McGillvary aiming to slam dunk rivals in play-offs

It might be because of his athletic ability to get up in the air and take the most testing of kicks.

Or maybe simply due to his athletic frame and pace.

But Jermaine McGillvary was never a rising basketball star who made a late switch to rugby league.

“That was my worst sport at school,” the Huddersfield Giants winger told the Yorkshire Post.

“I hated basketball. I was a footballer and played semi-pro with Emley but have never been into basketball.

“It was brought up in the commentary during one game on Sky but I don’t know where they plucked it from. I’ve no idea.”

It is perhaps a sign of his sudden rise from obscurity into the public eye that such misconceptions have evolved.

Only last season, the Academy product was farmed out on loan to Championship club Barrow still – at the age of 22 – awaiting his chance to get a Super League shot at the Galpharm.

However, after debuting at Bradford in June 2010, scoring seven tries in just five top-flight games, his first full season in the elite has been similarly eye-catching if not as prolific.

The robust McGillvary has been called into the England Knights squad and is seen by many as a Four Nations prospect.

Earlier this week, with rivals alerted, he secured a long-term five-year deal to stay with his home-town club until the end of 2016.

His rapid development of late is put largely down to the input of head coach Nathan Brown.

“Before Browny came I couldn’t even catch, never mind do anything else,” he laughed, adding further confirmation that this boy was never destined for the NBA.

“He got me a tennis ball to help get my elbows in tight when I’m jumping.

“Now the catch above my head is actually probably my favourite rather than the usual basket-style.

“My awareness on the pitch has improved, too, along with positional sense.

“The new deal just shows how much faith the coaching staff have got in me to tie me down for so long but there’s plenty more work to do.”

The same could be said of Huddersfield’s season.

Having opened spectacularly, leading the rest during the early part of the campaign, their form has wavered worryingly as they prepare for the business end.

Huddersfield visit Salford City Reds this evening having won just once in their last five games, a dismal run which included a demoralising Challenge Cup quarter-final loss against Castleford but also saw them outplayed by sides they hope to challenge for the title – Wigan, Warrington and, a week ago, St Helens.

“At the start of the year we were on fire,” recalled McGillvary, who has scored 11 tries in 23 matches so far.

“Nobody could touch us. But, these last 10 games or so, we’ve not been ourselves.

“I’m not sure why. People thought it was because of Danny Brough’s injury but he came back and we still lost.

“Likewise with Luke O’Donnell returning – we were full strength again but it hasn’t changed.

“Maybe confidence has gone a bit low but we can put that right on Friday; it’s the same players that did well at the start of the season, after all.

“Unless Saints slip up badly it’s the top four we have to aim at and we’ll do that if we win the rest of our games.

“It’s not a bad position to be in and, hopefully, we’ll get that form ready for the play-offs.

“With three games left, we need to pick up and get some momentum for then.”

If Huddersfield can recapture their early power and panache, they will be a force in the final reckoning but question marks remain.

One thing which cannot be argued is the impact McGillvary has on the side, almost acting as an extra forward with his powerful surges and insatiable appetite for work.

“That’s how I’ve always played – direct,” he said, having won admirers from various opposition packs for the brutality of his raids for the Giants.

“I’m a bit different to your normal winger who might be better than me at finishing out wide but I like to do the hard yards at the back of the field, me coming in and helping out our forwards.

“It definitely helps them. They have it hard enough as it is – you see it when you do training drills how much work the forwards have to do.

“Us wingers might only do three tackles a game but when I’m tackling with guys like Eorl (Crabtree) in practice you realise what they go through while we’re relaxing out wide.

“With my strength, I sometimes get a quick play-the-ball or a penalty which gives them a rest or opportunities to score further downfield. I know they do appreciate that.”

It is no surprise he has drawn comparisons with the similarly physical winger Wendell Sailor, who carved out an international career in both codes with Australia.

Whether this year’s Four Nations comes too early for McGillvary remains to be seen but England coach Steve McNamara has noted his undoubted presence.

“I don’t know what Steve’s going to do – he’s already got two really good wingers in Ryan Hall and Tom Briscoe who are established with England,” he said,

“I just want to try and keep them on their toes and then you never know what might happen.

“I couldn’t really see myself being where I am now so soon with Huddersfield so who knows?

“Even when I was at Barrow and Batley (in 2009) I was still training with the Giants and learning new things.

“I knew I’d get a chance eventually and then it would be whether or not I took it.

“I have done so but there’s more hard work ahead; I’ve got plenty more to learn.”