England star Jermaine McGillvary insists he is happy at Huddersfield despite NRL links
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- 26 Jan 2021
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England World Cup star Jermaine McGillvary insists he is happy at hometown Huddersfield after reported interest from Australia didn’t materialise.
McGillvary lit up last year’s tournament as England made the final, scoring seven tries in six games.
It led to the star, known as “Jerry”, being linked with top NRL clubs on a weekly basis Down Under, including national coach Wayne Bennett’s Brisbane Broncos.
But the 29-year-old – who is contracted to the Giants until the end of 2020 – says no approaches were made.
Now he is fully focused on helping Huddersfield become a Super League force again, ahead of next week’s kick-off.
McGillvary said: “I didn’t hear anything from the NRL, but I’m more than happy to be here. Huddersfield has made me the player I am. I didn’t just go out to the World Cup and start playing well, I’ve been at the Giants all my career.
“And this year is a big one for us – we’re trying to get back to that top-four status and challenging for stuff like we used to be.”
There have been minimal changes to Stone’s squad, with only forwards Colton Roche and Adam Walne arriving in place of Sam Rapira and Nathan Mason.
But McGillvary - now over a knee issue sustained in the World Cup - believes he can help inspire an improvement following his experiences Down Under.
He added: “I had a great time in Australia, but the gloss got taken off a bit by how we lost the final.
“The manner we lost the final, the closeness and the opportunities we had made it very disappointing.
“But you could’t fault anybody - everybody put their bodies on the line and the effort was outstanding.
“We just got beat by the better team in the end.
“But on and off the field I had some wonderful times and overall I look back on it as a positive.
“Being around that group of people was outstanding - I don’t think I’ll ever get that anywhere else no matter what I do in life, it was sensational.
“Now I’m concentrating on Huddersfield - we need a massive start.”
