Eorl Crabtree Testimonial: Eorl's Blog #1

	Home / Contact
	News and Updates
	Career Statistics
	Events Diary
	Official Merchandise
	OZ10 Trip Raffle
	Eorl's Blog
	Photograph Gallery

Photo Gallery...

View this Album

Latest News...

NEW: Finale Dinner

Other News...

OZ10 Raffle Winner

Blog Issue #1: 1st October 2009...

It seems only yesterday that I was doing work experience with Dave King and the Giants, taking in my first experiences of a professional rugby league player down at the then named McAlpine Stadium.

From that point I always new my destiny, my dreams and aspirations but achieving them was never going to be that easy. It's good to look back to those work experience days because I also spent a few days with the Huddersfield Examiner, meeting for the first time, a rugby editor by the name of Chris Roberts. We shared the same love for the game, but who was to know that we were to have years of interviews and countless photographs. Ironic really, I followed him for a few days, he has followed me for ten years.

The natural progression from work experience was to be a safety steward, manning turnstiles and terrace entrances. I loved this job, earning a little bit of cash while getting to watch all the Giants and Town games. I remember telling the still town kit man that he couldn’t come past because he had no ID. He was pretty annoyed, and I think he said “do u know who I am?” and he would get me “sacked”. Not sure I ever apologised; Sorry Brooky!
Turns out he is a top bloke but with not much pull.

At the same time I was playing my amateur rugby For Huddersfield YMCA but not for the league side, the union side, which is when I also played for Yorkshire u15’s. The open age rugby league side asked me to play with them as I'd played league before. I took this opportunity but was told I was not allowed to by Yorkshire RU. I ended up playing and one of the parents told the Yorkshire RU management and I was dropped to the bench for the biggest derby against Lancashire. Needless to say we lost, and I lost faith in their system.

I remember a lot of events because of their bearing and influences on my life none more so than these because of how my life unfolded.

While playing for the league side the Giants academy side were playing up at Laund Hill. Brian Blacker was the team coach, and I plucked up the courage to tell him I played, and I was playing in the Holiday Cup final against Underbank Rangers, who were the other side I played for at junior level. He said he would send someone down to watch me. That person was Paul Dixon, a true legend of the game and the biggest hands I’ve shaken!

We lost on that day and were totally out played but I scored a try and was invited to train with the Giants academy.

After training hard for the first time in my life and then playing a few games I was offered a contract on a part time scholarship basis starting on my seventeenth birthday 02/10/1999, this was the start of my Giants career.

I am now going into my Testimonial year which has been awarded to me for spending my ten years at the Giants. This could not have worked out any better as 2009 has been a great year for the Giants and me personally.

As a team, during the very tough pre season, we could all sense a change and a chance to do something special through the year. Nathan Brown has come in a changed things around for us. We have never worked as hard but have never enjoyed ourselves as much at the same time. Sometimes rugby, like life, can become a bit stale and with Browny and Mark Andrews, the head conditioner, we had the best change to the club that could have happened.

The whole year was filled with success and a few disappointments. We finished third which is our highest ever position, and made it to the Challenge Cup Final, and yet we are all disappointed that we didn’t do better - that is the mentality of the Giants players, staff and fans.

Everybody associated with the club know we are finally becoming the club we have always wanted to be. 2010 promises to be a great year!

Personally I think I have had the best season of my career, I finally made it into the main England setup and made my first true appearance in the victory over France earlier in the year, this was one of my dreams and I hope I can continue that dream by playing against the Aussies and Kiwis in the four nations.

The thing that has pleased me the most this year is my consistency offering something to the team in every game, I believe this is coming with age and I know I still have a lot more to offer, I have never wanted to play for another club as Huddersfield is my home town, this is the reason I signed for five more years effectively finishing my rugby career at the Giants. I love the Giants life and I hope I can carry on giving the fans something to shout about for years to come.

My testimonial year looks set to become a great year, I’m sure we will do well on the field and with many events lined up over the course of the year everybody can get involved and enjoy themselves. As well as events, there will be lots of quality merchandise on sale which I am very excited about, and will be available for Christmas,

Cheers
Eorl.

Back to Blog List