Hull FC sign former Roosters champion Isaac Liu for 2027 Super League season
Hull FC have signed New Zealand international forward Isaac Liu on a one-year deal for the 2027 Betfred Super League season. The 35-year-old joins from Leigh Leopards, where he has been club captain, and becomes Hull's fourth new recruit of the off-season. Hull FC announced the move on 17 August under the headline "Liu Signs For 2027."
Liu is a familiar face to incoming Hull head coach Steve McNamara. The two worked together at Sydney Roosters, where McNamara served as assistant coach during Liu's decade-long stint at the NRL club. BBC Sport reports that those shared years in Sydney laid the groundwork for the reunion in East Yorkshire.
During his time at the Roosters, Liu won three NRL Grand Finals — the Australian league's showpiece final, equivalent to Super League's Grand Final. He left the Roosters for Gold Coast Titans before crossing to the other side of the world to join Leigh in 2025.
His move to Hull FC means he will have faced his new employers as recently as this season. Leigh's official match reports list Liu in their matchday squad for Super League meetings with Hull in rounds 4, 12 and 22 of the 2026 campaign. Leigh Leopards documented all three fixtures.
For rugby league newcomers, the NRL (National Rugby League) is the top-flight competition in Australasia, featuring 17 teams from Australia and one from New Zealand. The Betfred Super League is the English equivalent — 12 teams competing from February to October, with the Grand Final at Old Trafford deciding the champions.
Liu himself pointed to the McNamara connection as the decisive factor. He said the two "know each other well" from their Roosters days and had held "good conversations" about how he could help get Hull FC "back to where it needs to be." BBC Sport and Hull FC's own site both carried those comments.
What stands out here is the blend of experience and familiarity. Liu is 35 — no age for a forward in a sport built on collisions — but he carries three Grand Final rings and a captain's pedigree from his time at Leigh. McNamara, who takes the Hull reins for 2027, already knows exactly what he is getting: a player whose game he helped shape at the highest level in the southern hemisphere.
For Hull fans, the signing rounds out a busy recruitment drive. Four signings through the door, with a decorated Kiwi forward the latest — and perhaps the most intriguing — addition as the club looks to rebuild for a stronger 2027.
