The Giant “polar bear” aiming to replicate Luke Thompson’s rise to prominence

Rated as one of Super League’s best young forwards, Matty English, aka the “polar bear”, is now a regular starter for the Huddersfield Giants.

The 22-year-old, like many of his teammates, has reached a new level at the start of this season, helping his hometown club win three of their first four games.

His impressive displays have led to another England Knights call-up, having debuted off the bench in the win over Jamaica at the end of last year.

English, who is contracted to the Giants until the end of 2022, appears to be making good progress, but the blonde-haired front-rower wants to take his game up a notch.

Likened in the past to NRL legend and England captain James Graham, it’s a current Saints player the Stanley Rangers junior has set his sights on replicating.

“I look at the likes of Luke Thompson, he has shown what can be done and I want to be where he is over the next few seasons,” explained English.

“He really grinded it out for a few years in the early days, he stuck at it, played more games and suddenly had a massive impact at Saints.

“That hard work really pays off, it’s not easy at the start to force your way in but if you tough it out and get your head down, he has shown you reap the rewards of that further down the line.”

After making his Giants debut in 2017, English found himself down the pecking order at the John Smith’s Stadium and spent time on loan at Dewsbury in 2018.

Simon Woolford’s appointment proved to be a turning point for many young players at the club, with the Australian coach not shy in blooding Huddersfield’s next generation.

This led to the former England youth captain making 20 appearances last season, however, he is not content with that and has set out some big goals for the future.

“I want to play more games than last year,” said English. “I don’t just want to be there, if you know what I mean?

“The aim is to have an influence on the team, to be someone that really stands out, someone who is consistent and is a reason we get wins on the board.

“Everyone has their dreams and I want to play for my country. I have had a taste with the Knights but I want to take things to that next level.”

English’s rise is remarkable when you consider he suffers from a heart condition that leads to palpitations and shortness of breath.

Forced to leave the field in a game against Hull KR last May, the club referred him to a specialist and, after receiving advice, he was cleared to play.

This was a relief for English, a young man who gets to mix it in Super League with a number of his childhood heroes, something he admits is still “a little bit weird”.

He continued: “I have been a rugby league fan all my life, so to be playing alongside Aidan Sezer and to be in the same competition as Sonny Bill Williams is a bit surreal.

“Going over to Catalans, chasing James Maloney and getting in front of him, yeah, it is a bit weird, but I’m loving every minute of it.”

English has started every game for the Giants this season, however, a small calf injury will see him sit out tonight’s clash with St Helens, ruining his chances of coming up against the aforementioned Thompson.

Despite this, there is a lot of positivity both around English and his club at present, with Huddersfield able to make themselves much harder to beat after a poor end to 2019.

“We set out to give ourselves an identity and to up our intensity so people know if they are not on their game against us, they will get whacked,” English revealed.

“It’s a long season, there are a lot of strong teams, but we believe in what we have. There is a new belief at the club and we’re confident we can be successful.”