdsworth, Ben Galea and Gareth Ellis are very smart.
"Daniel is one of the smartest rugby players I've ever dealt with. You talk about the game and he sees it.
"We've picked up speed with Jason Crookes and Shannon McDonnell to add to Tom Lineham and Tom Briscoe, so we have four out-and-out speedsters."
While delighted with his recruitment, Gentle believes his squad from last season have also made significant improvements, especially in terms of their fitness and strength.
Praising the work of his two conditioners Paul Devlin and Brent Dickinson, the Black and Whites' coach says his squad will be significantly bigger this year.
"We've got bigger and faster back rowers and our middle have all put on good size thanks to the great work of our strength and conditioning staff," he said.
"Paul Devlin and Brent Dickinson deserve a lot of credit for the terrific job they've done with the boys. The body shape of the players has really changed.
"Being smarter, faster and bigger makes us better. We have to be better this year."
