‘Giving it away’ – Jayden Okunbor gives brutally honest Hull FC assessment

Former Hull FC man Jayden Okunbor has revealed that he was considering “giving it away” and calling time on his Rugby League career at the end of the season following his tough time with the Black and Whites.

Okunbor was one of four NRL signings that Hull FC made prior to the 2024 season but currently, only one remains at the club, with Okunbor, Franklin Pele and Nu Brown all having been released early from their contract.

Part of the problem at Hull FC for Okunbor was that he had to learn a new position with the outside back moved into the centres under Tony Smith, and after Smith’s sacking the 27-year-old didn’t play again.

After loan deals with Bradford Bulls, he was then released and signed with the Championship club and it was recently confirmed that he’s signed a deal with them for the 2025 season.

However, when speaking about his new deal Okunbor has revealed that there very nearly was no hope of him playing in 2025 at all as he revealed he’d fallen out of love with the sport.

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Former Hull FC man happy at last

Okunbor had missed games of late due to a Visa issue but once resolved, he penned a one-year extension and he’s since spoken on the deal and his time in England generally.

In an interview on the Bradford Bulls’ YouTube channel, he said: “I’m really happy. I think before coming here I wasn’t necessarily enjoying my footy. I was pretty close to just giving it away at the end of this year.

“Since coming here with the boys and the group that we’ve got, and even the fans, I’ve never felt more welcomed into a club ever. So I can’t thank them enough.

“To have my future secured for next year is really exciting. This club’s on the way up. I have no doubt that we’ll be where we want to be in the next couple of years. So to be a part of that is going to be massive.”

Pushed further on what convinced him to sign the contract for 2025, he confirmed that his happiness during his time at Odsal had made the decision easy.

“It was literally just how happy I was,” Okunbor explained, before noting that’s something he perhaps hadn’t felt whilst at Hull FC.

“Going to training every day and seeing the boys, I kind of didn’t have that feeling before and since coming here I’ve just been really happy.

“I love rugby league, it is a sport that plays itself young and I think once I found that happiness again, I knew that I wasn’t finished.”

The outside back scored in Bradford’s 58-0 thrashing of Whitehaven at the weekend whilst another former Hull FC forward, Franklin Pele, also got on the scoresheet.