Interview: Maghull’s rugby league star James Graham

Ahead of the much-anticipated Four Nations tournament which will see Australia, England, New Zealand and Scotland battle it out to be crowned champions, Your Move talks to local rugby league star, England international James Graham about his impressive career, the team’s preparations and the possibility of running out at Anfield in the final.

Interview by Matthew Smith

Having grown up in an area renowned for its footballing heritage, how difficult was it to get involved with rugby league?

During my childhood in Maghull my dad encouraged me to take part in rugby league.

When I was in high school people genuinely didn’t know the difference between rugby league and rugby union. It was very strange being known as a bit of an ‘egg chaser’ at school and it was always odd when we played rugby in PE – I was pretty much the only one who knew how to play.

How did your dad encourage you to take up the sport?

It’s a funny story really.

My dad had always been a rugby league fan and obviously when my parents lived in Maghull there was nothing much happening on the local rugby league scene. Despite this, he regularly went to the Challenge Cup final each year with my grandad.

In one particular year, I think it was 1993, he went to see Wigan Warriors play Widnes Vikings.

By chance, he stopped in a local shop and came across a sign which indicated that local club Thatto Heath Crusaders were looking for players.

When they returned they asked me whether I wanted to play. At that stage I was still just getting into football and I was also considering joining a team.

At the outset, I had no idea what the sport was. I thought rugby league was a bit like the National Football League (NFL) but without the pads.

My dad managed to convince me and I ended up playing a game and the rest is, as they say, history.

I fell in love with the game there and then. The coaches at Thatto Heath Crusaders were very welcoming and encouraged me to return to train with the team.

Ever since that first experience I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the sport. I pretty much owe my whole career to my dad for noticing that sign.

You’ve talked a bit about your early career at Thatto Heath Crusaders, but how important a role did St Helens RLFC play in your development as a youth player?

The club’s support was huge.

I was part of the club and played on the scholarship scheme when I was 11 or 12 which is when I first started. Even before that stage I was a massive Saints fan and I thoroughly enjoyed playing my amateur rugby there. Both St Helens and local amateur clubs like Blackbrook ARLFC and Thatto Heath Crusaders had a great influence on me.

Turning to your international career, you now have 30 England caps which makes you the most experienced player in the Four Nations squad. What does it mean to you to be England’s most capped player?

It’s a strange one really. It’s still a great honour.

Looking back, it’s massive to play just one game for your country but to do it as many times as I have is something that’s really important to me.

I love representing my country and I know it means a lot to my family. My mum and dad took me to St Helens four or five times a week when I was a kid to train but they did it because I enjoyed it.

It makes me feel happy that they get that sense of pride in watching their son represent his country.

How do you view the team’s chances during the campaign, especially against strong contenders like the reigning World and Four Nations champions, Australia and New Zealand?

It’s going to be a really difficult tournament and there’s always pressure because its been a long time since Great Britain or England have won a major international trophy.

Although we won the test series [Baskerville Test Series – 2015 New Zealand rugby league tour of Great Britain] last year and in 2007 [All Golds Tour], to win a major international competition would be incredible.

I truly believe we have a good chance but we understand that it won’t be easy. It’s going to require a lot from the entire team right from the playing group to the coaching staff. I’m really confident in the ability of the team and I’m tremendously excited to see how we progress.

You just mentioned that you’re confident that the team can produce a strong performance. What type of training have you been doing to prepare for the tournament?

We’ve had a strong fallout programme in place.

The first couple of days in training camp were pretty hard and very intense. Most of the preparation involves ironing out some of the finer details and practicing a plan of attack and a plan of defence.

It’s important to go over all these details to make sure that we totally understand what each other’s roles are on the field, both in defence and in attack, and during any transitional phases too. Much of the onus is just working on these different combinations.

It’s difficult because we don’t get together that often, it’s just an annual event that brings the team together so we need to practice timings with different players as well as various exercises and drills.

We also do a little bit in the gym. Lifting weights is obviously an important part of our training schedule but a lot of the time is spent on the field working on those on-field combinations.

The Four Nations final will be the first time in 19 years that Anfield has hosted a rugby league game. What do you think this could do for the sport’s popularity and its participation rates in a region dominated by football?

