Bad boy Will Pryce has told Huddersfield boss Ian Watson he can be trusted in the Betfred Challenge Cup final - and is ready to return.
The brilliant young stand-off has only just completed a 10 game ban for a horror spear tackle on Hull’s Connor Wynne. But with huge fitness doubts over regular half-backs Theo Fages and Olly Russell, Pryce could earn a dramatic recall in Saturday’s big showpiece.
Having not played since March, it would be a huge decision to throw the teenager straight in against Cup kings Wigan at Spurs. But Watson says he’ll be in the initial 21-man squad and Pryce is adamant he is good to go.
The England Knights international conceded: “It’s not the easiest thing to come back into. But I’ve had ten weeks of training - basically another pre-season - getting myself ready for a game like this and in case something happened. I feel very confident in how I’ve prepared and definitely feel ready if I do get thrown in.”
But would Pryce, 19, be able to handle the heat on the biggest stage or could he have another brain-implosion like against Hull? He insisted: “I’d make sure I wouldn’t be able to make the same mistake and affect the team negatively like I did.
“I’m thankful I’ve been able to right my wrongs with the boys and work as hard as I can to make sure when I come back I can be a good fit. Like all players, there’s always a certain amount of self-belief and I’m not going to shy away from any opportunity, especially a Challenge Cup final. I grew up watching it. Luckily I’ve seen my dad lift the Cup and it’s one of those games you dream of being in.”
Father Leon won the Cup FIVE times, claiming it on three occasions with St Helens and twice with Bradford. Russell, 23, has only missed two games all season but was visibly upset when trudging off in Friday’s 17-16 win over Toulouse with a hamstring strain. Watson has not ruled him out but both he and Fages, omitted from that game due to a calf issue, face a race against time to be ready.
The coach says Pryce, who completed his suspension on Friday, will train in the halves this week with Jack Cogger who came back from his own three-game ban to slot the winning drop-goal against Toulouse.
Pryce, who continues to be linked with a move to the NRL, said: “I played one game in the Challenge Cup and they’ve managed to get us all the way there. I couldn’t be prouder of them. In my opinion, Russ, Theo and Tui (Lolohea) have been the best six, seven and one in the whole comp the past ten weeks. Watto just said ‘be ready, we don’t know what’s going to happen’.”
Regardless of whether he plays at Spurs or not, Pryce has reflected plenty on his moment of madness when sent off in that 14-6 loss at Hull. After his enforced break, he said: “It’s given me a lot of time to think about what happened.
“It’s given me a lot to look at being a spine player - a six - and someone who has to take charge in those key moments. And not lose focus or concentration which is basically what that tackle was: it was a lack of concentration and probably a bit of frustration with how the game was going.
“It’s about learning how to channel my technique and how I’m playing to make sure in those moments I can have the biggest effect on my team. And not do something like that again. It’s given me ten weeks to prepare for a game like I’m hopefully getting chucked back into.
“It’s let me work on different things like tackle technique and other different areas of my game. It’s taken a bit of pressure off me, I suppose. There was a lot of pressure on me coming into this season and how it was going to go. There was a lot of pressure from fans and the media. It’s made me feel a little bit more comfortable knowing I can get on with my rugby and not having to focus on any other aspects.”
