St Helens centre Konrad Hurrell will play in the Championship this weekend after being omitted from Paul Wellens’ squad.
Hurrell was the major name missing from the 21-man squad that Wellens named to face Salford Red Devils with the veteran centre the only player with a squad number under 21 not to feature.
Instead, young back Harry Robertson was named in the St Helens squad sparking questions about why Hurrell had been omitted.
Paul Wellens had told SaintsTV that everyone in the first-team squad barring Will Roberts and Ciaren Nolan was available for selection, suggesting Hurrell’s absence was not due to injury.
That seems to have been confirmed today as St Helens’ dual registration partners Halifax Panthers have named the centre in their 20-man squad for the opening weekend of the Championship season.
It’s somewhat of a surprise to see an overseas quota player take the step down into the Championship, however, Hurrell missed plenty of games last year due to injury so it could be a ploy by Paul Wellens to get the Tongan powerhouse back to match fitness.
St Helens star leaves the club on dual registration move
Credit: SWpix
The 33-year-old Hurrell is the star name in Halifax’s team with the Panthers having already shown what they’re about this season.
Fax lost just 14-0 to Catalans Dragons last week in the Challenge Cup with Kyle Eastmond’s side putting in a gritty display with the game deadlocked until just before the hour mark.
Catalans then scored a 79th-minute try to take it from 8-0 to 14-0 but the Panthers’ performance was one that certainly caught the eye of their Championship rivals.
This week they travel to face Sheffield Eagles, another team expected to go well, and ex-St Helens man and new Fax coach Kyle Eastmond has named his squad.
Charlie Graham misses through injury but Adam Tangata returns to the fray with Hurrell’s addition obviously the most notable change from the squad named to face Catalans last weekend.
All eyes will be on the Tongan when Fax face Sheffield on Sunday afternoon, just under 24 hours after St Helens face Salford Red Devils in a game that will be aired live on BBC Two.
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT 🔵⚪️🐾 Head Coach Kyle Eastmond names his 20 man squad for Sunday’s Betfred Championship opener at @SheffieldEagles
Charlie Graham misses out due to training injury, while Adam Tangata returns to contention. Konrad Hurrell joins on dual registration from… pic.twitter.com/auRThTOcc2
— Halifax Panthers 🐾 (@HalifaxPanthers) February 14, 2025
St Helens also saw two young talents leave to join their League One dual registration partners with Alfie Sinclair and Jake Davies joining League One Swinton on initial two-week loans.
Davies is the younger brother of Ben, who has recently been loaned to Castleford Tigers, and could make his pro debut this weekend whilst Sinclair played in the Challenge Cup tie against West Hull last weekend.
