The Club farewells Mickey Paea, who had his first year with the nib Newcastle Knights in 2016.
Paea has played 76 NRL games, 20 of those were for the Knights as he was called on to add experience to a young forward pack.
It all began in 2005 for the 31-year-old, who made his NRL debut for the Sydney Roosters.
Paea also played for the St George Illawarra Dragons and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs before moving to England to play for Hull KR and Hull FC and then returning to Australia to put on the red and blue.
Paea is returning to England to play for Hull FC in what will be his second spell for the black and whites.
Knights TV spoke to Paea’s teammates and coach about what they admired and appreciated most about Mickey.
Nathan Brown:
He’s a role model for not only the Polynesian boys but all the boys.
You can see the impression Mickey has left at Hull, he’s 31 and they’ve asked him to come back for two more years.
Nathan Ross:
He cares about his fellow teammates not just on the paddock but away from the field.
He has been a very good leader, especially for the Polynesian boys and showing them what it takes to be a first class first grader.
Peter Mata’utia:
He is a pretty funny character, he loves to sing and have a joke so he is good to have around.
Jacob Saifiti:
He’s so friendly, any questions about footy or life, I’m not hesitant to go up and ask him.
You always get a good vibe off Mickey, he’s always smiling and singing and it brushes off on you.
Trent Hodkinson:
He puts the team first, he is a very genuine person off the field and he really cares about you as a person.
It has been a pleasure to play alongside Mickey at two clubs.
Anthony Tupou:
He is a beautiful person, he has got so much time and patience with everyone.
To stay in the game for so long and to still be going, it just shows what he is made of.
The Final Word - Mickey Paea:
Whilst it has been a couple of tough years here, the fans just show up in numbers.
Moving forward, there is only good to come at this Club and we’re yet to see the best of these young kids coming through.
