The Hull FC forward on his future, form, Saturday’s cup tie, and getting the season going.
Hull FC forward Yusuf Aydin.(Image: SW PIX)
Yusuf Aydin is hoping to earn a new deal at Hull FC this year with the forward already speaking to the club about an extension beyond the end of the 2026 season.
The 25-year-old sees his current contract expire at the end of the year, and has now told Hull Live that conversations have already started regarding a new deal, with Aydin looking to take his stay at the Black and Whites into a fourth season having signed from cross city rivals Hull KR midway through 2024.
Developing into a popular member of the squad, Aydin, by his own account, has found a home at Hull FC and is now hoping to let his rugby do his talking after a strong start to the year.
“There have been a few conversations,” Aydin, speaking to Hull Live, said. “I can’t say much more than that. I haven’t spoken to anyone else and I want to remain at Hull FC and Hull FC are fully aware of that. Hopefully, there will be something sorted in the short- to medium-term future.
“This is home to me. I’ve felt like that from the first year I came, to be honest. As soon as I got a few games under my belt, I felt this is where I want to be.
“I just feel valued here, and I feel like I’ve been pretty consistent with my performances and in terms of how many games I’ve played. I had one little injury last year, and I got dropped for a couple of games, but other than that, I haven’t missed a game. Hopefully, I can keep doing that.”
Knuckling down, Aydin bases his game off hard work – and that hard work is bearing fruit for the former Wakefield junior, who has been one of Hull’s best players early on this year.
Benefitting from a big off-season, both on the field and in the gym, Aydin has started all five league and cup games so far. Always the player that goes the extra mile in terms of kick pressure, kick chase, and his general defensive efforts, he has added some velocity to his carries this term, running for 106 metres against Trinity last week and averaging 7.5 metres a carry in his four Super League appearances so far.
“It’s the one thing I wanted to work on in the off-season,” Aydin said. “I’ve put a real emphasis on that, doing a load of gym work and doing extra sessions wherever I can. I feel like it’s starting to pay off.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve changed much. I’ve just been more consistent with my weight training sessions. It’s easy once you’re in the full swing of the season, and especially when you’re sore and everything, to only end up getting one upper body session in or one lower body session in a week.
“It can be tough sometimes, but I’ve been making sure that on my days off, I am getting to the gym and keeping on top of it. It’s working for me so far.”
Happy with his form, Aydin continued: “I was surprised to be starting, to be honest, but I’m glad Carty gave me the opportunity. I’ve just tried to make sure I don’t let him down.
“As a whole, we’ve not been where we need to be, but we’ve got a long year ahead. I’m just trying to put my best foot forward each time for the team and take each game as it comes.
“It’s all about building momentum now; we’re only a few games in, and it’s all about making sure that I am playing big minutes and getting the most out of the games as I can. That will definitely help me as the season goes on.
“It’s like a confidence booster going into the games. Like, ‘I’ve put the work in and proved to myself I can do it.’ You end up creating your own mop in a lot of situations.
“But I’ve always tried to pride myself on those effort areas and I always will. It’s just having the willingness to go and do the hard work. It’s something I enjoy doing, that I take pride in doing – I love that role.”
As for the team, there’s still a confidence that Hull can put an indifferent start to the season behind them, and with a big Challenge Cup game coming up at Leigh Leopards on Saturday afternoon, there’s a massive incentive to do just that.
“It’s a massive, massive game,” Aydin said. “Let’s not underdress it or play it down; it is a massive game and it would be a massive morale booster to win. We’ve had some good battles with them over the past 18 months; they’ve been some unreal battles, really. We’ve got a few of their ex-players and there’s always that tension there. It adds more fire to the flame.
“We just need to make sure we have that connective mentality and we’re working hard for each other. As soon as something goes against us, we need to make sure we react positively. We need to have a bit of mongrel about us, go out there and just be ruthless in everything that we do, and in particular with those effort areas. I’d say nine times out of ten they end up winning you the game.”
And despite Hull’s start and the last three defeats, there’s no shortage of belief they can put things right, with Aydin adding: “We all know it’s not been easy for us so far. I feel for those guys who have got injured. I’ve watched how each and every one of them has ripped in hard over pre-season and then to lose that opportunity to be playing, it’s horrendous, really, isn’t it?
“All players want to do is play and put their best foot forward. No one goes out there to make mistakes, to lose, or to get injured, and it’s been tough for us all. But we can’t have that as an excuse. It’s the next man up mentality, and we’ve all said from day one that the next man up comes in and does a job for us.
“We’ve lost the last two by a total of five points. We know the performances weren’t exactly convincing and it’s frustrating for us, but we know what we’re capable of. We’ve done it consistently at training throughout the pre-season and it’s just not fully translating to the field at the minute.
“It’s not down to one person; it’s the team as a whole. It’s easy to point the finger when things are going wrong, but in order to truly be a good team, we need to have that connection and realise it’s on everyone’s shoulders as much as it is on one individual.
“Like I’m not perfect and I never will be, but as long as we can all keep holding our hands up and hold each other accountable, those wins will start coming. I truly believe that. We’re not a million miles away.”