CARLOS HAILS TRAILBLAZERS
HE is already deemed royalty by Hull FC’s adoring fans but ‘King’ Carlos Tuimavave would love to earn the same legendary status as a returning trio of Kiwi stars.
The New Zealander centre, who is nearing
150 games for the Black
& Whites, will feature against Toulouse in the Super League today.
And some of the club’s Kiwi heroes of yesteryear, Dane O’Hara, Gary Kemble and Fred Ah Kuoi, will present the match ball before kick-off.
They are back in the city to celebrate the 40th anniversary of
Hull’s famous 1982 Challenge Cup success.
Winger O’Hara, below, and fullback Kemble, along with Kiwi centre James Leuluai, joined Hull in 1981-82. They quickly helped them win the cup for the first time in 68 years, plus the John Player Trophy. Stand-off Ah Kuoi followed his New Zealand team-mates the following campaign when Hull also won the league title.
The club have not won it since. With three successive Yorkshire Cup glories as well, it is little wonder the Kiwis are so revered in the west of the city. Aucklander Tuimavave said: “I definitely know a lot about them. They are all Kiwi and Hull FC legends. They were the first group of Kiwis to come over for Hull and had a big influence.
“They paved the way for those of us who’ve played for Hull since.They influenced that and you look at the long line of Kiwis who represented Hull over the years [such as Richard Swain, Stephen Kearney and Sika Manu] and it comes down to those guys.
“I’ve not had a chance to catch up with them yet but I’m hoping to on
Saturday and pay my respects.” As part of the Hull side that lifted the Challenge Cup in 2016 and again 12 months later, Tuimavave is already entrenched in Black &Whites folklore himself. However, the dream is to help Hull finally win the Super League, emulating the 1983 heroics. Tuimavave, who joined from Newcastle Knights in 2016, said: “That’d be amazing and the ultimate goal. There’s a long way to go but hopefully at some point in my Hull career that comes true.
“At this stage, though, my name is nowhere near compared to those legends. But maybe in 30 years’ time I can come back to Hull again. I’d like that.”