Minichiello sets sights on Grand Final prize

HULL FC second-row Mark Minichiello says he has made winning the club's maiden Super League title his priority after extending his stay until the end of 2018.
Hull FC's Mark Minichiello.Hull FC's Mark Minichiello.
Hull FC's Mark Minichiello.

The Australian will be 36 before next season starts but has shown once again this year that his form remains high quality.

Coach Lee Radford, who brought him to East Yorkshire from Gold Coast Titans in 2015, has seen enough to give him another deal and Minichiello wants to make the most of it.

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Having played his part in their Challenge Cup final win last season, he said: “I’m really excited to be going around again.

“I’ve been happy with my form recently and there’s still plenty more I want to achieve with this club before I leave.

“I feel well, my body is well and mentally I’ve still got that drive to achieve more silverware with Hull FC. I’m really happy here and it was never an option to look anywhere else.

“We set the Challenge Cup as a goal last year and it was great for the club and for myself to win my first piece of silverware.

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“But there’s one pinnacle I’ve not reached and that’s the Grand Final; that’s something I would love to do with Hull FC.”

Minichiello earned Dream Team recognition last season and is in the squad as Hull seek to halt a three-game losing run against Wigan tonight.

“I’m over the moon to keep Mark for another year – it was a no-brainer,” said Radford,

“He’s still playing well at his age and he’s the model professional for any young player with the way he looks after his body, which has helped him prolong his career.

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“It’s been good for him coming over here and the change of competition has also done him good.

“It meant an awful lot to him winning his first piece of silverware last year and there was no one more devastated than him in the changing rooms after the loss to Wigan in the play-offs as he realises more than anyone that those opportunities don’t come round too often.”