Wembley spots up for grabs as Arundel eager to halt Hull slide

For any rugby league player, occasions do not get much bigger than a Challenge Cup final.

Yet the Airlie Birds’ appearance against Wigan Warriors on August 24 comes just two days after the England Knights international turns 22 adding further gravitas to the event. That is, of course, if he gets picked.

“We travel down on the Thursday and it’s also Jacob Miller’s birthday that day too,” Arundel told the Yorkshire Post, referring to the club’s young Australian scrum-half.

“He’ll be 21. It’d be a nice present. We’ll find out at the beginning of the week if we’re selected so all the tension and nerves can be put aside to concentrate on building towards playing the game of your life.

“But we know if we’re not playing well between now and then we’ll be out.”

There is added pressure on Arundel given he knows he only made last Sunday’s semi-final victory against Warrington Wolves because of an injury to the prolific centre Ben Crooks, who has emerged as a frontrunner for Super League’s Young Player of the Year.

The severity of the 20-year-old’s leg injury, picked up at Bradford a fortnight ago, remains unclear – insiders say he has no chance of a swift recovery – but his rival has a perfect chance to stake his own claim again when Widnes Vikings arrive in East Yorkshire tonight.

However, Hull, for all their heroics in dispatching cup holders Warrington, are in a mess when it comes to their league campaign.

If they suffer a sixth successive loss this evening, the likelihood is they will be out of the top eight come the end of the weekend, an implausible scenario given their level of investment and some impressive mid-season form.

Arundel continued: “It (the Warrington win) is taking a bit of sinking in.

“The occasion and the feeling of winning that semi was unreal.

“We went in on Monday thinking “did that really happen yesterday?”

“Come Wednesday, though, and we’d put it all to bed to concentrate on Widnes.

“We realise we have to forget about Wembley now and our league position will actually help us put it to one side.

“We know we’re not secure of a top-eight spot and that will help us concentrate on these games coming up.

“Pete (Gentle) has already said these are “must-wins” and also that if we’re not playing well in these games, we won’t be playing at Wembley. It’s that simple.”

Arundel, more than anyone, will be keen to show his best this evening.

The winter signing from Castleford Tigers has been frustrated by injuries and a lack of form for long periods since arriving at KC Stadium, his cause not helped further by Crooks’s rapid development.

“Unfortunately Ben got injured but it’s created an opportunity for me,” he said, having played just 12 games so far given experienced ex-Great Britain international Kirk Yeaman has dominated the other centre slot.

“I’ve had an up and down season and just want to be able to get some games together back-to-back now and put some form together.

“It was hard at the start. I’d been out almost all of last year with a shoulder injury at Cas and not played much rugby so I did struggle with form.

“I wasn’t surprised really then when I didn’t get picked. I knew myself I wasn’t up to my own personal standards.

“But then Kirk (Yeaman) got injured and it was me and Ben in the centres. I thought I hit some form then only to injure my knee and miss eight weeks.

“I’m starting to get back now and hopefully get some of that form back.”

Arundel – who signed a four-year deal – spent time on dual-registration at York City Knights earlier in the season in an attempt to rediscover some sharpness and he did look solid last week.

He insists he is relishing the three-way battle for the two centre jersies even if he has been the one generally missing out.

Born and raised in Castleford like Crooks, they used to share a car on the daily journey down the M62.

“Crooksy moved over to Hull to live with his mum halfway through the year though,” Arundel said.

“I get on with him and we’re always challenging each other. It’s good for us two and Kirk to put pressure on each other.

“Kirk’s been around a while and is still a top quality player.

“It’s good to learn stuff off him and all the other players to improve myself as a player.”

Coach Gentle has shown he does not care for reputations, though, dropping Yeaman at Castleford in June for the first time in the 29-year-old’s career.

One of three survivors from Hull’s 2005 Challenge Cup winning side, he duly responded positively to reclaim his place and now Arundel knows himself he too is crucially in possession of a shirt.

“My aim is to crack on and play well in these next three games now,” he said, with the derby at Hull KR next Sunday and a visit from Salford City Reds to come before that showpiece occasion.

“As a side, we need to take our cup form into the league.

“I don’t know what’s different. I just think we need to show that same desire and enthusiasm.

“For some reason, we’re a different team in the cup and if we take that form into the league we know we can beat anyone.

“We have to turn up with the right attitude and, with players of the class of Gaz Ellis, we have the people to defeat any side.”

Widnes could close the gap to eighth-placed Hull to just two points and keep alive their own slim play-off hopes with victory.

Arundel is fully aware of their lingering threat. “I played against them earlier in the year and they beat us (36-16) so we know what they’re capable of,” he recalled.