Vulikijapani set for Hull
BRETT Hodgson has confirmed Mitieli Vulikijapani will link up with Hull FC this week as he begins his trial period with the Black and Whites.
The Fijian has been invited to train with FC for the remainder of pre-season after catching the eye while playing rugby union and sevens for the Army.
With limited rugby league experience, he will attempt to learn the ropes of the 13-man code over the next few weeks with Hull in the hope that he can earn a professional contract with the club.
Hodgson is keen to see Vulikijapani in action first hand, but having seen video footage of the winger he has high hopes his talent can shine through during his trial.
“Mitch will start with us this week,” Hodgson told the Mail. “He comes from the British Army and rugby sevens.
“I’m looking forward to getting some work done with Mitch. From what we’ve seen online he’s got some real talent with the ball and I’m looking forward to seeing how he fits in and I’m sure our players will make him feel at home.
“He does (look talented) and the highlights show exactly that.
“We need to make sure he comes in and learns our system pretty quickly.
“Hopefully all going well he’ll give himself a chance to progress beyond that trial.
“I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Hodgson made it clear in his first interview as head coach that he was looking to bring in a winger and if Vulikijapani can impress enough to earn a deal that would certainly tick that box.
However, the head coach hasn’t completely ruled out the possibility of more business before the start of the new campaign.
“It’s always still going on in the background,” he added when asked about the recruitment situation.
“We’ve got the squad that we’ve got at the moment but we’re always looking to strengthen and having conversations constantly around that with James (Clark) and Adam (Pearson) and our coaching staff.
“We’ll continue to do that and if something is able to fall then that would be great.”