Recalled Gold Coast cult hero Konrad Hurrell battling for his Titans future
AFTER languishing in reserve grade, Konrad Hurrell has the perfect opportunity to state his case for a contract extension when he comes up against his former club the New Zealand Warriors.
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TITANS cult hero Konrad Hurrell is fighting for his NRL future, but Gold Coast coach Garth Brennan insists he is not looking to offload the hulking centre.
Hurrell will come up against former club New Zealand at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday when the Titans attempt to salvage some pride following a disappointing month.
With their finals hopes on the line, the Titans have slumped to three straight losses to fall out of top eight contention with six rounds to go.
After being relegated to reserve grade following an error-riddled start to the year, Hurrell has earned an NRL reprieve in the wake of Dale Copley’s season-ending hamstring injury.
Earlier this year, Brennan publicly declared the popular Hurrell was his favourite player.
But the 26-year-old’s form has been well below par this season, prompting Brennan to send the Tongan international to the Intrust Super Cup.
Hurrell’s relegation prompted speculation the Titans were looking to release the 110-game centre with a year to run on his contract.
Brennan said that wasn’t the case, but admitted Hurrell was fighting to earn a contract extension at the Gold Coast beyond 2019.
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“Koni is contracted for next year,” Brennan said.
“We haven’t committed to extending him at this point but that’s not to say we won’t.
“If I was a marquee player playing reserve grade, I’d want my manager seeing what else is out there for me. At the end of the day, they’re not doing their job if they’re not doing that.
“That’s quite possibly the case with Bryce (Cartwright), Koni and Kane (Elgey).
“Koni has got a recall because of the injury to Dale Copley but he’s got to perform well otherwise Brendan Elliot will get a crack.
“You’ve got to perform or else someone is there ready to have a crack.”
Hurrell earned a reputation for having “butter fingers” earlier this year after making 16 errors in the first eight rounds of the season, which resulted in him being sent to the Tweed Heads Seagulls.
One of the NRL’s great characters, Hurrell can come across as having a carefree attitude, but Brennan said that wasn’t the case.
“It’s a confidence thing,” he said.
“He puts on a bit of a show that he doesn’t care and is happy and loving it, but sometimes that can be a bit of a front for some demons he’s battling as far as his football goes.
“It’s nothing off-field, but he beats himself up when he makes a mistake.
“I know he puts on the bravado that he doesn’t give a rats but he does. He needs to make sure he’s not making those errors.”
Hurrell made his NRL debut for the Warriors in 2012 and played 71 games before being released midway through the 2016 season.
The Titans have a horrible record against the Warriors, losing their past six games against their bogy side.
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Originally published as Recalled Gold Coast cult hero Konrad Hurrell battling for his Titans future