‘I don’t have regrets’ – Franklin Pele opens up on his Hull FC nightmare and next step

Franklin Pele insists he has no regrets about what happened during his spell with Hull FC earlier this season. The forward arrived at the club in pre-season as one of Hull’s major overseas recruits with the club expecting Pele to help Tony Smith’s side take the next step in their journey.

However, it’s fair to say the New Zealander endured a poor start to Super League life and never really recovered. Pele was shown a red card for a high tackle on his debut for the club against Hull KR before being sin-binned and banned again upon his return to action for a similar offence.

Pele struggled for traction over his first eight games for the club and after joining York City Knights briefly on loan, he was eventually released from the two-year contract he signed with the Black and Whites and allowed to pursue other opportunities.

Bradford Bulls announced his signing on the day he said farewell to west Hull and the forward hasn’t looked back, with five tries coming for the Bulls in just 11 Championship games. As such, Pele has been something of a crowd favourite at Odsal, with the forward settling into his game and demonstrating why Hull brought him over from Canterbury Bulldogs in the first place.

Reflecting on his time with Hull FC, Pele told West Yorkshire Radio Rugby League: “The start of the season, it what it is. It’s the past, it’s gone by and I can’t really do anything to change it.

“Looking back I don’t have any regrets, it’s just the way life works and some things were my fault, some things weren’t. I can take it on the chin and the main thing that matters now is that I’m happy and I’m in a group that know what I can do and supports what I can do. I’m just happy to be here and playing footy week in, week out.”

Pele’s future remains undecided, but his form has prompted suggestions that he could be set to join the Bulls on a long-term basis.

However, while the forward has stressed how pleased he is to be representing the Championship outfit at present, it seems he is keeping his options open.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,” he said when asked if he was happy at Odsal. “It’s a good place to be, we’ve got good fans, good coaching staff, good facilities and a good bunch of boys here. We all want to take the next step and I think we’re capable of doing that.

Pushed on whether he would be with the club next season, he added: “It’s a tricky question. I wish I could open up more on that. It’s definitely a place I want to be and a place where I’ve enjoyed myself.

“I’m grateful for everyone at Bradford Bulls and the whole community for getting around me and accepting me. It’s a place I want to be and a place I want to remain, but everyone is ambitious and everyone has their own goals and benchmarks they want to set for themselves.

“I still have that drive in me and that push to get to the next level. I think we can do it at Bradford but it’s a matter of time of what’s going to happen in the future. I’m just enjoying it and whatever comes will come.”