St Helens star Konrad Hurrell faces an anxious wait to substantiate if he’ll play an element in his staff’s daunting World Club Challenge conflict with Penrith Panthers in Australia subsequent month.
The Super League champions are set to fly out to face their all-conquering NRL rivals on 1 February – simply two days earlier than Hurrell and his accomplice Bec expect their first little one.
The Tonga worldwide has been given permission to journey out later for the 18 February conflict however is hoping an overdue arrival is not going to scupper his possibilities of that includes within the first title conflict since 2020.
Hurrell mentioned: “Our first baby is due in the week that we’re leaving, so hopefully the baby will come a bit earlier, but the club knows about the situation and I am going to take a different flight.
“I’m definitely planning to go to Australia but it depends, because it’s my first child and I can’t not be there. Even if we have to wait an extra week I am still intending to fly out to join the team.”
The former NRL centre was a shock signing by Saints from Leeds Rhinos in the beginning of final season, however turned his profession round with a collection of advantageous performances and ended the marketing campaign with a Grand Final ring.
“I think about 90 per cent of people said, why the hell are you signing him?,” admitted Hurrell, who has subsequently gone on to earn a second one-year deal.
“But they had faith in me, and I just came in and saw all these great players and what the Saints culture meant to them.
“I feel like my career has got back on track. Winning Super League and the League Leaders’ Shield makes my career look a lot better than it did before. I am happy here and I feel like I want to stay until I retire.”
Now the 31-year-old is set to cap his outstanding profession revival by enjoying a key position in sinking the back-to-back NRL champions, no matter the facet Penrith put out for the showdown.
I believe they (Penrith) will take it severely as a result of they’re at all times saying they’re in the very best competitors within the NRL, to allow them to’t be seen to lose to a Super League facet, as a result of it could be chaos.
Konrad Hurrell
Reports in Australia recommend the hosts is not going to choose a full-strength facet however Hurrell, who featured within the NRL for New Zealand Warriors and Gold Coast Titans, shrugged off recommendations they won’t be up for the struggle.
“I think they (Penrith) will take it seriously because they are always saying they are in the best competition in the NRL, so they can’t be seen to lose to a Super League side, because it would be chaos.
“We’ve got to give Penrith respect because they have won two in a row, but we have got to go there and stop people saying the NRL is better than Super League.
“The bottom line is it doesn’t matter who they put in their team. If we go there and win, we will go down in history for winning the World Club Challenge, and it’s something I will always be able to say I was involved in.”
