Updated Thoughts On The Konrad Hurrell Situation
Spread those T-Rex arms/wings.
Amongst the drama in the depths of Mt Smart was Konrad Hurrell.
Let that sentence simmer. That Hurrell is still with the Warriors is strange, so for him to play a part in dramas isn't too surprising as he doesn't really have anything to lose with the Warriors right now.
Now a scapegoat for any anti-Warriors noise, Hurrell was the focus of strong rumours regarding a possible move to the Gold Caost earlier in the year. This wasn't the first time that rumours of Hurrell's departure from Mt Smart had surfaced and I was more interested in who was right (NRL insiders vs Warriors/Titans/Hurrell's management) about the situation that the possibility that Hurrell might leave the Warriors.
Hurrell needs to leave the Warriors.
Besides being involved in the recent dramas, you can't really fault what Hurrell has been doing. Any game-time he has got this season has come in very brief stints off the bench, coming on to play as a forward ... despite being a centre. Coach Andrew McFadden said that Hurrell was to be his project over the summer, the project was to turn Hurrell into a forward?
Well no, clearly not because Hurrrell hasn't actually got enough game time to even try that. For a few weeks, Hurrell was selected on the bench as a forward instead of actual forwards who go alright; James Gavet, John Palavi etc.
Having been dealt a strange hand from coach McFadden, Hurrell hasn't really done much wrong. McFadden clearly doesn't view Hurrell as being an NRL centre as he's gone with Blake Ayshford on a regular basis and I've got no dramas with that, it's just strange that Hurrell is still with the Warriors given that situation. Hurrell isn't good enough to play consistently in the NRL right now and McFadden isn't good enough as a coach to get the best out of Hurrell - which could be because their relationship appears rather fractured.
Noise of a possible move to Manly perked my antenna up. Manly seems like a great team for Hurrell to better himself as an NRL centre; Steve Matai and Jamie Lyon can teach him plenty, plus Lyon is retiring at the end of the season so Hurrell could replace him. The Sea Eagles are a no-nonsense bunch, perfect for Hurrell who is trying to get his career back on track.
The scent of the Gold Coast rumour still lingers though as nothing has come of that. Apparently Hurrell was waiting on a passport, which was to take a few months and those months have passed so it looks like the NRL insiders took the L on that one. Point being that rumours around Hurrell's future will come and go, especially as I reckon the Warriors have been trying to move Hurrell on to a different NRL club for a while now.
People have called for the Warriors to dump Hurrell which nice and dramatic. My belief is that the Warriors have already shopped Hurrell around, he's been so out-of-favour with McFadden that he has quickly become surplus to requirements. Any time a player reaches that point, calls are made to get them off their books.
I do believe there are NRL clubs who will welcome the challenge of taking on Hurrell. You'd have to guess that Hurrell's asking price wouldn't be too expensive, given that he has struggled to hold down an NRL spot and opposition teams will see a bargain who offers power like no other.
We have to remember that Hurrell is a young player and McFadden is a young coach, both are learning about themselves and their job, let alone dealing with each other. You'd have to assume that many NRL coaches would be able to develop Hurrell into consistently dynamic attack threat and a solid defensive centre. They don't even need to make him a solid defensive centre, just improve his defence slightly because he's worth a few points each game.
The Sea Eagles seem perfect for Hurrell, yet Hurrell is still with the Warriors. The ideal situation is obviously that Hurrell enjoys a long and prosperous career with the Warriors but it feels like the longer Hurrell is with the Warriors, the weirder things get.
Go on Koni, spread your wings.