Fonua last played in the Queensland Cup.
14:44, 11 Nov 2025Updated 14:49, 11 Nov 2025
Hull FC’s Mahe Fonua & Danny Houghton celebrate the 2016 Challenge Cup final victory at Wembley. (Image: SW PIX)
Former Hull FC outside back Mahe Fonua has reportedly retired from rugby league. The now 32-year-old last played for Mackay Cutters in the Queensland Cup, with the competition’s social media pages listing him as one of 2025’s retiring players.
Of course, Fonua is well-known to Black and Whites after a superb first stint at the club. The winger or centre scored Hull’s first try in the club’s 2016 Challenge Cup final victory over Warrington at Wembley before adding two more as Lee Radford’s side went back-to-back with victory over Wigan the following year.
Signing for Hull ahead of the 2016 season from Melbourne Storm, Fonua played for two seasons in his first stint and was a Super League Dream Team member in each of them. He returned to the NRL at the end of the 2017 season, signing for the Sydney-based merger Wests Tigers.
However, Fonua was back in East Yorkshire for the 2020 season, signing on a three-year deal. Unfortunately, the second coming wasn’t as glamorous as the first, and the player was released from the final year of his contract ahead of 2022. He subsequently joined Castleford Tigers and spent two seasons at Wheldon Road before moving back to Australia.
Fonua has played for Mackay for the last two seasons, making four appearances this year. In total, he has over 250 career appearances to his name, including 96 for Hull FC, where he scored 46 tries across his two spells.
His NRL record stands at 74 appearances and 31 tries, while he also has six appearances for Tonga on his CV as well as an outing for the Combined Nations All-Stars.