Former Hull FC man Carlos Tuimavave has moved to explain why made the decision to join Featherstone Rovers despite having Super League interest.
As reported previously by Serious About RL, Tuimavave was subject to approaches from two top flight clubs over the off-season once his time at Hull had come to an end, with one of those thought to have been situated in the North West. However, the centre has instead taken up a two-year deal with Featherstone Rovers in the Championship.
As such, after spending nine years with Hull and lifting the Challenge Cup on two occasions, the former Samoa international now finds himself preparing for his first season at the Millennium Stadium, a level below what he has played at previously in his career. It’s a decision he is comfortable with, though, and it comes after finding himself contemplating retirement at one point due to the injury issues he has struggled with over the last few years.
“I think we go back to 2022, when I did my Achilles,” Tuimvave told BBC Radio Humberside when discussing his injuries over the final few years of his time at Hull FC. “I just didn’t quite recover from that. I obviously came back from the injury but I kept getting niggle after niggle after that.
“I think that was down to the Achilles injury. I initially had to learn to walk again, let alone learn to run again. It was tough and it definitely took its toll on me mentally because physically I was doing everything possible to prepare my body, eating right and doing everything away from training correct and I was still getting niggling injuries.
“It was very frustrating but in my mind I still knew I had what it took to be a top centre at Super League level but those injuries were stopping me. I came back towards the end of the season and I felt like I played some pretty good footy.
“I had at times thought of retiring at one stage. I wasn’t sure I was going to play again next year, but when I came back and I was playing well enough, that’s probably what convinced me to go around next year.
“I’ve signed a two-year contract at Featherstone Rovers in the Championship. They offered me a contract maybe about a month ago and I sat down with my agent, we looked at our options and Featherstone was what was best for me and my family.
“I spoke to a couple of [Super League] clubs to be honest, probably clubs that were a bit too far away from Hull. I’ve been in Hull for nine years and my family is settled here. I didn’t want to disrupt them by having to move elsewhere. The decision to go to Featherstone was purely based on my family.”
The 32-year-old made 182 appearances for the Black and Whites during his stint in west Hull, with his final outing for the club coming at the end of the 2024 season on home soil against Catalans Dragons.
“It was definitely emotional walking out for one last time at the MKM Stadium wearing that black and white shirt, it was special,” the former Hull FC man added. “I did a lap of honour at the end there with my family and my wife was in tears. That just shows how much it meant to myself but also my family. I’ll remember that occasion forever.
“Probably the last two months I’ve done a lot of thinking. Looking back now and how I finished my time there I felt like I finished on the right note. I left on good terms and it was definitely time to move on.
“I’d been there for a long time, had some good times and definitely had some bad times as well but I leave with no ill feeling or anything towards the club. I feel like it was the right time, especially with the journey the club has been on now with new coaching staff and ownership, I feel like it’s a new chapter and it’s time for new players to come in, take over and lead the club in a new direction.”
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