Former Hull FC man dropped with Super League clubs set to circle

A former Hull FC star has been dropped and told he’s surplus to requirements by his NRL side which has put Super League clubs on notice.

The NRL team lists were confirmed yesterday with one of the major stories being that North Queensland Cowboys had dropped Jake Clifford, the former Hull FC playmaker who returned to the NRL for the 2024 season.

Clifford shone during his one season in Super League after arriving from Newcastle Knights and a return to his boyhood club was too hard for him to turn down. After spending much of 2024 in the club’s reserve side, he had established himself as a starter for 2026.

However, Todd Payten’s decision to shift Jaxon Purdue into the halves and drop Clifford has seen Super League clubs put on notice about his potential availability for both 2026 but also for a mid-season move.

One leading journalist Down Under has claimed that the 27-year-old has been “told that he’s in second grade for the rest of the year”, something that might cause him to seek a move either in the NRL or back to Super League.

Ex-Hull FC man Jake Clifford available for mid-season move

Buzz Rothfield was the man who reported how the Cowboys view Clifford, labelling it as a “shock” before revealing what the ramifications are.

Speaking on Triple M Daily, he explained: “He’s off-contract which is an obvious signal to his agent to go and look for another club and I think if he found one before June 30th then they’d probably let him go.

“When Dearden is away on Origin, does Clifford could back for that? I don’t know but he’s basically been told that he’s not part of their plans for this year.”

Tom Dearden does look set to be Queensland’s State of Origin squad and the third fixture takes place after the June 30th deadline for when NRL players can move to rival NRL clubs.

However, the Super League deadline is later so should the Cowboys keep Clifford for the entirety of Origin, he would still be able to make a mid-season move to England.

Super League clubs will have been considering the former Hull FC man for 2026 but the opportunity to grab him early presents an interesting prospect.

Currently, Huddersfield Giants, Wigan Warriors and Salford Red Devils have overseas quota spots though the Giants would be the only team with a chance to have the salary cap space available but a number of teams are searching for a half-back next year, including Hull KR and potentially Leeds Rhinos.