Former Featherstone Rovers star Fa’amanu Brown has arrived at Hull FC for pre-season training after joining the club for the 2024 Super League season.
Brown has been awarded the number seven shirt vacated by now North Queensland Cowboys star Jake Clifford after only one season in the role.
In fact, Brown is the third different player to wear the number seven shirt in the three seasons since Marc Sneyd left the club. A legend after winning two Lance Todd trophies in two Challenge Cup Final wins, Sneyd held the number seven shirt at the MKM Stadium from 2015 to 2021.
Now it belongs to Brown and he has arrived at the club in 2024 and is very excited to get going.
Speaking to hullfc.com, Brown said: “I’m really privileged to be joining Hull FC. Something I have always wanted to do throughout my career is stamp my name on the Super League competition and I’m just so excited for the opportunity.
“I’ve watched a fair bit of Super League on TV whilst I’ve been in Australia and I kept up with it whilst I was at Featherstone in the Championship. The fans over in England are crazy!
“I’ve had a really good chat with Tony Smith and we just clicked straight away. To be honest, we didn’t chat about footy that much. It was mostly about life away from footy and he said that if everything is looking after itself off-the-field, then you’ve got a good chance of performing at your best on the field. I think that’s part of having a successful team.
He continued: “I debuted in the NRL at five-eighth and I’ve played a bit of hooker. But like I said to Tony, wherever you put me I will do a job and I’m willing to die for the club whose colours I wear on my back.
“With the forward pack the club has in 2024, it’s going to be fun to play behind those guys. You’ve got to expect some quick play-the-balls and it’s about playing what you see from those. It’s exciting for us guys in the halves and it’s going to be just as exciting for some of the talented outside backs at the club to play off.
“I’ve certainly done my research on all of the boys, and all of the guys coming over from Australia are people I have played with before, so I’m looking forward to linking up with them again.”
Hull FC head coach, Tony Smith, added: “Simply, he is what I would call a footy player. He’s got the ability to run the ball and he can take control of a game and that’s what I really like about him. He’s smart and it’s a really good pick up for the club.
“Not only that, but he’s a great human being too. We connected well when we had a chat over the phone recently and I can tell he’s going to be great for the culture we are trying to create here. He’s got a great personality.
“Having sampled footy both in the Southern and the Northern Hemisphere is a good thing. I like the fact he has played in England before and that he has experience of playing in this country. I think that’s going to hold him in good stead.
“I can just sense a real hunger about Nu and how he wants to hit the ground running for us. He’ll be joining us just after being in camp with the Kiwis, which is a great achievement for him, so we hope he brings that confidence along with him and that he can make a great start to his career at Hull.”
