Darnell eyes next level at FC
MCINTOSH IS DETERMINED TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME
Darnell Mcintosh can’t wait to get to work at Hull FC as he aims to take his career to the next level. Mcintosh is still recovering from the ruptured Achilles he picked up while playing against FC earlier this year, but he will officially link up with his new team-mates next month and start a new chapter.
The 24-year-old has over 100 competitive appearances under his belt after breaking through into the Huddersfield Giants first team as a youngster, touching down for 47 tries.
He’s determined to continue his progression and he feels the switch to Hull can only help his development.
“Huddersfield has always done me good up to this point,” he told the Mail.
“I feel like I’ve progressed pretty nicely and now I’m at a point where I want to kick on and take a bit of a lead.
“I’ve always said I’d never leave and take a backwards step, I only wanted to go forward and when Hull came up and said they were interested, in my eyes that was definitely a step forward for me to progress as a person and as a player, I feel I can do that at Hull.
“My 100th game was a bit of a milestone, so for me now it’s about looking forward to the next milestones and what I can do with my career.”
The opportunity to link up with Hodgson, who is still highly thought of at John Smith’s Stadium after his spell there as a player, was another thing that appealed to the winger.
“I met Brett before I signed,” he added. “All I heard was good things, a few people at Huddersfield knew him from when he used to play there and he was a massive factor in me signing.
“As a coach I think he can get the best out of me, I’m really excited to work with him. He’s a name that’s been chucked about for years when I was coming through. Obviously I’m an outside back and I played a bit of fullback and he was a full-back, so the things he tried to implement as a player, the coaches and players that are still there now still mention them.
“To be able to get his words and for him to coach me one-to-one, I think it’s something that will be really good.”
Mcintosh is expected to be fit for the start of the season with his rehab programme running until late December.
As it stands, it seems as though he will naturally slot into Hodgson’s side on the right wing, replacing Castleford Tigers bound Bureta Faraimo.
“It’s a team full of stars,” he said of the Black and Whites’ squad.
“As an outside-back looking at the full-back, Jake Connor is a player that can create stuff and me being out on the edge, that can only be good for me.
“Both the centres there, Carlos and Griff, are really exciting and I’ll be really excited to play alongside them.
“They have some big players and it’s hard not to be excited to be playing in a team like that.”