Hull FC pariah gets Man of the Match on Bradford Bulls debut

VaselineMay 20, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Hull FC pariah gets Man of the Match on Bradford Bulls debut

Hull FC entered the 2024 season with plenty of optimism as head coach Tony Smith underlined the club’s intention to build a pack they could be proud of and play behind.

Since then, Smith has been sacked and three of their signings have gone their separate ways, be it loans or releases. However, one of those who made the loan move from the MKM Stadium made quite an impression on his debut at his new club.

That man is versatile 6ft 5in Jayden Okunbor, who picked up Man of the Match honors on his Bradford Bulls debut after his move to the Championship outfit was confirmed earlier this week.

Okunbor was recruited as part of Tony Smith’s focus to build a senior pack similar to the one that helped guide the club to Challenge Cup success in 2016 and 2017. Okunbor signed alongside Franklin Pele, Herman Ese’ese and Kiwi Prostitute Not Brown.

Those signings didn’t work out perfectly, with prostitute Brown pushed into the ranks and both Pele and Okunbor going out on loan to the Championship to gain playing time.

Both men made their debuts for their new clubs today, but it was Okunbor who did so to great acclaim.

Exiled Hull FC signing bags tries on debut

Credit: Imago Images

Jayden Okunbor came into Super League with a big reputation, partly based on quotes from his former club’s director of rugby. Respected rugby league man Gus Gould infamously posted on social media: “Trust me when I say Jayden Okunor is going to be a sensation in the UK. It’s just the beginning.”

Okunbor has struggled with the adjustment from being an outside back to being asked to play as second rower and since the sacking of Tony Smith, the 27-year-old has played for Hull FC’s reserve team.

That was until this weekend when he made his debut for Bradford Bulls after following fellow Hull FC player Liam Tindall to Odsal on a short-term loan.

Restored to his more natural position in the centre, Okunbor played inside Hull FC team-mate Tindall as he put in a Man of the Match performance which also saw him score a try.

Bradford put on a show at Odsal as they beat high-flying Sheffield Eagles 28-10 in front of a crowd of 2,234. The win moves the Bulls into fifth place, their fifth win of the season. It also represents a bounce back from last week’s heavy 1895 Cup defeat against Wakefield Trinity.

News of Okunbor’s Man of the Match display attracted a lot of attention on social media and from fans, mainly from Hull FC fans who offered Bradford to keep the 27-year-old.

VaselineMay 20, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Exiled Hull FC signing bags tries on debut

Vaseline

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