Pat on back helped to inspire a Giants great

HUDDERSFIELD Giants and Jermaine McGillvary are names that are synonymous with one another.

The winger has been at the club for a decade, but he has revealed things could have turned out very differently.

That’s because, as a teenager, McGillvary felt under appreciated while playing rugby and almost turned his back on the game.

“Around that time, I went to high school and met some new friends and they played football, so I played football with them,” he told the Giants podcast. “I got quite good at football, so I dropped the rugby. I thought I was not big enough anymore and I was a bit of a spare part when it comes to the elite players.”

Then came the decision that would turn McGillvary’s life from doing hard and intense labour work to playing rugby full-time.

“I just decided, you know what, I’m going to give it a good go. If I could make a career out of rugby I’d be set for life,” he added. “I’m not that good (to begin with), but it’s because I’m working nights, I’m shattered, I have to go to training in the evening, then work straight after training. So I quit my job and put all my eggs into one basket. I got fit, so I wasn’t a joke no more and I wasn’t looking like I was out my depth. I dedicated my life at the time to rugby.”

As someone who was trying to make it into Super League, McGillvary came up against seasoned professionals and struggled with the culture in rugby league.

However, he adapted and credits one ex-Giant in particular for helping with this transition – one that has seen him awarded a testimonial by the club next season.

“All us young players were in a room drinking, chilling and they just stopped the music and said, ‘put your hand up in the room now if you’ve played Super League’,” he said. “There was about eight of us and they all put their hand up except me and someone said, ‘you won’t play in Super League, you’re not better than us, you’re not good enough and we’ll be playing for England’.

“I was fuming, I was ready to go in and fight. But Larne Patrick came in, put an arm around me and said, ‘you’ll play when it matters, when it matters, you’ll play, and you’ll play for England one day’.

“I’ll never forget what he said to me then. I’d say only one who was in that room, that was heckling and laughing and joking, has had a decent career.

“I don’t wish that on anyone but it’s one of those things, don’t count your chickens. You haven’t made it after one game, you probably haven’t made it after 100 games.

“He [Patrick] had no reason to come up to me and put his arm around me and encourage me.”