Calling time on his international career at the end of last year, former NRL centre Konrad Hurrell has provided an update on his future in the rugby league game.
A former player for the New Zealand Warriors and Gold Coast Titans, the 32-year-old Hurrell hopes to continue playing and extend his contract until the end of the 2025 season.
A fan favourite wherever he has plied his trade, Hurrell was a powerhouse on the edge while playing in the NRL but lacked consistency and struggled to keep himself in.
This has been the same scenario at St Helens RLFC, but the centre is hoping he can "stay at the club". While he will likely remain overseas, if he is not offered a contract extension, he may find himself back playing in Australia or New Zealand.
As recent as 2022, he was linked with a return to the NRL for The Dolphins before signing an extension to remain in England.
“I'd love to – who wouldn't want to stay at Saints?” Hurrell told Love Rugby League.
“I'm trying to be consistent every week so I can prove to the coaches that I can go again next year. This is the time to negotiate contracts, so hopefully I get the chance to stay at the club and be around the boys a bit longer.
“It's up to me first to work on what I do on the field and then it's up to the club to decide. But I'd love to stay.”
Last playing in the NRL in 2018, Hurrell has spent the last six seasons overseas in the Super League with the Leeds Rhinos (2019-21) before making the move to St Helens RLFC (2022-).
At St Helens, he won the 2022 Super League title and scored against the Penrith Panthers in the 2023 World Club Challenge before teammate and new South Sydney Rabbitohs playmaker Lewis Dodd kicked a field goal to cement the win.
While he runs off-contract at the end of the season, St Helens RLFC has a club option in the contract to extend his services for an extra year, which will see him remain there until the end of the 2025 season.
“Absolutely, if he keeps playing like that," St Helens coach Paul Wellens said on the weekend.
“Konrad's biggest challenge has always been keeping himself fit and on top of his physical capabilities.
“When he does that, he's as effective as anyone in the competition. What you saw in Konrad against Castleford was the culmination of a lot of sacrifices that he made in pre-season and early on in the season.
“He's a big bloke who is Tongan and quite naturally it's a lot harder for those blokes to stay on top of things because they don't have the same physical make-up as a stereotypical English kid.
“Therefore they have to make a lot more sacrifices than others and Konrad does that. When he does it well and consistently, you can see how effective he is because he's very hard to tackle.
“We all love Konrad at the club, he's obviously a huge character and you see that most weeks. I'm really pleased for him tonight to get the rewards for all those little bits of sacrifice that he does make.
“I wouldn't say he's playing for a contract; every player is playing for a position in the team and Konrad is no different."