Koni Files: Chapter One
In a world where the NRL doesn't exist, taking a young lad from Tonga who couldn't quite settle perfectly into Auckland life and moving him to the Gold Coast (Weeeelcome to the GC Aunties) doesn't sound like the best idea. Sprinkle some NRL on that situation, just a sprinkling and it still doesn't sound like the best idea as that young Tongan lad constantly found his footy being impacted by a cheeky lack of professionalism in Auckland... so the Gold Coast ain't gonna be too helpful, right?
Dunk that situation in a bowl of NRL context and it suddenly sounds like a really good idea.
I've already said my piece on why a move to the Gold Coast Titans could be the best thing that happens to Konrad Hurrell in his professional sporting career. Key points from that piece were...
- Getting out of Auckland, out of the comfort zone.
- Joining a Titans team who won't take any shit - Greg Bird is their leader.
- Joining a Titans team who are steadily improving after being wooden spoon contenders at the start of the season.
- Joining a Titans team that has a few tokos who can ease Hurrell through the switch.
While we saw Hurrell enjoy a brief stint on the field with the Titans soon after he made the switch, Hurrell's career with the Titans is yet to really take flight. He got a niggling injury and then couldn't play against the Warriors as he had to stand-down against his former team (nothing crazy there, this tends to happen with mid-season switches). On top of that, the Titans actually had some fairly good depth at the centre position.
Anyone who was expecting Hurrell to waltz on into a starting centre spot is a bit dumb. The Titans have consistently played Josh Hoffman as one centre and he's got that spot locked down, he's actually been a solid contributor to this Titans team all season. The other centre spot has seen Nathan Davis and Karl Lawton used, throw David Mead, Chris McQueen and Will Zillman into the mix as guys who can do a job when called on and Titans coach Neil Henry had a few options.
Henry's also a shrewd operator. He would have known that he would need to make Hurrell earn his spot, get him training in their system for a few weeks and allow him to settle into GC life.
Between Hurrell's niggly injury, depth at that position and a smart coach, Hurrell has had to be patient for his first substantial taste of NRL footy with the Titans.
Oh how stars align themselves. With Hurrell back healthy, both Davis and Lawton have seen their respective NRL seasons end with horrible ankle injuries. Lawton was the guy who had his foot dangling at an odd angle against the Warriors, so ponder how weird that is ... that Lawton's misfortune came against Hurrell's former team in a game that Hurrell couldn't play.
This week Hurrell starts at centre against the Dragons. Hurrell will play alongside Nene Macdonald who is a big, quick and dangerous winger which gives the Titans a powerful edge to attack down. Their outside back group is actually low key impressive with Hoffman joined by Anthony Don on the other edge and David Mead at fullback. Don and Macdonald are aerial threats and big bodies, Hoffman has footwork and a bit of gas, Hurrell is a train and Mead has speed and skill to set his outside men up.
With Hurrell at centre, McQueen can go back to his edge forward position. For those who haven't watched much of the Titans this season, their forward pack is a huge factor to their relative success this season. My NRL mathematics suggests that Hurrell will have Zeb Taia inside him with Taia/Hurrell/Macdonald forming Gold Coast's right edge. Taia is a veteran who returned to the NRL this season and is just another Titans player who has contributed strongly all season without much fanfare or attention.
If my mathematics is correct, Hurrell will line up against Kurt Mann and that's a juicy contest for Hurrell. Mann has struggled to maintain a spot in the Dragons backline thanks to poor form on the wing and at fullback, plus the Dragons have some depth at centre with Euan Aitken and Tim Lafai their regular combo. Lafai has been dropped for Mann, which presents Hurrell with possibly an easier match up as he could pounce on Mann's lack of confidence, especially with Hurrell running at him.
The trend with Hurrell is to bemoan his defensive struggles. Sure, Hurrell may not be a defensive gun at centre but to single him out in a Warriors team that struggled to keep teams below 10 points each week is a bit unfair. That Warriors team wasn't very good defensively, so to expect Hurrell to be an exception to the general situation is silly.
That's kinda why the Koni Files will be so fun - I just observe. I'm just here to observe Hurrell's new adventure on the Gold Coast, where he is faced with a different challenge, in a different situation, with different players.
To be honest, that Hurrell is starting at centre and he's been given a clear job to do is a good start. At the Warriors, I'm not sure that Andrew McFadden had any clear plan for Hurrell despite making him his personal 'project'. The stars have aligned for Hurrell to start at centre, opening a clear path for Hurrell to play consistently at centre and establish himself as a first-choice centre along with Hoffman.
Not to mention that those stars have aligned as the NRL season winds into overdrive, when each game is crucial as that mid-table fight to take up the last few top-8 positions will be ruthless. The Titans are in the mix and Hurrell's getting his chance at a time when the Titans need to stack wins up.