Hero Hurrell putting ‘lazy’ days behind him
KONRAD Hurrell is making a habit of nabbing the matchwinning try in remarkable Gold Coast NRL comebacks – and it’s no coincidence.
The popular centre latched onto an Ash Taylor grubber on Sunday night to ensure the Titans started their 2018 campaign with a home win, despite having given Canberra an 18point headstart. Ten months earlier, it was the Tongan wrecking ball who again was in the right place at the right time when he collected an Anthony Don tap back to seal a 38-36 upset over the Melbourne Storm at Suncorp Stadium.
Hurrell said staying alive in the play was a facet of the game he had been consciously trying to improve. “That’s something I have been working on, pushing through and trying to get involved in every play,” he told the Bulletin.
“Obviously I’ve been lacking that, just sometimes I’m being lazy, but this year the big message is make sure everyone is in the play and on the ball and I was at the ball at the right time so it was good.” As always, Hurrell was an inspirational factor in the side’s confidenceboosting triumph.
The 26-year-old ran 134m including an especially fearsome carry that steamrolled opposite number Jarrod Croker – though in typical Hurrell fashion, he ran back to check on his rival once he realised he may have been hurt.
“That (hurting Croker) was not the intention of it,” he said.
“We were a bit under the pump and I was trying to give energy to the boys and I know that’s what I’m good at, putting my head down and running hard. That’s footy … it was either me getting hurt or him.”