Talanoa relishing new season at Hull

Hull FC threequarter Fetuli Talanoa is relishing the prospect of the coming season, after a spell on the sidelines.

The Auckland-born back scored 40 tries in 95 games for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, before a bout of pneumonia.

Talanoa, who is of Tongan extraction, is clearly excited about joining Hull, after spending time playing rugby union in New Zealand, following his illness.

“It’s a big change, training in this cold,” he smiled.

“But I’m just excited to be here.

“I thought that being an outside back in union would be pretty similar.

“But there were a lot of differences. I didn’t really feel like my heart was fully in it.

“It’s just good to be back in rugby league.”

Talanoa feels that rugby league teams prepare in similar ways, though, whatever hemisphere they compete in.

“They have their similar mindsets,” he mused.

“They’ve pretty much got the same goals and intentions. We do pretty much the same thing.”

As for personal goals at his club, the Tongan international does not want to get to far ahead of himself, but is keen to cross the whitewash as often as possible.

“It’s a long season, and it’s going to be a tough season. We have to gel together and take it week by week. We can’t look too far ahead,” he explained.

“I’m looking to solidify a spot in the outside backs. Personally speaking, I just want to take my opportunities out there, wherever I play.

“I want to score some tries. Training alongside our backs is great, getting some good combinations going.

“We’re getting a good friendship out there on the field, too. It’s a good feeling.”

Hull FC coach Lee Radford, meanwhile, is optimistic that fans will see good performances from Talanoa in the famous black and white strip.

“We’ve put him through his testing period, to see where he’s at physically,” Radford said.

“He’s come through that with flying colours.

“We think we’ve recruited well in the off-season. Hopefully we’ll see that come to fruition during the year.”