Once upon a time, he was a crucial part of the Gold Coast Titans back-row but Mark Minichiello’s new English adventure has been serving him well, after he re-signed at Hull FC.
The veteran back-rower who has taken his good form from the NRL into the Super League, played in all but three matches for the Black and Whites’ and took home the Supporters’ Player of the Year Award.
It was an easy decision for Hull FC in the end, with coach Lee Radford pleased with how well Minichiello has fit into their system.
“It was a no-brainer on our part,” coach Lee Radford said.
“The form he showed last year was fantastic and hopefully he’ll better that in 2016.
“Last season, he was often on the field in games for longer minutes than what we would have liked but we didn’t feel we had sufficient replacements on the bench on one or two occasions.
With more back-rowers now at their disposal, the veteran will have to be at his best and Radford will push that message through.
“That won’t be the case this time around. He’s got some great back-rowers with him now and that also means he’ll have to perform,” said Radford.
“He’ll benefit from having the new boys in the squad.”
Equally pleased is Minichiello himself, who after consulting with family, knew that staying in Hull was the way to go.
“I’m pleased to get it all sealed off and I’m really excited about the next couple of years with Hull,” said Minichiello.
“It wasn’t a hard decision at all. I sat down with my family and we all agreed we wanted to stay here.
“We’re really settled here now and I believe the club has a big future that I want to be a part of. I want to win a trophy and I think we have a side here that can do that.”