The Airlie Birds splashed the cash on loose forward Joe Westerman as they look to improve on last year's sixth place.
Westerman and Sharp arrive in quiet off-season for Airlie Birds
The Black and Whites made a return to the play-offs in 2010 - can they continue the upward curve this season with a settled squad?
Last season
Hull spent big last winter, bringing in Sean Long, Mark O'Meley and Craig Fitxgibbon, having missed the play-offs in the previous two years.
Their outlay was rewarded with a sixth-place finish in the regular season, though their Grand Final dreams came to a disappointing end when they lost at home against city rivals Hull KR in the first round.
The loss was even more disappointing considering they had beaten their arch-enemies twice before, including a thrilling 20-16 result at the KC Stadium that surely saw the tackle of the year from winger Tom Briscoe on Peter Fox.
Long showed his quality in helping beat his old club St Helens on his debut for the Black and Whites, though injuries hampered the scrum-half during 2010.
He was not the only player to be found in the treatment room during the campaign as, once again, Hull seemed to be hit by fitness problems more than most of their Super League rivals.
Any hopes of a trip to Wembley in the cup were dashed early on by Leeds, but the campaign was still a promising one for coach Richard Agar.
Ins and outs
No team made a bigger splash last winter than Hull did in signing the experienced trio of Long, O'Meley and Fitzgibbon - but this time around the focus has been on bringing down the average age of Agar's first-team squad.
Joe Westerman has arrived from Castleford after Hull paid one of their "highest ever" transfer fees to get hold of the talented loose forward.
Still only 20, Westerman has the potential to be a star of the game for many years to come, and playing alongside someone like Fitzgibbon should help him immensely.
Winger Will Sharp, another player who England coach Steve McNamara will be keeping a close eye on, has also been snapped up from Harlequins. Mike Bennett has gone the other way, moving to the capital on a season-long loan.
Sharp won't have to compete for a starting berth with either Mark Calderwood or Craig Hall, who has made the short move to Rovers, while Peter Cusack has retired and Shaun Berrigan was released from his contract.
Berrigan's departure in January leaves a space on the overseas quota and Hull may yet dip into the market again, having been heavily linked with Super League half-backs Jarrod Sammut and Rangi Chase.
Outlook
Health permitting, and that is always a big issue for Hull, the squad at Agar's disposal looks good enough to mount another serious play-off push.
Just how far they can go could depend on who ends up being their half-back partnership - Richard Horne looks set to be paired up with Long but the former is missing for the start of the new campaign.
Horne's case is an intriguing one - he was a key member of the side that reached the Grand Final in 2006 but has seen his progress hampered by injuries ever since (he played just 14 times last season).
Westerman's transfer fee will see him under pressure to perform, but the move to the KC Stadium may be just what he needs at this stage of his career.
He will be part of a powerful pack that will be led by the strong-running trio of O'Meley, Sam Moa and Lee Radford. If they can make the metres, watch for Willie Manu to set up plenty of tries with his slick handling from the second row.
So where are the weaknesses? A possible lack of pace in the backs, even with Tom Briscoe and new boy Sharp. And then there's the biggest question of all - can they keep their key players fit? Past history suggests not.
Phil Clarke's one to watch... Joe Westerman
The Black and Whites were my tip for the Grand Final in 2010 and ended up finishing sixth, then losing to their arch rivals in the play-offs.
Their hopes in the last few years have been killed by injuries so maybe the ones to watch at the KC Stadium are the doctor, physio and conditioner. Can they keep their troops healthy in 2011? Richard Agar wants to be worrying about which players he has to leave out rather than which ones he has fit each week.
Joe Westerman's arrival in Hull could be the start of a successful era. I think that he has the potential to be the new Paul Sculthorpe of rugby league and has so much game-time under his belt for a 21 year old.
If I were him I would 'stalk' Craig Fitzgibbon and attempt to download every last bit of information that he's amassed over the last 13 years.