I’m not too sure really but I’m interested to see how that goes.

The game is spread out a lot more now and I guess people in Liverpool are aware of the sport and probably catch the odd game on television. I think this will be a great opportunity to watch a major international final on your doorstep.

Hopefully, a young kid might go to the game and fall in love with the sport just like I did. Sometimes all it takes is one game and you can be hooked, so if a few people go to see a game and take an active interest then I think that can only be a good thing.

I love rugby league as a sport, I love the concept, the contact and the contest.

Obviously football dominates in the city and that’s something I’ve grown up with and it’s something that everyone in this city loves, but I think there’s no harm in trying out another sport and seeing what it’s like.

You’ve played in some of the game’s most thrilling international matches. What’s been the toughest game?

That’s a hard question to answer as they’re all difficult as you’re competing with guys who are performing at the highest levels of physical fitness at elite international level.

I’ve been on the end of some really bad results against Australia in the past. There was one game in particular in Melbourne where they blew us apart and that was probably the hardest.

One of the most competitive games I have played in was the game against New Zealand in the semi-final of the World Cup in 2013. That game was filled with talented players and although we lost in the last minute, it was great to have been a part of that team.

There is a strong contingent of English NRL-based players in the England team. How does this Four Nations squad compare to previous ones you have been selected for?

There’s a few of us plying our trade in Australia but I don’t really like to compare teams from the past because it’s hard to do.

Whether there are lads playing in the NRL or lads playing in the Super League, we’re all playing under the England banner and we’re all wearing the shirt representing our country so that has got to be the focus.

I’m really happy and confident in the ability of the squad and I have a lot of belief and trust in the boys. I just can’t wait to get the tournament started now.

You’ve played in both the Super League and the NRL. Have you noticed a difference between the two competitions?

It’s very hard to say but I think both competitions are really entertaining however the spread of talent in Australia is probably a bit more even.

This year Hull FC won the Challenge Cup for the first time in a while but normally it’s the same sort of teams winning the big competitions.

In contrast, the Provan-Summons trophy which is awarded to the winner of the NRL Grand Final changes hands frequently from one year to the next. It’s very rare that a team wins back-to-back premiership NRL titles, so maybe the spread of talent in the NRL is more evenly distributed.

Over in New South Wales and Queensland there is perhaps more extensive media coverage of the game than in the UK which helps to enhance the sport’s exposure.

The NRL is a major sporting competition and it’s up there with the Australian Football League (AFL) in large parts of Australia. The sport’s popularity is probably one of the biggest differences.

Do you see yourself finishing your career in Australia or do you envisage a return to the Super League?

I’m not too sure what’s going to happen. I’m very happy playing at Canterbury [Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs] and I really enjoy the lifestyle.

As for the future, I really don’t know. You never know where life will take you and it can take you to different places at different times, but I’m not totally opposed to coming back maybe one day.

Saying that, I’d also be quite happy to stay out in Australia and finish my career out there and maybe retire out there too.

All in all, I’m not too sure where things are going to go and to a large extent sometimes these decisions aren’t up to me – they may be taken out of my hands so to speak.

Finally, in a career of tremendous success, what’s been the highlight and is there anything else you would like to accomplish that you haven’t already achieved?

Yes, definitely. There’s loads of things I want to achieve in the game still. Obviously winning the competition in Australia would be huge and winning a major title with England are the two big goals.

As for the highlight of my career, I have to say that being fortunate enough to be a part of St Helens’ 2006 treble winning (Challenge Cup, first place in the Super League and the Super League Grand Final) team was very impressive, considering it had been 40 years since St Helens last won the treble.

That achievement was 10 years ago now which is crazy. A few of us are actually getting together and having a bit of a reunion after this Four Nations is over so I’m really looking forward to seeing some of the old guard and catching up with a few old faces. I’m really proud to have contributed to that team and the tremendous success it enjoyed.

 

England kick off their campaign against reigning Four Nations champions New Zealand on 29 October.

The Four Nations final takes place at Anfield on 28 November.

For further details and tickets visit: http://www.rugby-league.com/england