McIntosh ‘excited’ to be given full backing
L AST season’s top try-scorer, Darnell McIntosh, has expressed his delight in receiving the number one shirt for Giants this season and is keen to impress as fullback on Friday against Warrington Wolves.
“I’m excited for it,” he said. “I’ve played a few games there in pre-season, in the actual trial games. I’ve trained there since probably towards the back-end of last year and all preseason and even in the last few weeks.
“It was a case of Jez [Jermaine McGillvary] was injured and they wanted me to do a job on the wing for them and obviously I’m more than happy to do that, but this year I do want to play fullback.
“It’s going pretty well. I have a good relationship with Gaskell and Frawls [Matt Frawley] so I’m excited for this week if I can get the run out and everyone stays injury free.”
Having featured mainly on the wing for Giants throughout his career, McIntosh appears to be delighted to have been entrusted with the starting fullback position.
“It meant a lot to me,” he added. “Since coming into the first team when I was about 18, I got quite a lot of setbacks of people coming in on loan and putting them in front of me.”
“So ever since then I’ve been fighting for my spot in the team and I’ve done that the last two seasons I have played. I fought for my spot in the team, whether it be through injury or not if I had an opportunity I knew I had to stand up and take it.”
“When Simon came in he put a lot of trust in me, a lot of confidence in me and for him to give me this, I’m over the moon. It’s made me feel like all the hard work has paid off and given me another stepping stone to kick on even further.”
Giants have tasted defeat in both of their Super League games so far and McIntosh’s shares fan frustrations at how the season has started for Giants, both on and off the field.
He said: “We looked really sharp throughout the whole of pre-season in training and in trial games. It was really exciting looking forward to what the season could hold.”
“In the week building up to the first game we had about three or four setbacks and it just took us a bit by surprise really and it took the wind out of our sails after that first loss against Salford.
“We had a reality check and went into Catalan, we had a great camp whilst we were out there, we were out there for a few days and had good prep. But then same again in the game, we started off great and then probably no one else to blame but ourselves.
“A few injuries and it just slipped away again. But the progression that game from Round One against Sal- ford, we’re very happy about that.”
“This week if we carry on that progression, with the added bonus of players coming back, we’re really confident.”
One man, in particular, catches McIntosh’s attention when discussing Warrington and that is his opposite number on Friday, Stefan Ratchford.
“Yeah he’s probably one of those fullbacks that plays as a half. The way he moves and everything like that it’s crazy. He’s really good to watch, very exciting but he’s a big threat, I know that.”
“I’ve always been taught from a young age to make it a competition between you and your opposite number so for me going out there on Friday night, I’ll try to give him a good run for his money.”
If I had an opportunity I knew I had to stand up and take it