Hull FC can confirm that Carlos Tuimavave will depart the club at the end of the season following the end of his current contract.
One of the club’s finest overseas signings of the modern era, Tuimavave will call time on a nine-year spell following our final game of the season having made over 180 appearances in Black & White since his arrival in 2016.
The 32-year old centre, who was a key part of the club’s back-to-back Challenge Cup Final victories at Wembley Stadium in 2016 and 2017, is the club’s fourth highest overseas appearance-maker of all-time, and has undoubtedly been one of the club’s most consistent performers during his time in East Yorkshire.
Tuimavave, a former junior Kiwi captain, joined the club from Newcastle Knights ahead of the historic 2016 campaign, and immediately became a hit with supporters for his impressive performances, showcasing agility and pace throughout during a memorable campaign for the club.
He picked up Challenge Cup winners medals in his first two seasons with the club, confidently taking on the role of half-back in the historic 2016 victory before moving to his preferred centre spot the following season having scored a memorable brace in the 2017 semi-final victory over Leeds.
Tuimavave was named the club’s Player of the Year in 2020 as the stand-out performer in the Covid-19 disrupted campaign, before earning the club captaincy in 2023, following in the footsteps of some of the club’s greatest of all-time as the tenth overseas player to take the armband.
Tuimavave will depart the club to take up an opportunity elsewhere in the game.
Speaking on his departure from the club at the end of the season, Tuimavave said: “It’s been a difficult decision for me to make. I’ve been here for nine years – I didn’t think I’d be here that long. I originally signed a three-year contract at the age of 23, but things work out differently to what you plan, and I have no regrets.
“It’s mixed emotions for me at the moment, but it’s the right time to move on.
“I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved. My family love Hull FC as much as I do. My kids know no different, they love this club. To spend nine years at one club is a special achievement. The club will always hold a special place in my heart and I’ve got memories here that will last me a lifetime.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to move over here at such a young age, and I’ve got to give credit to my family, my wife and my kids for making so much of a sacrifice for me to be here for so long. Everything I do is for them.”
Reflecting on the highlight of his time with the club, he added: “Before I moved over, I didn’t even know what the Challenge Cup was. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect start to my career here and it still gives me goosebumps to this day.
“It was a special group both on and off the field, we were a tight bunch and that showed in our performances. I was so lucky to play with the calibre of players I did in that team with the likes of Gaz Ellis, Mark Minichiello, Sika Manu – players I looked up to as a youngster.
And on the opportunity to skipper the side in 2023, he continued: “I never saw myself as a captain, but to be asked to lead the boys that season was really special for me.
“I remember walking out for the first time with my family, leading the side, and that was a really special moment for me. I’m fortunate to be amongst a special list of players who have led this great club.”
Hull FC Chairman Adam Pearson, said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to have Carlos within our ranks for the best part of a decade, and to have seen him develop from a young man into a true leader, and one of the finest overseas Super League centres of the modern era.
“He has without doubt become one of the greatest NRL signings this club has ever made. He has conducted himself with the utmost professionalism both on and off the field, and will leave a lasting legacy on the club.
“He will be the first to admit that he didn’t expect to spend such a significant period of time in West Hull, but he has taken this club and its community to his heart, giving everything he has got throughout the best years of his career.
“This marks a melancholic moment for the club as, alongside Danny Houghton, we bid farewell to the final members of our back-to-back cup winning side. However, we move forward with great confidence and optimism we’re that the torch is now being passed onto a talented group of young stars for whom have shown some real promise and development in 2024, learning from the likes of Carlos and Danny and carrying through some of the qualities that they have picked up from them along the way.”
The club wishes Carlos and his family well for the future in both Rugby League and beyond, and thank him for an incredible nine years of service to the Black & Whites.
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