Lockdown proving to be child’s play for Huddersfield Giants’ Jordan Turner

The former Hull FC and St Helens player certainly has his hands full at home.

Sons Rex and Rocco are coming up to 18-months-old and, with rugby league’s Covid-19 enforced break, are quite happily giving their dad the run around.

Faced with double trouble, Turner told The Yorkshire Post: “It is non-stop. They are typical boys. They are always fighting and scrapping with each other.

“They’ll try and get their hands on anything and love climbing about everywhere.

“Everything’s up and out of their way now – all the knives are hidden, bleach bottles are locked away and anything sharp as they try and get their hands on everything. One of them has even tried escaping out of a window!

“They are very inquisitive and always have a puzzled look on their faces like they are thinking about what they can do next.”

Joking aside, on the positive front, there have been some benefits of the lockdown for players who might ordinarily miss out on many aspects of their child’s upbringing.

Now entering a fourth week and due to go on until mid-May at the earliest, it has brought some pluses in terms of family life.

Turner, 31, admitted: “It is completely different for me.

“As players, we get six weeks off normally and even then I’m doing lots of training in between and all sorts of different stuff.

“But these last few weeks I’ve managed to do things that I don’t normally do with the twins.

“I’m there first thing when they get up in the morning and I’m around to help them get their dinner with them which I’d normally miss.

“We’re always out in the garden playing together which I wouldn’t always get chance to do either.

“It’s a weird time in society but when this is all done with I think I’ll really cherish these times with the family.”

When it comes to training, like many, the experienced player – who won the 2014 Grand Final with Saints – is simply doing what he can when he can.

“I’ve a field around the corner from me where I’m going a lot and I do find myself doing long runs down by the canal,” said Turner, who lives in Standish, Wigan.

“But I’ve not got a scrap of gym equipment whatsoever in the house.

“I don’t have any weights or anything like that.

“I’m not so worried about that, though. That sort of thing comes natural to me and I’ll be okay when we start up again.

“It’s keeping on top of the weight that I have to watch and I can do that with the running and other stuff around the house.”

Like all Super League clubs, Huddersfield notified their players of planned wage cuts last week. There has been no games for five weeks with clubs seeing their income sources ruined and there is talk of games being played behind closed doors when the sport does resume.

Asked about the reaction of Giants players – who are already furloughed – to the prospect of seeing their pay reduced, Turner insisted: “We all have to be on board with it.

“We know that. It’s not just at Huddersfield Giants but across Super League.

“We know something needs to be done and we understand why.

“We really didn’t have a choice but I’d like to think – once this season starts up again – that the people higher up in the sport will recognise the sacrifices players and staff all made to help keep it going.

“There will be a new TV deal to be negotiated and I hope this is taken into consideration when it is.”

In Australia, the NRL yesterday confirmed it will re-start its season on May 28 after being given government approval.

Moreover, clubs will see their players return to squad training together again on May 4.

Covid-19 infection rates have drastically come down in New South Wales since the competition there halted on March 23 and the NRL has managed to get a go-ahead with strict protocols in place.

Turner – who spent a brief spell with NRL club Canberra Raiders before joining Huddersfield in 2017 – hopes the sport can follow suit here but acknowledges the situation is far different in the UK where there has been 18,100 deaths.

In comparison, at the same point yesterday, Australia had suffered only 74 fatalities.

“Everyone, not just the players but staff and fans, would love to get a date for resuming like they have in the NRL,” said Turner.

“But we’re at the mercy of the Government at the minute and we just have to see what they say.

“They will be reviewing things again in just over two weeks and we all hope to see the death total and the infection rate come down.

“We all want to start playing again but we can’t think too much about it.

“It’s a bad situation but what will be will be and we know everyone’s safety is paramount.”

And, in the meantime, Turner has Rex and Rocco to keep him busy enough.