Hunte says a 'phone call from the Warrington stalwart, who has been pals with the Great Britain centre since they were 15 years old, finally convinced him to commit his future to the club.

He adds: "I go back a long way with Gary to when we were amateurs and we got on well. When he called me up, told me how good things were looking at the club and reeled off the squad then I thought 'why not?'

"I'd been in talks with Darryl for quite a while and there's no doubting his commitment to what he's doing but a word from an old mate to put you in the right direction always helps."

Hunte and Chambo first met when they played opposite each other for Yorkshire and Cumbria at under 17 level but got to know each other well when they toured Australia with the BARLA under 19s.

And Chambers says the chance of playing alongside his old friend was too good an opportunity to miss.

He adds: "I called him up about playing in the Testimonial match but of course I tried to persuade him to sign for Warrington. I told him how much better things are financially now and who the new signings were.

"He's a top class player and a good lad as well so it's great to have him on board."

Hunte is putting the best light on his 12 months with Hull Sharks but admits he is looking forward to getting back to his best with the Wolves.

He says: "I enjoyed my time at Hull despite a lot of the things that have been said about it. It's hard to pin point why it didn't work as well as it might but I'll still have fond memories of the people and the place.

"The move came at the right time for me and for Hull so I left without any bloodshed and now I'm giving everything to Warrington.

"Warrington have not been where they should have for the last couple of years but they've gone through a difficult period that seems to have been sorted out now.

"There are a lot of good players here and the backbone has been here for a while in lads like Lee Briers, Danny Farrar, Mark Forster, Jon Roper, Steve McCurrie, Toa Kohe-Love, Gary Chambers and Chris Rudd.

"Hopefully the new boys like myself can add something to that and put us in good shape for the season."

Darryl Van de Velde is confident that Hunte will add a major strike element to the squad he has put together.

And it was particularly pleasing signing for the coach as it finally brought an end to his 10 year crusade to secure the scoring sensation's signature.

Van de Velde first talked to the threequarter when he was coach at Castleford in the late 80s but could not match St. Helens big money offer.

He said: "I meet with Alan and his father when he was still a junior and tried to sign him then. We couldn't afford him then and it's a great business deal to sign a player of his proven quality now without a transfer fee.

"He's an experienced professional who's played at the very highest level. He brings a wealth of experience with him and he's a great addition to the squad.

"His try scoring record at St. Helens speaks for itself and as a strike player he gives us so many more options. The depth of the squad is really coming together now."

Both club and player are giving little away but Hunte is understood to have taken a drop in salary to sign for Warrington when he still had 12 months to run on a lucrative contract with Hull - a sure sign of his commitment to reattaining the peaks with the Wolves.

He said: "It doesn't matter about money. I wanted to sign for Warrington for a number of reasons and but financial concerns was not a major one.

"I wanted to come to Warrington because of the conversations I had with Darryl and Gary, because I'd lived in this part of the world for over 10 years and because I really want to try and get back in the Great Britain squad again.

"Missing out on the New Zealand Test series was a big disappointment for me but people were picked on form and I couldn't really argue with that last year. Hopefully I can prove myself again and get myself back in Andy Goodway's plans before too long."

Hunte still has a house in St. Helens and in-laws living in the Warrington area.

He adds: "There are people who I'm looking forward to being closer to again. I've got tenancy agreements to sort out back in Hull but I'll be moving back as soon as I can. I think it's important to be near your club as well."

Van de Velde says he has no plans to make further signings unless players leave first.

With both Castleford Tigers and Hunslet Hawks showing interest in scrum half John Duffy, the money may yet appear for a new contract and the coach says he has prop options lined up should a deal go through.

Castleford have already had two offer rejected for Duffy.

Van de Velde said: "The price on John's head is £25,000 which isn't exorbitant for a young player of his ability and promise. We're not going to give him away for nothing."

Warrington dropped their interest in Leeds' talented young centre Gareth Hewitt when they knew the Hunte deal was going through. He has since signed with Salford Reds.

The Wolves squad have spent several days in training camp at Lilleshall working on their fitness levels and skills training.

Van de Velde declared the trip 'a great opportunity for everyone to blend in with the new lads' but the down side came with injuries to Chris Rudd and Steve McCurrie.

Rudd has a hamstring problem while McCurrie is due to have arthroscope surgery on a knee injury today, Thursday. Both players are expected to be out for a maximum of four weeks.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.