Hull FC’s latest overseas arrival, Herman Ese’ese, can’t wait to play in front of a Hull FC home crowd that he has already heard so much about.
The prop forward, who spent 2023 with the Dolphins in their maiden NRL campaign, arrived in the UK just under a fortnight ago, linking up with fellow imports Franklin Pele and Jayden Okunbor – they will shortly be joined by Fa’amanu Brown.
It’s always a big culture change for players making the transition from Australia to England. The cold Christmases, a different way of life, and playing in front supporters who are the very definition of tribal.
Speaking to hullfc.com for the first time since his arrival, Ese’ese has revealed that he has already been tipped up about how passionate the Black & White supporters are.
“The main thing I’ve been told about the Hull FC fans is just how passionate they are,” he said.
“They wear their heart on their sleeves with pride and they’re fully bought into the club, which is really refreshing to see.
“All I want to do is play good footy for a rowdy bunch of fans and I’m really looking forward to getting started in February.
“I’ve heard that the Hull Derby in Round One is going to be like a State of Origin match! It’s going to be a massive, special occasion and I’m so excited for it.”
Although all roads lead to Round One in the Betfred Super League campaign, which is just under two months away, there are still plenty of boxes for Hull’s playing group to tick off.
There remain some gruelling pre-season training sessions and testing, and Hull also have three pre-season friendlies to fine-tune their preparations for the 2024 campaign.
But it’s been so far so good for Ese’ese in his first full fortnight with the Airlie Birds.
“It’s been nice to have such a warm welcome in my first couple of weeks. It’s helped me settle into life at the club,” he told hullfc.com.
“The coaching staff want me to take on a bit of a leadership role this year, which I’m really looking forward to.
“There’s some real hungry youngsters here at the club and that’s something that motivates me a lot. They’re all working really hard.
“Personally, I’m feeling in good shape. I knew before I came over that my pre-season in England would be short, so I did a lot of work back home to make sure I would be in a good place when I arrived in England, and it’s all worked out well so far.”
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