Fonua paid the price for failing to recreate his Cup winning form

MAHE Fonua won’t look back at his second Hull FC stint with much fondness.

After struggling for form and confidence for two seasons, the outside back saw his time at the club come to an end late last week.

The club had highlighted him as a player surplus to requirements and after offering him around to other clubs he was granted a release on Friday, despite having a year left on the deal he signed ahead of the 2020 campaign

A short statement from the club confirmed a financial settlement had been reached before the pair severed ties and went their separate ways.

Fonua is expected to join former Hull coach Lee Radford at Castleford Tigers where he’ll hope to rediscover self-belief and form.

In truth, it’s a move that suited all parties and with an overseas spot to play with, FC can move into the rest of the off-season with confidence of making the additions they require to suitably freshen up Brett Hodgson’s squad.

However, Hull have every right to be confident in the outside back options they have at their disposal moving forward, particularly with the addition of Darnell Mcintosh, who has joined the club from Huddersfield and provides muchneeded pace.

Where it went wrong for Fonua isn’t clear. He was a fans’ favourite at the MKM Stadium for the impact he made during his first spell at the club, playing a huge role in FC’S Challenge Cup successes and earning a spot in the Super League Dream Team two years running.

As a result, he received a hero’s welcome when he returned to East Yorkshire from Wests Tigers, with his signing being seen as a statement of intent at the time, alongside the likes of Manu Ma’u, Adam Swift, Ligi Sao and Chris Satae.

But, he couldn’t quite replicate the type of performances that saw him lauded across 2016 and 2017.

Of course, mitigating circumstances have played a huge role, as Covid and lockdown made it impossible for any player to gain momentum in their performances last season.

The 2021 campaign has hardly been better for the Black and Whites in terms of the impact of the virus, with a lengthy mid-season lay-off throwing their season off course and through it all Fonua struggled for continuity.

There were bright moments, but he couldn’t do enough to make a success of his second stint and so few will have surprised he was one of those deemed to be expendable in the club’s end of season review by Hodgson and the hierarchy.

With the likes of Cam Scott, Connor Wynne and Mitieli Vulikijapani, set to be given more chances and game time, FC are comfortable moving in a different direction and Fonua will head west to Wheldon Road to dust himself down with the help of a familiar face or two.