Super League 2016 - Huddersfield Giants: Hinchcliffe looking to bring some consistency to Giants' challenge

That, in essence, is what Huddersfield Giants have achieved by bringing highly-rated, two-time NRL Grand Final winner Ryan Hinchcliffe in from Melbourne Storm ahead of the new season.

Head coach Paul Anderson has earmarked the 31-year-old for the hooking role at Huddersfield, despite him playing most of his recent football at loose forward for Storm due to that presence of one of the modern era’s great players.

That said, Hinchcliffe doesn’t initially mention Queensland rake Smith by name when speaking about the role, casually referring to him as “the hooker”.

“I am looking forward to playing nine,” he confirmed.

“Obviously, I have predominantly played 13 the last four or five years at Melbourne and a little bit at nine when the hooker was in State of Origin.

“I’ve obviously trained there a fair bit so I’m comfortable in that position and think that’s the role I’ll be filling over here and probably a little bit at 13 at as well.”

Pressed a little further about working with that “hooker”, the man who led the Kangaroos to the 2013 World Cup, Queensland to countless Origin series’ and Melbourne to three league titles, Hinchcliffe is more forthcoming.

“It’s been unreal,” he said.

“He’s one of my best mates to be honest with you and he’s just a real competitor, extremely smart, driven and a phenomenal player.

“There’s no doubt about that with the amount of work he gets through and he comes up with the big plays, too, and wins games.

“He’s probably the best player I’ve ever played with if I’m honest.

“He’s got an all-around game, defends well and gets through a huge amount of work and then comes up with the plays that win matches so that’s a pretty good footballer who can do that.”

Huddersfield need someone of that ilk to help turn them from perennial nearly-men into a side that wins trophies.

No one, by any means, is saying Hinchcliffe can be rated in the same class as Smith but he is a player of genuine quality who could arguably be the missing ingredient for Anderson’s squad.

Hinchcliffe came off the bench in Storm’s 2009 Grand Final win over Parramatta Eels, won the club’s player of the year award the following season – amid competition from Greg Inglis, Billy Slater, Smith et al – and was a replacement in the 2012 Grand Final success over Canterbury, too.

Furthermore, he featured in the 2013 World Club Challenge glory against Leeds Rhinos, a trip that gave him a taste for the UK, so, undoubtedly, knows just what it takes to be victorious.

What does he feel Huddersfield, for so long top-four finishers but still yet to taste a Grand Final, must do to finally cut it?

“The key is about consistency,” said Hinchcliffe, who played 177 games for Storm after joining from Canberra Raiders in 2008.

“That’s the big thing. You can’t expect to be up and down throughout the year as then come the big games you will mimic what you did before. You have to be as consistent as you can regardless of which side you play – one at the top or at the bottom.

“Generally, if you’re doing that you give yourself the best chance of winning the big games at the end of the year as you are in that state of mind where it doesn’t matter what the opposition does; you just concentrate on yourself.”

Hinchcliffe realises the importance of his role and of the hooking job in general which is possibly the most crucial in the sport.

“It is and hookers get targeted defensively, too, so you have to have a big engine, be able to make lots of tackles and be effective but at the same time control where the ball goes,” he explained.

“So, it is a very important position and it’s something I’m still working on, there’s no doubt. But the more I train there, the more comfortable I’ll be.”

Hinchcliffe could get a baptism of fire come Huddersfield’s Super League opener at St Helens on Friday when he faces England James Roby, one of the competition’s best-ever dummy-halves.

“It will be a good challenge for me, there’s no doubt about that,” he said.

“I’ve obviously watched him a fair bit for St Helens and England over the years and I’m a big admirer of him.

“He’s a great footballer; an extremely tough little player, defends really well, is quite explosive out of dummy-half as well. I’m looking forward to that challenge when it comes.”