FETULI Talanoa praised his team-mates after picking up the Hull FC player of the year award.
The 26-year-old walked away with the top prize at Hull's annual player of the year awards night at the KC Stadium.
Rewarded for his efforts after playing every minute of Hull's 2014 campaign, head coach Lee Radford said his coaching staff selected the winger for his consistently high performances.
Surprised to receive the award, the former Tongan international was full of praise for his team-mates when accepting the honour.
"It's nice to get the award, but I owe it to the boys around me," said Talanoa.
"I came in late to the club, but it's been a great year for me playing rugby league again. I played more than I thought I would when I first arrived so close to the start of the season."
Talanoa's award caps a remarkable 12 months for the former South Sydney Rabbitohs player, who last year was working as a bin man.
Finishing the season second in Hull's list of top try scorers with 11, Talanoa has proved a big hit with the club's staff and fans alike.
Pointing to the fact the winger arrived just before the season began and without any training behind him, Radford is excited to see what one of his first signings can do once he's had an intense training block behind him.
"When we signed Fetuli, I suppose it could be seen as a gamble by some, but everyone we spoke to gave him glowing references," explained Radford.
"He arrived late this year and we feel once he's had a full pre-season with us he could be a sensation next year. Just watch him go."
Talanoa came close to an awards double, beaten by just one vote in the players' player of the year category, with captain Gareth Ellis taking home the trophy.
Joe Westerman was named supporters' player of the year, Dean Hadley the coaches' young player of the year and Jamie Shaul the young player of the year.
Iafeta Paleaaesina's try against Hull KR at the Magic Weekend was selected as try of the season, while Jordan Abdull was named under-19s player of the year.
The final award of the evening went to the retiring Richard Horne as the veteran picked up the outstanding contribution award.
An emotional Horne paid tribute to his family, friends, team-mates and all the fans after bringing to an end a successful 16-year career.
