St Helens international Konrad Hurrell believes World Club Champions St Helens have what it takes to win a record-breaking fifth straight Super League title.
The Saints kick-started their defence of the Super League title last Friday night with a 20-12 victory over Hull FC.
Jonathon Bennison proved to be the match winner after his two tries helped Saints bounce back from two consecutive losses in what was a cagey affair.
Tongan powerhouse Hurrell explained why it is so important for them to start the season strongly.
He told Merseysportlive: “The last year and a bit I’ve been with them two back-to-back losses is massive for the club and obviously they’ve won four in a row for a reason. In camp, in the training ground, it’s a bit down but at the same time we’re fighting to get back on the winning cycle.”
Helping the club win a fourth straight Super League title, Hurrell explained how he and his team mates are desperate to make history by becoming the first team to win five Super League titles in a row.
He said: “We made history last year but it’s better to do it again this year, five in a row because I reckon after going five in a row it’ll be hard to beat that. It would be good to be in a team that says this record will never be broken and I think that’s what we’re striving for as well.”
Starting his fifth season in England, Hurrell described some of the differences between the NRL in Australia and the Super League.
He said: “On a fan basis it’s so different here, they buy into the game so much. A lot of people will save up their life savings just to come and watch a game and that’s why it’s so good. Every game you go to you get a boo or all sorts of whatever they say.”
Hurrell also went on to say how the quality of the Super League is constantly improving, getting closer and closer to that of the NRL.
He explained: “I think we’re heading to the direction that a lot of players there want to come and play here, that’s a good sign for us.
“They’re not coming after retiring, they’re coming in at 21/22 years old and that’s a good thing that a lot of players in NRL are trying to come here and develop their game. So I think Super League is heading to the right direction.
“I think NRL is bigger than Super League but we’re getting there and after we beat the champions (of the NRL) we’re one of them.”
Despite the weather, Hurrell believes the Super League is a perfect platform for players coming over from Australia to develop their game.
He said: “I reckon this is the best place to come in, a lot of players come in and you either like it or hate it just because of the weather! The only reason people come here and want to go home is because of the weather. But yeah, I believe it’s great for a lot of players to come here and develop their game.”
Hurrell also praised the competitive nature of the Super League, stating that no team should be considered as a push-over.
He said: “Here, you play Hull this year and the next game you play against them they’re a completely different team, you’re like ‘what is going on here?’ they are just playing so free and that’s why I love it here.”
Hurrell’s pre-match predictions came true. Despite losing their previous game 60-14 Hull FC put in a fighting performance, frustrating the home fans inside the Totally Wicked Stadium. With neither team scoring a point with seven minutes to go in the first half, Hull FC fans finally had something to cheer about as they got over the try line for the first time in the game.
However, after a tense intervention from the video referee the Hull fans’ joy was short-lived as the decision was no-try.
With just a minute to go in the first half, Saint’s finally broke the deadlock with their first try of the game through Ben Davies. Despite fears that he had dropped the ball, the video referee made the Saints fans inside the Totally Wicked Stadium breathe a sigh of relief as the first points of the game were awarded.
At half-time, St Helens’ other world champion Michael Smith was presented to the home crowd, lifting the spirits of the supporters after a relatively quiet first half of rugby.
Despite this needed rejuvenation, the Hull fans celebrated as they get their first try of the game through Scott Taylor. There was confusion from the home end as the ball didn’t look to have touched the ground, but after a quick intervention from the video referee Saints were left to chase the game with 30 minutes to go.
With Hull having a slender 4-6 lead, the Saints fans were frustrated in what was a very tightly-contested affair. With 26 minutes left to play St Helens came close, reinvigorating the home fans.
With 25 minutes to go, the tension was finally broken after Bennison made good of the Saints pressure. Matty Lees then converted to add two more points to the scoreboard.
St Helens fans’ confidence grew larger as Jack Welsby converted for the Saints, giving them breathing space in what was a cagey affair thus far.
Nerves began to jangle and Hull fans started to believe again as Jake Clifford capitalised on a St Helens error to convert an easy try for Hull FC.
This reduced the lead to 16-12 after the try was converted. This gave the Hull FC fans fresh enthusiasm with 15 minutes to go and also led to loud shouts of ‘Come on you Saints,’ encouraging those in red and white.
With two minutes to go, Saints secured the win with a second try of the game by Bennison.
Their fans left the stadium relieved, but they will look forward to watching their side battle for more silverware this season.
