Hull FC star Mahe Fonua to exit early for family reasons

The 24-year-old former Melbourne player will return to Australia with his wife Christine at the end of the season and is expected to join Sydney club Wests Tigers.

Hull coach Lee Radford said: “We are obviously disappointed to lose a player of Mahe’s quality but we completely understand his reasons for returning home.

“It is not the way of our club to stand in the way of a player in these circumstances and Mahe and his family will leave with our blessing and best wishes.

“He arrived as a bit of an unknown quantity to many people but leaves us having made a real impression on the club and the competition.

“He has had the opportunity to prove himself, develop his game and returns to the NRL as a better player, which could be our approach again should the right player and opportunity present itself.”

Fonua was a tryscorer in Hull’s long-awaited Challenge Cup final win over Warrington at Wembley last August and was named in the Dream Team after an impressive first season in Super League.

“I am extremely grateful for the club’s support and understanding of the situation and how accommodating they have been,” Fonua said.

“I have always had ambitions to return to the NRL at some stage but the timing now is important for my family and for us to be back closer to home.”