Carlos Tuimavave opens up on injury hell, turning down Super League, and 'special' Hull FC memories

Carlos Tuimavave has explained his decision to join Featherstone Rovers, with the former Hull FC centre, who was with the club for nine years, having some Super League interest before deciding on the Championship club.

Signing a two-year deal at the Flatcappers, Tuimavave, who in the midst of some gruelling reprecussions following an Achilles injury even considered retirement, is ready for the next chapter of his career and is content with his move. Winning two Challenge Cups with Hull in 2016 and 2017, he could have stayed in Super League, with Hull Live previously reporting a conversation with St Helens, who have since released Waqa Blake and renewed Konrad Hurrell's contract.

However, and despite further interest from York Knights, Doncaster, and new League 1 club Goole Vikings, it's in West Yorkshire where the 32-year-old's future lays, and it all centres on one key element: his family.

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Speaking to BBC Radio Humberside on his move, Tuimavave, who missed three months of 2024 with a hamstring issue, said: "I think we can go back to 2022, when I did my Achilles. I just didn’t quite recover from that. I obviously came back from the injury but I kept getting niggle after niggle after that.

"I think that was down to the Achilles injury. I initially had to learn to walk again, let alone to run again. It was tough, and it definitely took its toll on me mentally because physically I was doing everything possible to prepare my body, eating right, and doing everything away from training correct, and I was still getting niggling injuries.

"It was very frustrating, but in my mind I still knew I had what it took to be a top centre at Super League level, but those injuries were stopping me. I came back towards the end of the last season, and I felt like I played some pretty good footy.

"I had at times thought of retiring at one stage. I wasn’t sure I was going to play again next year, but when I came back and I was playing well enough, that’s probably what convinced me to go around next year.

“I’ve signed a two-year contract at Featherstone Rovers in the Championship. They offered me a contract maybe about a month ago, and I sat down with my agent. We looked at our options, and Featherstone was what was best for me and my family."

On Super League interest, Tuimavave continued: "I spoke to a couple of clubs to be honest, probably clubs that were a bit too far away from Hull. I’ve been in Hull for nine years, and my family is settled here. I didn’t want to disrupt them by having to move elsewhere. The decision to go to Featherstone was purely based on my family."

Tuimavave also recalled his Hull FC finale against Catalans Dragons in September, revealing that his wife was in tears given the emotion the family has for the club. For the New Zealand outside back, who played internationally for Samoa, it will always be a special place.

"It was definitely emotional walking out for one last time at the MKM Stadium wearing that black and white shirt," Tuimavave added. "It was special. I did a lap of honour at the end there with my family, and my wife was in tears. That just shows how much it meant to not only myself but also my family. I’ll remember that occasion forever.

"Over the last two months, I’ve done a lot of thinking. Looking back now and how I finished my time at Hull, I felt like I finished on the right note. I left on good terms, and it was definitely time to move on.

"I’d been there for a long time, had some good times, and definitely had some bad times as well, but I leave with no ill feeling or anything towards the club. I feel like it was the right time, especially with the journey the club has been on now with new coaching staff and ownership. I feel like it’s a new chapter, and it’s time for new players to come in, take over, and lead the club in a new direction."

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