10 May 2019

THE EORL COLUMN: GIN, GIANTS AND CHALLENGE CUP

Former Giants Prop Forward, Eorl Crabtree pens his latest column for the first time on giantsrl.com

In this week's column, I'll be discussing the magic of the cup, playing at Wembley, the motivations of the players and I'll tell you a little bit about my new project!

This Sunday, the Giants face St Helens in the Challenge Cup and it's a reminder of what the competition is all about - two big sides with lots of history facing off, with only one going into the hat for the Quarter Final. 

St Helens are a great team, perhaps the best team in the country right now, and ooze class from 1-17. There is no doubt that we'll find it tough, but in these sort of games I often think of our former coach, Nathan Brown. He used to say that in big games where your backs are against the wall and no-one thinks you have a chance, every player needs to turn up and play at least a 7/10 game. If everyone does the basics right, then those players who stand up and make a difference will be able to. Often, you think you'll need every player to have a 10/10 game to win these kind of games, but what you need it competency and you need to concentrate and do your job. Everything else will come. 

There isn't any better motivation in the cup than the prospect of winning three games and being able to walk out at Wembley. Without a doubt, that is the best moment of my career when I was able to do that in 2009 and I believe this side have the talented to do it as well. It would be the pinnacle of every player's career I think - I don't know what else could better it. 

Reaching a final, I became the second Crabtree to make the final - my Grandad also was on the bench (and collected a winners medal) in the 1931 Challenge Cup Final, as Halifax beat York. Things like that make you aware of the history of the Challenge Cup and makes you appreciate that this is the competition with the most history in the game. If you win it, you automatically become part of the folklore of the club you represent. 

I believe all this will motivate the team on the field on Sunday. It would be great to see the people of Huddersfield support the side, too. Tickets are £10 for the game - unbelievable value - and it's a great opportunity for all those who want to support the local lads in the team. Seven of our 19-man squad have come through the Huddersfield academy, and with exciting young players like Matty English and the Senior twins on show, this is a great opportunity for everyone to see the excellent Huddersfield born talent we have playing week in, week out. 

Finally this week, I'd like to just talk to you about a project that I'm sure you'll have heard of in the last few weeks - my gin! I've released Number 8 Gin in association with our partners, Divine Gin. It's a London Dry Gin and as a gin drinker, I'm very happy to be launching my own. You might think that Number 8 Gin is just a name - but there's more to it than that! Out of 32 recipes, the chosen just was recipe Number 8, which was a coincidence I couldn't pass up. Check it out, I'm sure you'll love it. 

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