'It's in my blood': Jordan Rapana ready to bring competitive spirit to embattled Hull FC

Rapana scored 106 tries in 214 games for the Raiders but will be best remembered for his dogged persistence and sheer will to win.

Without that thirst for a challenge, the 35-year-old would not be preparing for a first Super League campaign in the depths of winter with a team that have lost sight of what it means to be competitive.

Rapana could have seen out his career surrounded by home comforts but it says everything about his character that he answered an SOS from a club that ended 2024 with a share of the wooden spoon.

"I'd spent almost 12 years at one club and it was a bit of a changing of the guards there," said the former New Zealand international.

"My time there was up. I knew I always wanted to come to Super League at some stage but I wasn't sure when it would happen.

"As much as I still felt I was playing pretty well, the speed of the game there is in a league of its own. I thought that while the body was still holding up, my opportunity to come over here was now.

"The speed probably isn't as quick over here but I'd say the physicality is probably equal if not higher. That's something I pride myself on.

"I was up for the challenge. Fortunately, Hull and being reunited with Carty (John Cartwright, head coach) was one of the options."

Rapana played under Cartwright at Gold Coast Titans in 2008 at the start of his career.

With the help of ex-Canberra team-mate Aidan Sezer, Rapana was quickly convinced that Hull share traits with his former club.

"Carty being the coach here was a massive part – and Sezer as well," added Rapana, who is set to start at full-back for his new team after receiving the number one shirt. "He was on the phone to me more or less every day trying to persuade me.

"Hull are coming off a pretty rough season. Carty was the biggest factor but I saw a lot of potential in the club and similarities to the side at Canberra.

"A lot of Hull's quota players got let go last year and the young boys were all thrown in the deep end. Hopefully if us experienced boys stay on the pitch, we'll give ourselves a genuine chance in every game.

"I know a lot of people are writing us off but at Canberra we prided ourselves on proving people wrong. Sometimes flying under the radar can be an advantage."

As well as Sezer, Rapana has teamed up with fellow new faces Zak Hardaker and John Asiata, players who fall into the same 'ultimate competitor' bracket.

Those men have been tasked with firming up Hull's soft underbelly, a point not lost on Rapana.

"That's probably a big reason why Carty and Richie (Myler, director of rugby) signed me," said Rapana.

"I don't think that will ever change. I feel like it's in my blood.

"That competitiveness is infectious. I played alongside Aidan for a long time and he's equally as competitive. Hopefully that attitude can spread through the team.

"I know from playing alongside competitive people who never give up that it goes a long way in the team.

"The more we compete and play with effort no matter what the scoreline is, you're going to end up winning a lot more games than you lose."

Rapana will be 37 when his two-year contract ends but a break from rugby league between Gold Coast and Canberra means he does not have as many miles on the clock as other players of the same age.

True to form, Rapana is open to accepting the challenge of playing on beyond 2026.

"To be honest, I thought I was done two years ago at the Raiders but my body has just kept holding up and the competitor in me is still going strong," said Rapana, who won 16 caps for New Zealand and appeared at three World Cups, once as a Cook Islands representative.

"When I think about the way pre-seasons are and how physical and fast the game is, I'd like to think I'll be well and truly retired by then – but I thought that five years ago.

"I love playing and the lifestyle but I also don't want to become a passenger. I take too much pride in myself to do that.

"I'll know after two years whether I'm playing well enough and the body is holding up. If not, I'll definitely call it."