Former Hull FC prop forward Franklin Pele will re-sign with South Sydney Rabbitohs for 2027 with the 25-year-old targeting an NRL return.
Pele returned down under at the end of the 2025 season and signed a one-year deal with the Bunnies to play for their New South Wales Cup side, for whom he has made nine appearances in 2026.
It’s now being reported by Zero Tackle that he will remain with Souths for 2027, although he will aim to land a spot in the club’s top 30 roster and secure an NRL return – something that Warrington Wolves’ exile Matt Dufty did before going on to play 15 games for Souths this past season.
Pele has not played in the NRL since 2023, the year before he made his ill-fated switch to Hull FC, with the prop only going on to make eight appearances in black and white before departing to sign for Bradford Bulls.
He’d made 26 appearances for the Bulls over two seasons but saw his time there cut short after he was alleged to have tried to secure a move to French rugby union, with Bradford confirming his immediate exit in May 2025 and threatening legal action against the forward.
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Former Hull FC man secures new Souths deal to keep NRL dream alive
Pele would move to France, signing a deal with third tier rugby union club Racing Club de Narbonne but his return to Australia in late 2025 prompted a return to rugby league, and with it a desire to play in the NRL again.
Whilst he has played for Souths’ NSW Cup side this year, he will aim to crack the club’s top 30 roster and make his long-awaited NRL return where he would be playing in a forward pack that will feature the world’s best prop, Payne Haas, who has signed with the Bunnies for 2027.
He’ll surely use Matt Dufty as inspiration with the ex-Warrington Wolves man also landing at Souths ahead of 2026 with no real route to the first team, however, the full-back forged a role for himself and would go on to make 15 appearances this season.
Pele has all the physical traits needed to do that but as seen during his time at Hull FC, discipline could let him down.
