The Hull FC forward on the club’s catalyst for change, the side’s attitude demand, and play-off charge.
Hull FC forward Yusuf Aydin.
If anyone can sum up the changes at Hull FC this season, it’s Yusuf Aydin. From what the 24-year-old walked into last year to now is truly night and day, but that doesn’t mean the forward, or the club, for that matter, are content with what they’ve built so far.
In fact, this is just the start, with Hull, who changed their squad, coach and ownership ahead of 2025, now challenging for a top six finish and in complete contrast to the side that dwindled to one of the club’s worst ever seasons last year.
Picking themselves up, they are rejuvenated, and they are hungry. They’ve had a taste of an upward trajectory and they want more, and they’re determined to get it.
“If you’d have told us at the end of last year, ‘You’re fighting for a top six spot come next year,’ then I think everyone would be in a bit of shock, to be honest,” Aydin, speaking to Hull Live, said. “But I think that’s probably a reflection of how hard the club, the staff and the players have worked.
“Obviously, it’s not just on us players. There’s been a lot of things going on behind the scenes, as everyone knows, to get this club back where it deserves to be. It’s definitely heading in the right direction.
“It’s exciting and I think regardless of what gets said away from here about where people perceive we might finish, we from day one have always had that belief inside this room. We talk a lot about controlling what we can control and focusing on what we can do well and that’ll take us far. In some of the performances we’ve put in this year, we’ve shown that there are exciting times ahead. I’m excited to be a part of that.”
For Aydin, a key member of the Hull pack with his big stints and effort-based performances, the differences are aplenty – and they all stem towards one common goal: connection and togetherness.
Asked specifically what’s changed at Hull this year, he continued: “I’d say it’s all the little details. We’re doing a lot more things together and there’s been a lot more of a conscious effort this year to do things outside of the club and in the community. And that brings lads together. It’s more time spent together doing wholesome activities with the community and giving back.
“I feel like in every area, probably not just one particularly, they have all had a drastic improvement which has allowed us to be closer on and off the field. One of the signs here, and we spoke about it at the start of the year, is about what comes first, and that’s the fans, the sponsors, and all of the staff. It’s reflected in performances, I’d say and if you look at the way we are on the field compared to last year, there’s much more of a connection there and on and off the field.
“We’ve got a lot of players interacting with each other, doing stuff that maybe we wouldn’t necessarily have done last year, so it’s heading in a good direction.”
But again, that’s not to say Hull are content with where they sit. They know they will move back into Super League’s play-off positions with a victory over Salford on Sunday but they also know there’s a long way to go with loads of progress still to come.
“It’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Aydin said of progress so far this year. “There’s no limit, really. Like I said before, we’ve shown what we can do when we’re on, but I think the most important thing is to just keep focusing on ourselves.
“We’ve shown what happens when we’re not on, and we’ve given teams opportunities where we shouldn’t have done. We just need to go to that next level and just be really ruthless with those teams and then anything can happen.”
Raring to go after a welcome week off, Hull face Salford with preparation key after a well-timed break from the game.
“It was refreshing,” Aydin, who went to Norway with his school friends, said. “It’s been nice to get away, but we’re now ready to get back to it. I think, based off how everyone’s come in this week, a break was needed with a bit of family time to relax and recover. We’re ready to crack on with the rest of the season now.
“It was definitely needed. It’s been a pretty relentless season so far. The games have just come thick and fast and with the turnarounds, we’ve probably not had much time away from training, which is the nature of the job. I think everyone needed a quick refresher and it’s very important, especially where we are now at this stage of the season.
“A bit of time away has done us well, especially coming off the win against Wigan going into the Huddersfield game. I felt very confident, and then obviously, the way the game went the way it went, and we felt a bit deflated after. Some people might say they like to jump straight back on the horse, but personally I think given where we are in the season again, the much-needed break was welcomed.”
And on Salford, the message is simple: be professional and don’t drop the standard.
“They are not to be taken lightly and that’s been the theme of our week pretty much, really,” Aydin said. “They have been in games a lot throughout the season, right up until half-time and if we’re half an inch off, then they could punish us so we need to be on.
“In cases like this, we probably focus on ourselves a lot more. We’ve shown on our day that we can beat anyone so we need to prepare to the best of our ability and focus on what we’re going to do.
“We’ve addressed what happened (against Huddersfield) and we know it is unacceptable by our standards. But we’ve all had a week to refresh – we’re all feeling good and we’re all looking forward to this weekend’s game.
“We shouldn’t underestimate any team. We’ve been guilty of that a couple of times this year and we know regardless of who plays for Salford what sort of game is coming. But I think this is one of those weeks in particular where our attitude has to be above 100% and not take Salford lightly at all.
“We know we’re battling with Wakefield for that top six spot but there’s still a fair chunk of games to go before the end of the year so we’re just focusing on what we can control. We know the rest will take care of itself.”