Jake Clifford shows gratitude for Hull FC spell as half prepares for NRL finals
Jake Clifford has put his one season at Hull FC down as the main reason why he will compete in the NRL finals this Saturday. The former Black and Whites half-back has been a key component of the North Queensland Cowboys side in recent weeks and is now set to line up for his hometown club against former outfit Newcastle Knights
Signing from the Knights, Clifford played 26 games for Hull last year and was one of the club's strongest players throughout the season. He was then granted an early release to return to the Cowboys last autumn, with the 26-year-old, who had one season remaining on his two-year deal, admitting that his spell with the Airlie Birds allowed him to 'mature' as a player, with the Aussie playing an 'ad-lib' style under former Hull coach Tony Smith.
Clifford has since signed a new contract with the Cowboys, having started the 2024 season playing in the Queensland Cup. However, he has played in the NRL in recent weeks, making six appearances this term, and after coming back into the team last month, is now set to start in the elimination play-off tie this weekend.
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"I knew I wasn't done in the NRL—if I could play some good footy, I had more to give here," Clifford told AAP. "I still had another year at the Knights, but the way some things unfolded in the off-season, there were signs they didn't want me there. I didn't want to go to a club that didn't want me. I took the gamble to go overseas with my little family. I just knuckled down for that 10 months. I wanted to play some good footy and then try and come home. That was always my intention."
He added: "I have definitely grown and matured a lot more. It was just the little things to manage in games. I know what strengths I have and what to base my game off. I just understand it a lot clearer. I played a bit more ad-lib kind of footy, and it allowed me to play with a bit of confidence. The coaching staff let me have free reign. They opened my game up."
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