Josh Griffin has reflected on his first training session as part of the England training squad, as well as the challenge of this weekend’s clash against Warrington.
Griffin linked up with the England camp on Tuesday at Leeds Beckett University as the squad convened for the first time since Shaun Wane’s appointment as head coach.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Griffin said: “It was great to finally get the chance to be involved in person. There has been a lot of Zoom calls over the last eighteen months, but to get down there and have a physical session and meet Shaun Wane properly for the first time was a great experience.
“There’s a lot of quality centres in the squad and across Super League, so to be in there is really pleasing, but means you have to be at your best at club level every week.
“You’d like to think there could be a few other Hull players who could force their way into that squad. The more games we are winning as a club, the more players will be invited in. “
On Shaun Wane, he added: “He’s a very passionate man, and you can tell why he was such a successful coach at Wigan. He has very high standards and that really came across in Tuesday’s session. He wants the simple things done right, and he’s all about getting those small effort areas right.
“His main goal is to win the World Cup, and he’ll do anything he can to win it. You can see how passionate he is in the way he speaks. He watched all of our games, he’s sending us data every week, and he’s always sending us his thoughts on what we can do better – that’s all down to his high standards.
Back to club rugby, Griffin spoke of his happiness with the Black & Whites start to the 2020 campaign, as well as with some of the outside backs he has been playing alongside.
“Three from three, so we couldn’t ask for better. We are full of confidence.
“There’s been a bit of mix and matching, playing with different wingers, but we’ve worked hard as a left edge, and having Jake around the back has added some more dimension to our attack. We’ve got some great players in the back.
!I’m happy with either Swifty or Bureta. Swifty has had a great pre-season and has raised his levels this season. He’s smart, fit, and its great to see him hitting some form. He brings a lot of energy around the club.”
Looking ahead to this weekend’s clash, Griffin admitted that he’s disappointed not to get the chance to go up against Warrington’s Greg Inglis, who misses out through injury.
“I’m a bit gutted! I would like to have had a go going up against him.
“A few years back, he was the best centre in the world and someone I have looked up to in my career. Some of the things he have done are incredible, so hopefully that opportunity comes later in the season.
“It’ll be a tough game for us even though Warrington are without him. They have some star players and have done a number on us over the last few years. But we take confidence from the play-off game against them last year and our recent form too. We’d like to think we’re in with a good chance.
“We’ve got nothing to fear right now.”
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