Hardaker is relieved to receive McNamara’s full backing

The 22-year-old is currently involved in the national squad’s mid-season training camp at Loughborough University despite being banned for five games for making an offensive comment in last month’s defeat at Warrington Wolves.

It is the latest indiscretion that has threatened to derail his blossoming career given the 2012 
Super League Young Player of the Year was also thrown out of last autumn’s World Cup campaign due to off-field issues.

But, just like his club, England coach Steve McNamara has stood by him and welcomed him back into the fold despite the player’s own unease.

“Steve spoke to me on the Thursday prior to the (Warrington) game on the Friday,” revealed Hardaker.

“Then that came out and on the Monday I was like, ‘What’s happened here?’ Everyone was going mad about it.

“I didn’t realise how bad it was at the time. Obviously the thought was going through my head then, ‘am I going to get banned, how many games will I miss?’

“It was a case of do I get to miss England again or is he going to stick with me? All those things were going through my head.

“The last week was a bit troublesome; my head was all over the place and I didn’t know what to expect.

“But Steve reassured me whatever the outcome was he’d stick with me and stay by me.

“You can’t get more comforting than an international coach saying that to you, so that really sparked me on and made me feel happy about myself. I went to the tribunal and got five games, which wasn’t very good, but on the bright side I’ll be even more itching to get back on the field.

“A stupid comment comes out and it could ruin your career, but a day or two after the investigation started he texted me and I was under no illusion that he’d be right by my side, so that was always comforting to know.”

McNamara yesterday confirmed England’s next match will be the Four Nations opener against Samoa in Brisbane on 
October 25.

Speaking at their Loughborough base, he said they will have no warm-up game due to logistical problems which means the national side will have gone almost a full year without playing since their dramatic World Cup semi-final defeat to New Zealand at Wembley last November.

“We simply won’t have time,” said the Sydney Roosters assistant, who has flown in for a six-day trip from Australia.

“Our Grand Final is a week after the NRL’s and realistically, by the time we can fly out, it’s going to be Tuesday, landing you on the Wednesday or Thursday in Australia the following week.

“We then play a week on Saturday so it’s more important for us at that stage to be preparing for the round one game against Samoa. And we didn’t want to squeeze a mid-season fixture in a congested calender as it’d be detrimental to the playing group.”

Ex-Hull KR captain Michael Dobson, 28, will join Salford Red Devils from Newcastle Knights on a four-year deal at the end of the season. Wakefield Trinity Wildcats have handed academy player Tom Johnstone a full-time contract for the 2015 season.