St Helens legend James Graham has played on the biggest stages including Grand Finals against Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors and Hull FC at Old Trafford, at Wembley for Challenge Cup Finals, around the world for England and Great Britain and of course the NRL Grand Final for the Canterbury Bulldogs.
But to reach the top in Super League like he did you also have to be able to win at the tough more traditional grounds.
They often used to ask in football “can he do it on a cold Tuesday night at Stoke?” and perhaps the question in Super league is “can he do it on a cold Thursday night at Wakefield?”
This comes as James Graham revealed he hated playing at Belle Vue.
He said on the Bye Round podcast: “Yeah, it was one of my most hated grounds to go to. At the time it was like ‘Oh no, Wakey away’ because the field was like if we played there in summer , it was like concrete, obviously they’d never water it.
“In fact, I used to always play in studded boots. The last time I wore plastic studs was Wakey Away in probably 2010. But all the rest of my NRL career, like metal studs, but back there, and even at St. Helens, all those other grounds, metal. Plastic studs at Wakey away.
“It was a horrendous place to go. I remember the changing rooms, it was like, after the game, trickle down the shower.
“Then you speak about the fans, they let you know how they feel about you. I think we’d lost the game at Wakey away and they were going off, they were just giving you crap. It was their cup final, they’d just beat Saints so you let them have their day in the sun, but their fans just loved it. They couldn’t get enough.”
International Rugby League
International Rugby League series cancelled 5 days after being confirmed
