Slade Griffin, working-class man
‘‘It’s just the unknown, the financial hardship of not knowing if you’ll get another contract or even play rugby league again.’’
Slade Griffin on his early struggles
Slade Griffin’s test debut will bring a wry smile to even the most hardened rugby league battler. If the 13-man code really is still the blue-collar game, Griffin’s career personifies the struggles of the working class more than most.
The Newcastle Knights hooker will make his Kiwis debut from off the bench against England in Denver tomorrow.
The 27-year-old’s story is one of resilience.
If Griffin, who hails from the coal mining town of Greymouth, walked away from the game during a period when he endured three knee reconstructions in four seasons – when contracted to the Melbourne Storm – nobody would have held it against him.
His dream of playing for the Kiwis was fading fast in 2015 when a third ACL rupture meant he would lose 21⁄2 seasons.
When he returned to the NRL midway through 2016 he had been out of first grade for 1065 days.
‘‘If someone had told me you’ll be playing for the Kiwis one day it would have been easier to come back from,’’ Griffin said from Denver this week.
Much has changed for Griffin in the last two years. His selection in the Kiwis team caps a careerdefining nine months.
‘‘To be here now is just a buzz and it was all worth it,’’ he said of his injury-plagued journey.
‘‘You kind of have dreams of pulling on the black and white so I just want to do my job.’’
Win, lose or draw against England, Griffin will be able to call himself a premiership winner, test representative and a regular first-grade starter.
Griffin has certainly come a long way since leaving Greymouth in late 2008 – as a 17-year-old – to begin pre-season training.
He played just 25 NRL games for the Storm over three seasons but was able to nail down an interchange spot at the back end of 2017. He took the field for the last 15 minutes of Melbourne’s 34-6 grand final victory over the Cowboys.
Griffin has been a revelation for the Knights in 2018. In a move that surprised many, Knights coach Nathan Brown started him in the No 9 jersey ahead of incumbent Kiwis hooker Danny Levi and Griffin has made it his own.
The career investment in playing understudy to Storm skipper Cameron Smith is finally paying off.
Griffin may not have lived on the West Coast for several years but the Cobden-Kohinoor Keas junior’s selection is a boost to the area which has – for the first time in 101 years – had to scrap its premier club competition due to dwindling player numbers.
The West Coast has not had a locally registered player represent the Kiwis since Glen Gibb in 1985 and in all probability may not have another.
‘‘They all love their own products coming out of the West Coast and they’re a very proud rugby league town,’’ Griffin says. ‘‘Unfortunately, rugby union has taken over there a bit but they still love their footy down there and I’m getting a lot of support from the town and the people there.’’
Griffin began his Storm career in the club’s SG Ball side and went on to win the under-20 player of the year in 2011, when he was one of the stars of the under-20 competition.
But when on the verge of cementing a first-grade spot in 2012, the off-contract Griffin tore his ACL – for the first time – in a pre-season trial.
Since his Kiwis selection, Griffin has had plenty of time to reflect on his long road to representative honours.
‘‘It’s just the unknown, the financial hardship of not knowing if you’ll get another contract or even play rugby league again.
‘‘That’s kind of the hard bit, getting out of bed every day and just trying to get through that rollercoaster,’’ Griffin said.